Relationship between Nest and Body Temperature and Microclimate in the Paper Wasp Polistes dominula

Autor: Helmut Kovac, Julia Magdalena Nagy, Helmut Käfer, Anton Stabentheiner
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Insects, Vol 14, Iss 11, p 886 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2075-4450
DOI: 10.3390/insects14110886
Popis: The paper wasp Polistes dominula is a thermophilic species originating from the Mediterranean climate, but is now widely spread in Europe. They live in quite differing habitats; and as synanthropic species, they have been established in human settlement areas. They build a single small comb at protected places with a favorable microclimate. We measured the temperature of the wasps, the nests and their environment at typical nesting sides in Austria (Europe) in the temperate climate, in order to reveal relationships between nest and body temperature and the habitats’ microclimate. The temperatures of the comb and of the wasps’ body were in a wide range (~20–37 °C) above the ambient air temperature at the nest. This is an advantage as higher temperatures accelerate the development speed of the brood. However, the mean comb temperature did not exceed approximately 38.6 °C. This was managed by cooling efforts of the adult wasps. The ambient air temperature near the nest (~1–2 cm) was always clearly elevated above the ambient air temperature at a local standard weather station in the habitat. A comparison with climate-model-generated macroclimate data revealed the necessity of measuring microclimate data for a reliable description of the insects’ thermal environment.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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