Extended parental care in the mass provisioning silk wasp, Microstigmus rosae

Journal article

Insurance-based mechanisms, where surviving group-members can complete parental care after the death of a nestmate, are key to the origin of cooperative group formation in insects. Selection for group living via these models is proposed to be dependent on the life expectancy of adult carers relative to the duration of offspring dependency on parental care. Progressive provisioning, where adults feed offspring gradually as they grow, is thought to extend this period of dependency and is therefore suggested to be an important factor promoting the evolution of sociality. In contrast, mass-provisioning species provide offspring with all the food they need to reach maturity at the beginning of their development. Since offspring are then nutritionally independent, the applicability of insurance models is less clear. In this paper we experimentally demonstrate that adult presence on the nest, even after the end of provisioning, is critical for brood survival in the mass provisioning silk wasp Microstigmus rosae. After 10 days, experimentally orphaned nests contained 65% fewer healthy offspring than controls. Adult females were also recorded performing post-provisioning parental care behaviours including nest maintenance and repair, putative hygienic brood care and aggressive nest defence against both ants and parasitoid wasps. By demonstrating the potential applicability of insurance advantages our results highlight how, even in mass provisioners, insurance-based mechanisms may be part of what favours group living.

Authors: Bonifacii, RL; Field, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer
• Journal: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
• Volume: 78
• Issue: 2
• Article number: 20
• Publication date: 2024-02-03
• Acceptance date: 2024-01-23
• DOI: 10.1007/s00265-024-03437-8
• EISSN: 1432-0762
• ISSN: 0340-5443
• Language: English
• Keywords: FFR