International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 12 Issue: 01 | Jan 2025
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
www.irjet.net
FACIAL MARKINGS AND WOLBACHIA PIPIENTIS INFECTION RATE IN POLISTES CAROLINA PAPER WASPS IN THE NORTHERN CHIHUAHUA DESERT Niccole D. Rech1*, Juan Carlos Amaya2, Yessly Camunez2, Charles Lobato2, Leo Robledo2, Angelec Winters2 1Western New Mexico University 2 Early College High School, Deming, New Mexico
--------------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT: During the summer of 2023, 115 Polistes carolina (Linnaeus, 1767) were captured in the Northern Chihuahua Desert. Ninety-two were females and 23 were males giving a sex-ratio distortion of exactly 4:1. Purposely, the queens were not captured. Polistes carolina, a common paper wasp, is important for two main reasons. First, they are native pollinators that have not been inbred like the domesticated honeybee, Apis mellifera. Therefore, they are more resistant to pathogens. Secondly, they are insect predators and help control insect populations. Insect larva in the Orders Lepidoptera and Diptera are usually targeted. Sixty-nine Polistes carolina were tested for Wolbachia pipientis, an endosymbiont that is changing the evolution of insects. The 16S rDNA gene of the small unit of the bacterial ribosome was targeted to identify Wolbachia pipientis infection. For insect DNA, the cytochrome C oxidase gene was targeted. Fifty-six-point five percent tested positive for Wolbachia. One-hundred and eight Polistes carolina wasps’ facial markings were analyzed. Three facial marking categories were detected. Facial marking in the genus Polistes have been linked to communication. Facial markings in several other species in this genus have been analyzed, but not Polistes carolina. The wasps were identified using the Vespidae key from Buck, Marshall, and Cheung (2020).
KEYWORDS: Wolbachia pipientis, Polistes carolina, Facial Marking in Paper Wasps BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of information on the Polistes carolina populations living in the Northern Chihuahua Desert. Polistes carolina, a common ferrous colored paper wasp inhabits six continents and many oceanic islands (Reeve, 1991). Over the last several decades, these wasps have been studied to understand several behaviors including dominance hierarchy of reproduction (Jandt, Tibbetts, & Toth, 2014), the mechanisms of social communication (Cervo, Cini, & Turillazzi, 2015), and plasticity of social behavior (Patalano, Vlasova, Wyatt, Ewels, & Camara, 2015). Polistes carolina are non-specific native pollinators (Sumner & Cini, 2021), and are important predators in terrestrial communities (Stahlhut, Liebert, Starks, Dapporto, & Jaenike, 2006). They are an essential part of ecosystems. Polistes carolina mainly prey on the larval stages of Orders Diptera and Lepidoptera, which in large numbers can be agricultural pests (Southon, Fernandes, Nascimento, & Sumner, 2019). With the decline of Apis melifera, the domesticated European honeybee, the preservation of native pollinators is imperative (Hoehn, Tscharntke, Tylianakis, & Steffan-Dewenter, 2008). Facial patterns have been shown to be a means of communications for some species of Polistes wasps. Differences in facial patterns have been linked to individual wasp identity (Jernigan, Stafstrom, Zava, Vogt, & Sheehan, 2023; Miller, 2023). Wasps are limited in their visual acuity due to small, compound eyes (Land, 1997). Facial markings are used to identify nest mates, enemies, and social hierarchy. Facial recognition among nest mates is used to reduce conflicts and stabilize social interactions (Tibbetts & Sheenan, 2011). Facial color patterns among Polistes wasps include yellow, red-brown and black markings (Miller, 2023). Facial pattern communications have been identified in three species of Polistes wasps, but not Polistes carolina. Wolbachia pipientis is a rickettsia, alpha-proteobacteria endosymbiont that causes reproduction alterations that impact speciation (Knight, 2001; Werren, 1997). It infects insects, mites, crustaceans, and filarial nematodes (Serbus, Casper-Lindley, Landmann, & Sullivan, 2008). Although, it is now known that Wolbachia can go through an extracellular phase that can last up to seven days (Rasgon, Gamston, & Ren, 2006). Wolbachia causes cytoplasmic incompatibility, (LePage, et al., 2017; Werren, 1997) parthenogenesis, feminization, and male-killing (Hurst, et al., 1999: Werren, 1997). It can be transmitted horizontally
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