Wasp battles reveal influence of diet
To test predictive models of animal behaviour, including the outcome of fights, ecologists study parasitoid wasps of the family Bethylidae. Scientists have explored how prior ownership and the way individuals value possession of the contested resource influence a fight's outcome. Bethylidae generally feed on nectar and on the host organisms that they parasitise. However, the influence of diet on contest behaviour and outcomes has not been examined before. Therefore, the 'Metabolomics and contest behaviour in parasitoid wasps' (WASP FIGHTS) project studied the influence of nutrition and physiological state on the outcome of fights. More specifically, the aim of the EU-funded study was to determine the influence of a range of nutrients from diverse food sources. Researchers predicted that certain nutrients could influence the wasps' ability in contests (referred to as resource-holding potential). Other nutrients were expected to influence the value of the resource to the contestants. WASP FIGHTS therefore explored the importance and interactions between these contrasting effects. Contests were staged between wasps fed on different diets, and the roles of carbohydrate-rich (e.g. honey) and protein-rich (yeast) diets were explored. Results indicated that parasitoid contest behaviour was weakly influenced by diet. They showed that diet is more closely related to resource value than to resource-holding potential. WASP FIGHTS developed a methodology based on use of metabolomics and behavioural observations for exploring the effects of physiological/metabolic status on animal contests. In addition, a methodology was developed for metabolite profiling of individual parasitoid wasps. Techniques developed by the WASP FIGHTS initiative will prove valuable to prospective physiological and ecological studies. The work will also have important implications for pest control in the future.
Keywords
Wasp, parasitoid wasp, animal contests, nutrition, animal behaviour, Bethylidae, diet, contest behavior, metabolomics, physiological state, resource-holding potential, metabolite profiling, pest control
