Cely Ortíz, Christian C.

Profile Picture

Filters

20141
Reset filters

Settings

Citations

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Social behavior, exocrine glands and facial structure in Mischocyttarus mexicanus cubicola Richards (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)
    (2014) Cely Ortíz, Christian C.; Acosta Martínez, Jaime A.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Logue, David M.; Santos, Carlos J.; Department of Biology; Jiménez, Esbal
    The remarkable ecological success of the eusocial insects has been attributed, in part, to the economic division of labor within the colony. This behavioral specialization is mediated by variation in a host of morphological characters. Elucidating the connections between morphological and behavioral characteristics represents a critical step toward understanding the evolution of eusocial insects. I tested the hypothesis that task specialization is associated with specialized exocrine gland morphology and facial morphology. Twenty two individuals of the eusocial paper wasp Mischocyttarus mexicanus cubicola, were marked and video-recorded in vivo. I scored five classes of behavior: nursing, foraging, building, guarding and dominance using video recordings. The animals were sacrified and their heads and abdomens were dissected. Histological sections were made, and the following exocrine glands were measured: hypopharyngeal, ectomandibular, intramandibular, clypeal, Richard’s and Van der Vecht’s. Correlation tests revealed that the size of the intramandibular gland was positively associated with dominance behavior while the size of Van der Vecht’s gland was negatively correlated with nursing behavior. The wasps' faces were photographed and a geometric morphometric analysis was conducted. I did not identify any significant correlations between behavior and facial geometric morphology. I conclude that nest defense and dominance interactions generate selective pressures that affect gland structure, but I did not find evidence that similar selection pressures affect facial morphology.