Recognizing relatives by scent.Wasps rely on variations in pheromone pheromoneAny chemical compound secreted by an organism in minute amounts to elicit a particular reaction from other organisms of the same species. Pheromones are widespread among insects and vertebrates (except birds) and are present in some fungi, slime molds, and algae. mixtures to detect family members. Wasps also treat family members better than strangers. Now, a study links the similarity of pheromones pheromones, any of a variety of substances, secreted by many animal species, that alter the behavior of individuals of the same species. Sex attractant pheromones, secreted by a male or female to attract the opposite sex, are widespread among insects. to kindness among kin. George J. Gamboa of Oakland University History Oakland University was created in 1957 when Matilda Dodge Wilson, widow of automobile magnate John Francis Dodge, and her second husband Alfred Wilson donated their 1,500-acre estate to Michigan State University, including Meadow Brook Hall, Sunset Terrace and all the in Rochester, Mich., and his colleagues marked the residents of 20 paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus) colonies in the wild that had related queens. They then scared off some of the residents and moved the nests, so many wasps returned to the wrong nest. The researchers watched how the newcomers were treated. Karl E. Espelie of the University of Georgia Organization The President of the University of Georgia (as of 2007, Michael F. Adams) is the head administrator and is appointed and overseen by the Georgia Board of Regents. in Athens analyzed hydrocarbons on the wasps. The wasps that were most closely related had the most similar sets of hydrocarbons and behaved most kindly to each other, the scientists report in the March Animal Behavior. |
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