Meeting Abstract
The Biogeography of Nutrient Preference in Tropical Wasp Species Often, the geographical location of a population can determine what composes their diet. But to what extent? This study explores the relationships between biome type, nutrients and the resulting catches to understand feeding habits of wasp species in the Amazon River Basin. Specifically, traps were placed in varying sub-biomes (varying in temperature, humidity and overall plant community features) and with varying lures and were sampled multiple times to determine how these factors impacted species visitation patterns. The traps were tested with standard European wasp/yellow jacket bait, copoazu fruit slurry (a fruit indigenous to the region), non-native fruit slurry and a solution of distilled water and poultry scraps. Traps were recovered daily and their contents surveyed. The results indicated that while some wasp species exhibited a constant preference for a given nutrient, several wasp species exhibited a much broader preference profile. In addition, some were only found in specific combinations of site and nutrient. We discuss our results and how further studies could bring to light the deeper biogeographical connections between location and food preference in hymenopteran species.
