GUNNELS, Charles/W; Univ. of Florida: Morphometric and energetic differences between the alternative reproductive strategies of female Mischocyttarus mexicanus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Alternative strategies demand examination. This type variation seems to contradict a general expectation of evolutionary biology, which predicts a single, optimal strategy should be fixed within a population in most circumstances. Female Mischocyttarus mexicanus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) exhibit an alternative reproductive strategy among individuals of the same population. Haplometrotic females initiate nests alone, thereby maintaining all reproductive opportunities. Pleometrotic females co-found nests, creating the opportunity for shared reproduction. In this study, I examined morphometric and energetic differences between these alternative reproductive strategies. Measurements were taken twice during the year, allowing for an additional comparison between seasonal changes in colony development. Haplometrotic and pleometrotic females exhibit similar levels of energy throughout the year. In contrast, haplometrotic females were significantly larger than pleometrotic females in the spring: the season associated with the highest frequency of newly founded nests. Haplometrotic females were significantly smaller than their pleometrotic counterparts during the rest of the year. This pattern suggests that the maintenance of the alternative reproductive strategies may be associated with the state of the female and that the decision rule pursued by an individual changes over the year. This study is also the initial stage in a more detailed examination of the energetics, which may exhibit task-specific allocation of energy at a finer scale than measured presently.