Sperm use dynamics of the baldfaced hornet (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)
Stein, K.J. | Fell, R.D. | Holtzman, G.I.
The sperm content of the spermatheca of Dolichovespula maculata (L.) queens was examined before nest initiation and during colony development in 1987 and 1989. Several nonlinear regression models were tested in an effort to characterize sperm use as a function of colony size. Based on counts of cells per nest, spermatheca sperm counts were fit well by an exponentially decreasing mean and overdispersed negative binomial variance that depend on initial spermatheca sperm count and colony size at time of collection. The probability of successful nest founding appears to be dependent on initial sperm count, which varies with insemination success, either through mating frequency or the number of sperm transferred per mating. Results suggest that mean sperm count of queens in natural populations is influenced by the differential success in nest founding, as well as by physiological mechanisms governing sperm release during egg laying. The potential effects of mating success and sperm use on colony development are discussed.
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