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The Journal of Heredity 2001:92(4)
© 2001 The American Genetic Association 92:346-349

Brief Communication

Reproduction and Recruitment in Perennial Colonies of the Introduced Wasp Vespula germanica

M. A. D. Goodisman, R. W. Matthews, J. P. Spradbery, M. E. Carew, and R. H. Crozier

From the Department of Genetics, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia (Goodisman, Carew, and Crozier), Department of Zoology and Tropical Ecology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia (Goodisman and Crozier), Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia (Matthews), and Division of Entomology, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia (Spradbery).

Address correspondence to Michael A. D. Goodisman, Department of Biochemistry, 440 Biological Sciences West, P.O. Box 210088, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, or e-mail: goodisma{at}email.arizona.edu

We investigated the genetic structure of perennial colonies of the yellowjacket wasp (Vespula germanica) in its introduced range in Australia and New Zealand. The nuclear genotypes of 712 gynes from 21 colonies, 147 workers from 5 colonies, and 81 males from 4 colonies were assayed at three polymorphic microsatellite loci. The mitochondrial haplotypes of all wasps also were determined for a 450-bp region of the mtDNA using double-stranded conformational polymorphism (DSCP) analysis. We found that multiple reproductives were needed to explain the genotypes of gynes, workers, and males in 7 of 21, 2 of 5, and 2 of 4 colonies, respectively, and that nestmate relatedness of these three castes equaled 0.42, 0.16, and 0.22, respectively. The mitochondrial data revealed that all individuals shared the same mtDNA haplotype in 20 of the 21 colonies. However, in one colony, gynes and workers displayed multiple mtDNA haplotypes, indicating that nonnestmate recruitment had occurred. Overall the genetic structure within the majority of perennial colonies conformed to expectations based on the biology of V. germanica and kin selection theory for polygyne colonies; multiple reproductives successfully produced offspring and were recruited into their natal nests, thereby maintaining relatively high relatedness between interacting individuals.


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