Dominance as a Predictor of Cofoundress Disappearance Order in Social Wasps (<i>Polistes fuscatus</i>)

Abstract

Abstract and Summary Paper wasp foundress longevity was examined by censusing throughout one colony cycle 29 multiple foundress queens, 43 multiple foundress subordinates, and 56 single foundresses that were nesting in artificial nestboxes in the same field habitat. At the end of the census period when most colonies were in a state of decline, all of the multiple foundress queens, 32% of the single foundresses, and 19% of the subordinate cofoundresses remained with their colony. Half of the subordinates disappeared within 15 days after the first workers eclosed and before most reproductive eggs were laid. On colonies with more than one subordinate cofoundress, the closer in rank a cofoundress was to the queen, the sooner the cofoundress disappeared after the workers eclosed. The queen and her worker offspring may increase their inclusive fitnesses by selectively ejecting the highly ranked cofoundresses, which pose the greatest threat to the queen's reproductive domination. Subordinate longevity appears to be influenced more by intracolony reproductive conflict than by foraging‐related mortality.