Social wasps in the subfamily Polistinae represent two major transitions in social habit. I present investigations of the colony cycles of both primitively and highly eusocial wasps. The invasive European paper wasp Polistes dominulus is shown to be much more productive than a native paper wasp, Polistes metricus , though a replacement phenomenon is lacking empirical support. Using a prediction of the future distribution of P. dominulus , I demonstrate that, under a number of liberal assumptions regarding competitive exclusion, P. dominulus is not likely to cause the extirpation or extinction of paper wasps native to the USA.
The well-known genus Polistes has long been viewed as a group whose behavior is intermediate between solitary and eusocial behavior. The less well-known genus Apoica marks the transition from primitively to highly eusocial life. The phylogenetic relationships of the largest clade within Polistes and a cladistic revision of the genus Apoica are presented. Theoretical considerations of long-branch attraction are addressed using the phylogeny of Apoica and outgroups as a model.
Social wasps in the subfamily Polistinae represent two major transitions in social habit. I present investigations of the colony cycles of both primitively and highly eusocial wasps. The invasive European paper wasp Polistes dominulus is shown to be much more productive than a native paper wasp, Polistes metricus , though a replacement phenomenon is lacking empirical support. Using a prediction of the future distribution of P. dominulus , I demonstrate that, under a number of liberal assumptions regarding competitive exclusion, P. dominulus is not likely to cause the extirpation or extinction of paper wasps native to the USA.
The well-known genus Polistes has long been viewed as a group whose behavior is intermediate between solitary and eusocial behavior. The less well-known genus Apoica marks the transition from primitively to highly eusocial life. The phylogenetic relationships of the largest clade within Polistes and a cladistic revision of the genus Apoica are presented. Theoretical considerations of long-branch attraction are addressed using the phylogeny of Apoica and outgroups as a model.