Dispersal of spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis, Calycanthaceae) by yellow jackets (genus Vespula; Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Carnivorous wasps of the family Vespidae are known to seek out and disperse the diaspores of at least two North American and two Asian plant species. Attraction of the wasps to the diaspores is likely due to the release of volatile compounds that signal availability of an eliaiosome rich in protein and fat, which the wasps remove before releasing the diaspore. It is thought that this interaction between carnivorous wasps and plants is rare, occurring in just a few plant species. Here, we present our findings on dispersal of spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis Hook. & Arn.) achenes by carnivorous wasps of the genus Vespula. Observations and experiments were performed with the goals of discovering: how geographically widespread this interaction is; what the reward system is, if any; and, how wasps detect the achenes. Eight populations of C. occidentalis in northern California were used to observe wasps and plants, and to perform experiments on wasp attraction to the achenes. In all ex...

胡蜂科（Vespidae）的肉食性胡蜂已有研究证实可搜寻并传播至少2种北美植物与2种亚洲植物的传播体（diaspore）。胡蜂对传播体的吸引，大概率源于其释放的挥发性化合物——该信号可提示存在富含蛋白质与脂肪的油质体（elaiosome），胡蜂会在释放传播体前移除该油质体。学界普遍认为，肉食性胡蜂与植物间的这类交互较为罕见，仅存在于少数植物类群中。本研究报道了黄胡蜂属（Vespula）肉食性胡蜂传播西方夏蜡梅（Calycanthus occidentalis Hook. & Arn.）瘦果的相关研究成果。本研究通过野外观测与控制实验，旨在探明三个核心问题：该类交互的地理分布范围如何；若存在奖赏系统，其具体机制为何；以及胡蜂如何识别瘦果。我们选取加利福尼亚北部的8个西方夏蜡梅种群，开展了胡蜂与植株的野外观测，并针对胡蜂对瘦果的吸引力开展了相关实验。在所有实验中，原文后续内容未完整给出