Food Wrapping with the Postpharyngeal Gland Secretion by Females of the European beewolf Philanthus triangulum

Ground-nesting animals share their habitat with countless microorganisms that can play important roles as pathogens or competitors for food resources. Thus, species that store food in the soil, either for themselves or for their progeny, must protect these resources against microbial degradation. Fe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of chemical ecology 2007-04, Vol.33 (4), p.849-859
Main Authors: Herzner, Gudrun, Schmitt, Thomas, Peschke, Klaus, Hilpert, Andrea, Strohm, Erhard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
antifungal properties
Apis mellifera
Autoecology
Bees
Biological and medical sciences
bodily secretions and exudates
brood cells
chemical composition
exocrine glands
Feeding Behavior
Female
females
Food resources
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
honey bees
insect behavior
Insecta - physiology
licking behavior
Microbial degradation
Microorganisms
nest provisions
Nesting
Pharynx - secretion
Philanthus
Philanthus triangulum
predation
Predatory Behavior
Prey
prey preservation
prey storage
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
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Summary:Ground-nesting animals share their habitat with countless microorganisms that can play important roles as pathogens or competitors for food resources. Thus, species that store food in the soil, either for themselves or for their progeny, must protect these resources against microbial degradation. Females of the European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum, hunt honeybees as provisions for their brood and store the paralyzed prey in their subterranean nests. A previous study had shown that females lick the surface of prey before oviposition and that this licking treatment delays mold growth. Here, we showed that females apply large amounts of a secretion from their postpharyngeal glands onto the surface of their prey during the licking behavior. Inhibition-zone assays showed that comparatively large amounts of the gland secretion had no direct antimycotic effect. We discuss our findings with regard to other possible mechanisms of the postpharyngeal gland secretion against fungal growth.
ISSN:0098-0331
1573-1561
DOI:10.1007/s10886-007-9263-8