RESUMEN
Our study focused on the thermoelectric properties of hornet cuticle at different body compartments and under varying states of awakeness. We also measured the temperature alteration patterns in various body parts of the hornet. Electric voltage and current were dependent on: a) the state of wakefulness; b) the part of the body. The current was lowest in dead hornet cuticle, somewhat higher in narcotized hornet cuticle, considerably higher in the cuticle of hornets awakening from anesthesia and highest in fully awake hornets. Voltage values were of the same order for dead and narcotized hornets, but considerably higher in unanesthetized awake hornets and highest in the cuticle of hornets awakening from anesthesia. At optimal temperature (29 degrees C) the hornet body temperature was higher on the abdominal cuticle than on other body parts. At an ambient temperature of 20 degrees C, the highest temperatures were recorded on the head and thorax, and the lowest on the abdomen. Body temperatures of live hornets were higher than the cooler ambient temperature outside the nest at night. The results suggest that the hornets possess an intrinsic biological heat pump mechanism, which can be used to achieve active thermoregulation.
Asunto(s)
Temperatura Corporal/fisiología , Conductividad Eléctrica , Integumento Común/fisiología , Vigilia/fisiología , Avispas/anatomía & histología , Avispas/fisiología , Envejecimiento/fisiología , Animales , Conducta Animal/fisiología , Regulación de la Temperatura Corporal , Electroquímica , Femenino , MasculinoRESUMEN
In the roof of cells built by the Oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis (Vespinae, Hymenoptera), there is one or more grains differing in their composition and shape from the surrounding structures. These grains have a diameter of 100-200 microm and protrude slightly from the roof inward. They contain primarily a large percentage of Ti but also Fe and occasionally Si. The mineral makeup in the grains is still uncertain, but it seems that the minerals belong to the group called perovskite. These grains in the hornet's comb may originate from the soil around the nest, that is, comprised of ceramic matter, but it is also possible that they are secreted from a gland within the frons plate of the hornet because the fungus-like secretion in this gland contains elements similar to those in the roof of the comb cells. We conjecture that the grain in question serves as a reference point for the hornets that build the cell walls in the direction of gravity. The cement whereby the building hornets conjoin the various building materials, whether organic (cellulose and the like) or inorganic (sand grains or tiny stones), is a saliva that is secreted from their oral gland, which upon release hardens into a polymeric glue. The ceramic grain embedded within this polymeric matrix is endowed with different physical properties and can therefore respond differently to the tension or pressure of the surrounding walls.
Asunto(s)
Avispas/química , Avispas/citología , Animales , Avispas/ultraestructuraRESUMEN
The silk weave spun by hornet larvae before undergoing pupal metamorphosis is composed of fibers and sheets, both containing symbiotic bacteria. The bacteria are secreted from the silk gland and are glued to the secreted silk, which is made up of amino-acid polymers. In the dark, it possesses at first an electric current amounting to several hundred nanoamperes (nA) (i.e., a thermoelectric property), and a high electric capacitance of up to several milliFarads (mF). This electrical charge is used gradually by the developing pupa. The symbiotic bacteria penetrate through slits in the coat of the silk fibers to the core or into pockets in the sheets, where they gradually digest parts of the silk weave, thereby nullifying its mechanical properties and facilitating in due time the egress of the imago from the puparium.