Flexible Foraging Behavior in the Invasive Social WaspVespula germanica(Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Abstract

AbstractThe German yellowjacket, Vespula germanica (F.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), is a highly invasive wasp that exhibits efficient mechanisms while foraging. Plastic cognitive systems might be advantageous for invasive species given that they repeatedly encounter dynamic, unknown, or unpredictable environments. In this study, we explore memory dynamics of wasp foragers dealing with changing contexts. The aim of this work was to analyze how learning a second task interferes with the retrieval of a first learned task. We demonstrate that V. germanica wasps integrate old and new memories while foraging on nondepleted food sources. Learning a second task interferes with a first learned task when both tasks have different response requirements, probably due to response competition. Memories associated with the first learned task are not wiped out. Interestingly, this pattern of memory interference does not change when decreasing the number of feeding trials. This study provides new evidence about the complex cognitive mechanisms of V. germanica wasps, which integrate old and new experiences after very few learning episodes. To our knowledge, this is the first study on memory interference in social wasps.