Intra‐specific body size variation inPolistespaper wasps as a response to social parasite pressure

Abstract

1. Like avian brood parasites, obligate insect social parasites exploit the parental care of a host species to rear their brood, causing an evident loss of host reproductive success. This fitness cost imposes selective pressure on the host to reduce the parasite effect. A possible outcome of an evolutionary arms race is the selection of host morphological counter‐adaptations to resist parasite attacks.2. We studied host–parasite pairs ofPolisteswasps in which the fighting equipment of the parasite's body allows it to enter the host colony.3. We searched for host morphological traits related to fighting ability that could be considered counter‐adaptations. As a host–parasite co‐evolutionary arms race can only occur where the two lineages co‐exist, we compared morphological traits of hosts belonging to populations with or without parasite pressure. We report that host foundresses belonging to populations under strong parasite pressure have a larger body size than those belonging to populations without parasite pressure.4. Behavioural experiments carried out to test if an increase in host body size is useful to oppose parasite usurpation show that large body size foundresses exhibit a greater ability of nest defence.