Mass provisioning
Mass provisioning is a form of
Diversity
In bees, stored provisions typically consist of masses of mixed pollen and nectar, though a few species store floral oils.[2] In a few cases, such as stingless bees and some sweat bees, the number of cells in a single nest can number in the hundreds to thousands, but more typically a nest contains either a single cell, or a small number (fewer than 10).[3]
In predatory wasps, the food is typically in the form of paralyzed or dead prey items; after digging the nest they quickly catch one or a few prey animals, bring them to the nest and lay eggs on them, seal the nest and leave. Some wasp lineages (e.g. Crabronidae) show variation, with some species practicing mass provisioning, while related species may bring back prey after the egg has hatched, and then seal the nest (such "delayed provisioning" is considered to be a stage in the evolution of progressive provisioning[4] and thus of parental care in insects[5]), or re-open the nest and add more prey items as the larva grows, which is genuine progressive provisioning.[6]
In 1958, Howard E. Evans published a study of the nesting behaviour of
No
The best-known examples from outside the Hymenoptera are dung beetles, which typically provision with either leaves or dung. Once the provisions are in place and the egg is laid, the cell is sealed, to protect the developing brood.[9][5]
Social behaviour
While mass provisioning is typical of some
References
- S2CID 2144041.
- JSTOR 2425267.
- ^ Wilson, 1971 [page needed]
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8014-3721-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-163741-4.
- .
- .
- JSTOR 25085503.
- ^ Wilson, 1971 [page needed]
Sources
- Wilson, E.O.(1971) The Insect Societies. Harvard, Belknap Press.