Do Wasps Actually Remember Faces?
WouterWhether wasps actually remember faces remains a controversial topic. However, recent research shows how we may have underestimated their learning abilities.
Researchers from the University of Michigan have conducted a study on the ability of wasps to recognize faces. The research, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, shows that some wasp species are capable of learning the faces of their peers. This ability is important for wasps because it allows intricate colonies to function efficiently. The ability to recognize faces also allows the wasp queens to negotiate with other queens. The queens determine the food distribution, work assignments, and reproductive privileges of their colony.
Tibbetts and her colleagues studied a population of wasps called P. fuscatus. These wasps are closely related to P. metricus wasps. They are commonly found in communal colonies, where they are led by cooperating queens. The queens work together to survive and build a nest.
The researchers found that wasps in the Pennsylvania population of paper wasps are lacking in facial pattern diversity. The genetic differences between the two populations are attributed to the geographic distance between them. This lack of a large genetic variation indicates that inheritance plays a large role in the development of face specialization.
In some species of wasp, such as the golden paper wasp, the ability to recognize faces is developed through experience. In others, the ability to recognize faces is acquired through a special mechanism in the wasp’s brain. This mechanism may be inherited, or it may develop as an intermediate step in the evolution of face specialization.
