The European paper wasp, Polistes dominulus Christ, is an abundant wasp species in South and Central Europe which dispersed to the north in recent times. Polistes dominulus exhibits an energy-extensive mode of life, spending much time resting at the nest, which should be reflected in adaptations regarding gas exchange and standard metabolism. We analysed the resting metabolism (CO 2 emission) of Polistes dominulus workers in the ambient temperature range an individual may be exposed to during a breeding season (T a = 2.4–40.6 °C) via flow through respirometry. Behaviour and endothermic activity were assessed by infrared thermography. With rising T a, CO 2 release followed an exponential increase from 27 to 149 and 802 nl g −1 min −1 at T a = 3, 20 and 35 °C, respectively. Measurements of the thermal regime at the nest showed that resting P. dominulus are most of the time in the lower range of their standard metabolic curve. A comparison with a “highly energetic” wasp like Vespula sp. revealed that Polistes dominulus not only optimises behaviour but also reduces metabolism to save energy. The CO 2 emission patterns changed with ambient temperature, from discontinuous (≤25 °C) to cyclic (25–36 °C) and continuous gas exchange at higher temperatures. A pronounced break appeared in the data progression regarding cycle frequency and CO 2 emission per gas exchange cycle between 15 and 10 °C. This striking change in gas exchange features indicates a physiological adaptation to special respiratory requirements at low temperatures.
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Käfer, H., Kovac, H., Oswald, B., & Stabentheiner, A. (2015). Respiration and metabolism of the resting European paper wasp (Polistes dominulus). Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology, 185(6), 647–658. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-015-0915-7