Vespula pensylvanica locate odor sources across diverse natural wind conditions

Abstract

Many organisms across ecosystems track odor plumes to locate mates and food. In flying insects, the task of localizing an odor source is particularly challenging due to the complicated dynamics associated with wind flow and odor plume dispersion through spatially complex environments. Although wind tunnel experiments have been instrumental for answering many questions related to olfactory search, such experiments cannot replicate the complexity of natural wind conditions. Thus, our knowledge of how real-world wind characteristics influence insects success and strategies to locate odor sources remains an open area of investigation. Here, we tested whether certain wind conditions were more favorable for foraging insects by comparing yellowjacket arrival times and corresponding wind conditions across three distinct natural environments. Our results indicate that Vespula pensylvanica are capable of locating odor sources across the full range of observed wind conditions, without any clear preferences. This suggests that insects have adapted strategies to perform odor localization tasks across the full spectrum of natural wind that they may encounter. Our field-based approach provides insight into key considerations for future wind tunnel experiments which seek to better resolve insect plume tracking in understudied flow regimes.