Wikipedia:United States Education Program/Courses/Behavioral Ecology (Joan Strassmann)/Page outline

Behavioral Ecology

Get back to course page

Outline for Wikipedia pages on Vespidae
Created by Joan Strassmann with help from Cassie Vernier and Asa Earnest

This is a general outline that all pieces we write for Wikipedia on social wasps can follow. All entries need not have all categories, and you may add sub headings to some categories, but use these headings and order of topics when possible.

In all cases it is crucial to write in complete sentences structured into paragraphs. You may add more information than is in this rough outline. It is not a formula, just a general guideline. Remember that everything you put here must have a scientific reference. If there is a category you have no information on, or they don’t do it, leave it out. Remember to include a lot of behavior! Put it together in such a way that the outline Wikipedia does happens.

'''This is not a formula. Your writing must flow well and make sense! Every fact must have a reference!!!!'''

Right hand box: On the right of the page should be the standard Wikipedia information for species, a photograph with the appropriate license, information in its systematics, distribution and conservation status. The scientific name for the species is also followed by the person’s name that named it and the date. Here is a good example that has all the necessary information Black-throated blue warbler. If you can’t easily find a map of range information or can draw one, leave this out.

Use the bolded headings as actual Wikipedia headings along with additional ones you derive if you go into particular detail in a given area. A general rule is you should have a header for about every 200 words. If something is not bolded, put the content without a heading. Do not use numbers.

Main page:


 * 1.	Name of organism, scientific and common


 * 2.	Descriptive overview
 * a.	What is it, where does it live and nest, what does it eat, fun fact, just a few sentences


 * 3.	Taxonomy and phylogeny
 * a.	What is it, what are its relatives, family tree, likely references to papers by James Carpenter


 * 4.	Description and identification
 * a.	What does it look like and how can you identify it?
 * i.	workers (most commonly seen)
 * ii.	queens
 * iii.	males (drones)
 * b.	What do its nests look like?
 * i.	nest structure (number of combs, envelope); material (paper, mud etc.)
 * ii.	how big are they and where are they built?


 * 5.	Distribution and habitat
 * a.	what kinds of habitats does it live in?
 * b.	where does it build its nests?
 * c.	is it rare or common?


 * 6.	Colony cycle
 * a.	Colony initiation – how is a new colony started?
 * i.	is it tied to time of year
 * ii.	how many females, queens, or swarms?
 * b.	Colony growth
 * i.	how fast does the colony and nest grow?
 * ii.	what is the time of developmental stages from egg to adult?
 * iii.	how big does the colony get in nest size and number of wasps?
 * c.	Colony decline
 * i.	is it seasonal? when?
 * ii.	how long do colonies live?
 * iii.	what happens at the end of the season?
 * iv.	are males or future queens produced first?
 * d.	Relationship of colony cycle to nesting cycle (do one group of wasps build more than one nest at a time or in a season skip if nest and colony is the same)


 * 7.	Behavior
 * a.	dominance hierarchy
 * b.	division of labor
 * c.	reproductive suppression
 * d.	communication
 * i.	among adults
 * 1.	cuticular hydrocarbons
 * 2.	visual recognition
 * ii.	with larvae
 * 1.	drumming
 * iii.	with potential predators or parasites
 * e.	mating behavior
 * i.	male/male interactions, leks, displays, aggression
 * ii.	female/male interactions, mate choice, courting, mate number


 * 8.	Kin selection – overview of the nature of cooperation within families
 * a.	genetic relatedness within colonies
 * i.	what is genetic relatedness within various classes (include info on variation and sample sizes)
 * 1.	queen to worker
 * 2.	worker to worker
 * 3.	worker to female and male larvae
 * ii.	how is genetic relatedness determined?
 * b.	kin recognition and discrimination (how are relatives recognized? Genetic and environmental cues)
 * c.	costs and benefits of sociality (do larger colonies do better, is there life insurance advantages, or fortress defense advantages?)
 * d.	worker queen conflict
 * i.	conflict over sex ratio
 * ii.	worker policing
 * iii.	conflict over egg laying
 * iv.	matricide


 * 9.	Life history and survivorship curves – overview
 * a.	colonies
 * b.	workers
 * c.	queens
 * d.	males


 * 10.	Mimicry and camouflage
 * a.	Are the wasps in a mimicry group? Discuss.
 * b.	Are the nests camouflaged? How?


 * 11.	Interaction with other species
 * a.	Diet – what does it eat? all wasps are predators; on what?
 * b.	Predators – what eats it? (birds – summer tanagers, for example; robber flies)
 * c.	Defense – how does it defend its nest (aggression, hiding)
 * d.	Parasites – What parasites does it have?
 * i.	individual parasites like strepsiptera
 * ii.	nest parasitoids like chalcid or ichneumon wasps
 * e.	Disease – What diseases, bacteria, viruses does it have?
 * f.	Commensals – Are there commensals in the nests?
 * g.	Mutualists – do other species get protection by nesting near wasp nests?


 * 12.	Human importance
 * a.	Agriculture as pollinator, hunter of pest insects
 * b.	Stings – medically as stinging hazard, scare, allergy
 * c.	History and art as figure in human culture


 * 13.	References – this should be automatically constructed from all the places you cite something


 * 14.	External links – What other sites might a reader like to visit? Include research pages of main people working on a species