黄蜂和蚂蚁常常为食物而竞争，一项最新研究发现蜂蚁大战中的一个有趣现象：黄蜂会依仗体大且会飞的优势，将蚂蚁抓取到空中并远远地抛离食物。这是一种前所未知的动物干涉行为。
新一期英国《生物学通讯》杂志刊登报告说，新西兰维多利亚大学的研究人员发现，当地的黄蜂和蚂蚁经常为了食物而竞争。当蚂蚁成群结队地爬上食物时，气急败坏的黄蜂就会用强壮的上颚叼起食物上的蚂蚁，飞起来将它抛到一边，然后再回去享受美食。实验显示，食物上的蚂蚁数量越多，黄蜂的这种“空袭”行为越频繁，将蚂蚁抛开的距离也越长。
研究人员说，如果将蚂蚁看作一个人，那么它被抛开的距离大致相当于半个足球场的长度。实验显示，黄蜂飞起再抛下蚂蚁的高度并不高，不会伤害蚂蚁，但能起到一定的震慑效果，许多被抛开的蚂蚁落地后都显得有些懵了，不会再回到食物地点与黄蜂争食。
不过集团作战的蚂蚁总是前赴后继地冲向食物，虽然黄蜂的体型比它们大200倍，但是小蚂蚁会采用喷酸性物质或撕咬等手段与之争斗，为自己争到部分食物。
研究人员说，黄蜂将争食的蚂蚁抛开的这种行为非常有趣，是一种前所未知的动物干涉行为。黄蜂可以借助这种行为在与蚂蚁的竞争中获得更多食物，这再次说明在自然界的竞争中体型差距的重要性。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Biol. Lett. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0165
A novel interference behaviour: invasive wasps remove ants from resources and drop them from a height
Julien Grangier* and Philip J. Lester
Abstract
This study reports a novel form of interference behaviour between the invasive wasp Vespula vulgaris and the New Zealand native ant Prolasius advenus. By videotaping interactions at bait stations, we found that wasps commonly remove ant competitors from food resources by picking up the workers in their mandibles, flying backward and dropping them unharmed some distance from the food. Both the frequency and the efficiency of the wasp behaviour significantly increased with the abundance of ant competitors. Ant removals were the most common interference events initiated by wasps when ants were numerous, while intraspecific conflicts among wasps were prominent when few ants were present. The ‘ant-dropping’ behaviour emphasizes how asymmetry in body sizes between competitors can lead to a pronounced form of interference, related to asymmetric locomotion modes.
