A team of behavioral ecologists, zoologists and crop protection specialists from Tel Aviv University reports that Oriental hornets have the highest-known tolerance to alcohol in the animal kingdom. In their study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group fed ethanol solutions to hornets.
Prior research has shown that many plants produce fruits or nectar that ferment naturally as they rot, which results in the production of ethanol. Fermented foods are a source of both nutrients and energy for many animals due to their high caloric content, and most animals that consume ethanol in concentrations higher than 4% suffer adverse effects, such as difficulties moving or flying normally.
In this new study, the team in Israel noticed the Oriental hornets did not seem to be troubled by their diet heavy in rotten fruit. To find out more about the tolerance of ethanol consumption by Oriental hornets, the group collected multiple samples and brought them back to their lab for testing.
The team gave the hornets solutions of sucrose with added ethanol. They began by giving them low doses and found that even at levels of 20%, the hornets showed no adverse effects. They kept upping the dose to 80%. At that level, the hornets behaved as if slightly tipsy for just a few moments, then sobered up and resumed their normal behavior. The research team notes that any other creature would have been killed by such high amounts of alcohol.
Taking a closer look, the researchers found that the hornets have multiple copies of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene, which is involved in breaking down alcohol. This most likely explains the hornet’s high tolerance for alcohol.
They suggest extra copies of the gene likely evolved due to the mutualistic relationship the hornets have with fermenting brewer’s yeast—prior research has shown they reside and even reproduce inside the hornets’ intestines, a relationship that also helps the yeast move between hornets.
More information:
Sofia Bouchebti et al, Tolerance and efficient metabolization of extremely high ethanol concentrations by a social wasp, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2410874121
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Oriental hornets do not get sick or die when consuming very large amounts of alcohol, study shows (2024, October 22)
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