도시생태계는 기존 자연생태계와 달리 야생생물 및 인간이 함께 공존하는 상호복합적 환경을 제공한다. 그러나 도시 녹지 및 공원에 출현하는 말벌속(genus Vespa)은 도시생태계에 긍정적인 기능을 수행함과 동시에 도시민에게 물리적·심리적 피해를 초래하는 불균형을 야기하기도 한다. 특히 어린이공원은 접근성이 높아 도시민 및 어린이가 쉽게 이용하는 도시 녹지이며 말벌속이 거점 및 서식지로 활용하는 공간임에도 아직까지 어린이공원에 출현하는 말벌속에 대한 서식환경 및 출현 특성을 공간적으로 분석한 연구가 부족한 상황이다. 본 연구는 말벌속의 생활사 기간을 고려해 2018년 4월부터 11월까지 32주간 천안시 어린이공원 27개소 내 말벌트랩을 설치해 말벌(Vespa crabro flavofasciata), 좀말벌(Vespa analis parallela), 장수말벌(Vespa mandarinina), 꼬마장수말벌(Vespa ducalis), 등검은말벌(Vespa velutina nigrithorax)을 포획하고 출현 종 구성 및 어린이공원의 입지 특성 및 환경공간정보를 고려한 말벌속의 출현 경향을 분석하였다. 연구 기간 말벌속은 총 818개체가 포획되었으며, 종별로는 좀말벌 290개체(35.4%), 말벌 260개체(31.8%), 꼬마장수말벌 100개체 (12.1%), 장수말벌 87개체(10.6%), 등검은말벌 81개체(9.9%) 순으로 포획되었다. 대부분의 말벌속은 계칩(啓蟄) 이후 5~6 월에 여왕벌 위주로 포획이 이루어지다가 분업기인 6월 중순부터 포획 개체 수가 급감한 공통적인 특징이 있으나, 등검은말벌 은 타 말벌속의 쇠퇴기가 이미 시작된 10월 3주차부터 80% 이상 포획되어 계절적 차이를 보여주었다. 어린이공원 입지별 말벌속 포획 개체 수를 분석한 결과 포획량 상위 6개소에서 363개체(44.3%), 하위 6개소에서 35개체(4%)가 포획되어 확연한 차이를 확인할 수 있었다. 특히 상위 6개소의 평균 NDVI(Normalized difference vegetation index)는 0.79로 하위 6개소의 평균 NDVI인 0.38과 유의한 평균간 차이를 보였으며(t=2.67*, *=p<0.05), 주변 토지이용이 초지 혹은 나지일 경우 말벌속 포획 빈도가 높은 것으로 분석되었다. 본 연구는 도시 내 녹지 및 공원에 출현하는 말벌속의 생태적 기본 특성을 확인한 기초 연구로서 의의가 있으며, 향후 효율적인 도시 녹지 관리를 위한 토대가 될 것으로 기대된다.

Recently we are facing increased frequency of the vespa encounters not only in the natural forested area but also in the residential area. These could be partly from the increased population sizes of diverse vespa species as well as the expansion of their nest habitats from mountainous environments to the human residences, resulting occasional casualty or sting damages. In terms of the risk management, we studied hornet attack and defense behaviors relative to the visual or physical disturbance. Four species of vespa showed strongest aggressiveness to the black colored target with high rate of bumping and stinging followed by red color. In most case, vespa showed behavioral change to the high alerts and hover-flying surveillance out of the nest entrance when people approached ap. 10 m close to the nest. When the nest was disturbed by the stick beating, then swarm of defensive force moved out and begin to showed the defensive behavior including stinging or propelling poison. The defense boundary was related to the nest colony size with larger defense line for larger colony. But it was between 15 to 25m from the nest location.

Vespa crabro and V. analis are social hornet species commonly found in Asia, including Korea. Mastoparan is one of the major venom peptides of these two hornets but its amino acid sequence defers substantially. To examine the differences in the potential toxicity and bioactivity of mastoparans between these two social hornets, differential toxicological and pharmacological activities of synthesized mastoparan were investigated. V. analis mastoparan showed a 7-fold higher hemolytic activity, suggesting its higher cytotoxic potential compared with V. crabro mastoparan. Mastoparans from both hornet species exhibited similar levels of antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Botrytis cinerea, whereas the mastoparan from V. analis showed more potent antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Nevertheless, the antimicrobial activities of mastoparans of V. crabro and V. analis were relatively lower compared with those of other wasps. Both mastoparans also exhibited some levels of antitumor activity but the activity was significantly higher in V. analis mastoparan. In summary, the hemolytic, antimicrobial, and antitumor activities of synthesized V. analis mastoparan were higher than those of V. crabro mastoparan. These differential bioactivities are likely due to the amino acid sequence differences in the mature peptides. In particular, the additional Lys residue present in V. analis mastoparan may contribute to the higher levels of bioactivity as proposed by secondary structure prediction.

The hornets Vespa crabro and V. analis are widely distributed in Asia and are known to be aggressive when disturbed, resulting in frequent stinging accidents. To investigate the differences in venom properties and toxicities between these two hornets, the transcriptomic profiles of venom glands, in conjunction with the venom components, were analyzed and compared. A total of 35 venom-specific genes were identified in both venom gland transcriptomes, but their transcriptional profiles were different between V. crabro and V. analis. In addition, the major venom components were identified and confirmed by mass spectroscopy. Prepromastoparan, vespid chemotactic precursor and vespakinin were the top three genes most prevalently transcribed in the venom gland of V. crabro, and their transcription rates were 112-, 16- and 161-fold higher, respectively, compared with those in V. analis, as judged by FPKM values. In the venom gland of V. analis, however, vespid chemotactic precursor was the most abundantly transcribed gene, followed by premastoparan and vespakinin. In general, most major venom genes were more abundantly expressed in V. crabro, whereas some minor venom genes exhibited higher transcription rates in V. analis, including muscle LIM protein, troponin, paramyosin, calponin, etc. Our findings reveal that the overall venom components of V. crabro and V. analis are similar, but that their expression profiles and levels are considerably different. The comparison of venom gland transcriptomes suggests that V. crabro likely produces venom with more highly enriched major venom components, which has potentially higher toxicity compared with V. analis venom.