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Hellemans S, Hanus R. Termite primary queen - ancestral, but highly specialized eusocial phenotype. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 61:101157. [PMID: 38142979 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Termite eusociality is accompanied by flagrant caste polyphenism manifested by the presence of several sterile (workers and soldiers) and reproductive (imaginal and neotenic kings and queens) caste phenotypes. Imaginal kings and queens are developmentally equivalent to adults of other hemimetabolous insects but display multiple adaptations inherent to their role of eusocial colony founders, such as long lifespan and high fecundity. Herein, we summarize the recent advances in understanding the biology of imaginal (primary) queens as emblematic examples of termite polyphenism acquired during social evolution. We focus on the control of queen development, on dynamics in physiology and fecundity during the queen's life, on new findings about queen fertility signaling, and on proximate mechanisms underlying queen longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Hellemans
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan; Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université libre de Bruxelles, 50 avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robert Hanus
- Chemistry of Social Insects, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, 160 00 Prague, Czech Republic.
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Takata M, Yabe K, Noro T, Mizote S, Konishi T, Tasaki E, Matsuura K. A method for estimating colony size using queen fecundity in termites under field conditions. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:35. [PMID: 37458826 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01865-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Colony size in social insects is one of the most important factors in shaping their self-organized system. It affects a wide variety of traits such as foraging and defense strategies, social immune responses, the degree of polymorphism, and reproductive output. However, colony size estimation of subterranean termites in the field has been challenging, due to their extremely cryptic biology and multiple site-nesting behavior. Since natural selection favors workers that maximize the number of their siblings, the amount of egg production may reflect the number of workers in the colony. Here, we report a method for inferring colony size in the field using total egg production in each colony from a subterranean termite, Reticulitermes speratus. Our investigation of field colonies revealed that the body weight of queens reaches a peak and had the largest variance in June and July and accurately predicts the number of eggs laid by the queen per 24 h. Using laboratory-reared colonies, we found that the total egg production in each colony is proportional to the number of workers. We also estimated the colony size of 198 field colonies and found that the median and maximum colony size was 24,500 and 451,800 workers per colony. The method for inferring colony size presented here may also be applicable to termite species with a clear seasonality in egg production. The colony size estimate will contribute to understanding the life history strategies and social systems of termites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamoru Takata
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
| | - Kiyotaka Yabe
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Takuya Noro
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Shun Mizote
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Takao Konishi
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Eisuke Tasaki
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
- Present address: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Niigata University, 8050 Ikarashi 2-no-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan
| | - Kenji Matsuura
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
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Takata M, Konishi T, Nagai S, Wu Y, Nozaki T, Tasaki E, Matsuura K. Discovery of an underground chamber to protect kings and queens during winter in temperate termites. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8809. [PMID: 37258652 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36035-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Overwintering is a critical part of the annual cycle for species that live in temperate, polar, and alpine regions. Consequently, low-temperature biology is a key determinant of temperate species distribution. Termites are distributed predominantly in tropical regions, and a limited number of species are found in the temperate zone. Here, in the termite Reticulitermes speratus, we report the discovery of an underground chamber that protects kings and queens to survive the winter, which is separate from the one they used during the warmer breeding season. In the spring, the royals inhabited decayed logs on the ground, then moved to their underground chamber located in the roots of stumps in the fall. The winter minimum temperature measured in the royal chamber was higher than that in the logs on the ground. In overwintering termites, the kings and queens had higher cold tolerance than workers and soldiers. Air temperatures dropped below the critical temperature multiple times, as evidenced from the past 140 years of weather records in Kyoto. These results demonstrated the survival strategies of reproductives to overcome the environment at the latitudinal limits. This study helps further the understanding of the termite's seasonal phenology, long-term survivorship, and life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamoru Takata
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
| | - Takao Konishi
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Shuya Nagai
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Yao Wu
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Tomonari Nozaki
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Eisuke Tasaki
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Niigata University, 8050 Ikarashi 2-no-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan
| | - Kenji Matsuura
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
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