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Timmermans J, Hellemans S, Křivánek J, Kaymak E, Fontaine N, Bourguignon T, Hanus R, Roisin Y. How inquilinism shaped breeding systems in a termite host-inquiline relationship. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17494. [PMID: 39136107 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Social insects have developed a broad diversity of nesting and foraging strategies. One of these, inquilinism, occurs when one species (the inquiline) inhabits the nest built and occupied by another species (the host). Obligatory inquilines must overcome strong constraints upon colony foundation and development, due to limited availability of host colonies. To reveal how inquilinism shapes reproductive strategies in a termite host-inquiline dyad, we carried out a microsatellite marker study on Inquilinitermes inquilinus and its host Constrictotermes cavifrons. The proportion of simple, extended and mixed families was recorded in both species, as well as the presence of neotenics, parthenogenesis and multiple foundations. Most host colonies (95%) were simple families and all were monodomous. By contrast, the inquiline showed a higher proportion of extended (30%) and mixed (5%) families, and frequent neotenics (in 25% of the nests). This results from the simultaneous foundation in host nests of numerous incipient colonies, which, as they grow, may compete, fight, or merge. We also documented the use of parthenogenesis by female-female pairs. In conclusion, the classical monogamous colony pattern of the host species suggests uneventful development of simple foundations dispersed in the environment, in accordance with the wide distribution of their resources. By contrast, the multiple reproductive patterns displayed by the inquiline species reveal strong constraints on foundation sites: founders first concentrate into host nests, then must attempt to outcompete or absorb the neighbouring foundations to gain full control of the resources provided by the host nest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanne Timmermans
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Simon Hellemans
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Jan Křivánek
- Chemistry of Social Insects Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Esra Kaymak
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Nicolas Fontaine
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thomas Bourguignon
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Robert Hanus
- Chemistry of Social Insects Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Yves Roisin
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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Parmentier T, Molero-Baltanás R, Valdivia C, Gaju-Ricart M, Boeckx P, Łukasik P, Wybouw N. Co-habiting ants and silverfish display a converging feeding ecology. BMC Biol 2024; 22:123. [PMID: 38807209 PMCID: PMC11134936 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01914-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Various animal taxa have specialized to living with social hosts. Depending on their level of specialization, these symbiotic animals are characterized by distinct behavioural, chemical, and morphological traits that enable close heterospecific interactions. Despite its functional importance, our understanding of the feeding ecology of animals living with social hosts remains limited. We examined how host specialization of silverfish co-habiting with ants affects several components of their feeding ecology. We combined stable isotope profiling, feeding assays, phylogenetic reconstruction, and microbial community characterization of the Neoasterolepisma silverfish genus and a wider nicoletiid and lepismatid silverfish panel where divergent myrmecophilous lifestyles are observed. RESULTS Stable isotope profiling (δ13C and δ15N) showed that the isotopic niches of granivorous Messor ants and Messor-specialized Neoasterolepisma exhibit a remarkable overlap within an ant nest. Trophic experiments and gut dissections further supported that these specialized Neoasterolepisma silverfish transitioned to a diet that includes plant seeds. In contrast, the isotopic niches of generalist Neoasterolepisma silverfish and generalist nicoletiid silverfish were clearly different from their ant hosts within the shared nest environment. The impact of the myrmecophilous lifestyle on feeding ecology was also evident in the internal silverfish microbiome. Compared to generalists, Messor-specialists exhibited a higher bacterial density and a higher proportion of heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria. Moreover, the nest environment explained the infection profile (or the 16S rRNA genotypes) of Weissella bacteria in Messor-specialized silverfish and the ant hosts. CONCLUSIONS Together, we show that social hosts are important determinants for the feeding ecology of symbiotic animals and can induce diet convergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Parmentier
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | | | - Catalina Valdivia
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Miquel Gaju-Ricart
- Depto. de Biología Animal (Zoología), University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Pascal Boeckx
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Piotr Łukasik
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Nicky Wybouw
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
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3
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Macro-symbiosis triggered by a defence-reproduction tradeoff in a social insect. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Bos N, van Zweden JS. Caste-specific recognition patterns in a fungus-growing termite. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Hugo H, Hermes MG, Garcete‐Barrett BR, Couzin ID. First evidence of wasp brood development inside active nests of a termite with the description of a previously unknown potter wasp species. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:12663-12674. [PMID: 33304483 PMCID: PMC7713954 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Potter wasps (Vespidae: Eumeninae) are known to exhibit not only sophisticated preying strategies but also a remarkable ability to manipulate clay during nest building. Due to a mixture of plasticity in building behavior and flexibility in substrate preferences during nest building, the group has been reported nesting in a variety of places, including decaying nests abandoned by termite species. Yet, evidence of wasps nesting inside senescent termite mounds is poorly reported, and to date, accounts confirming their presence inside active colonies of termites are absent. Here, we address a novel intriguing association between two species from the Brazilian Cerrado: a previously unknown potter wasp (nest invader) and a termite species (nest builder). Besides scientifically describing Montezumia termitophila sp. nov. (Vespidae: Eumeninae), named after its association with the termite Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Silvestri, 1901) (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae), we provide preliminary information about the new species' bionomics by including (a) a hypothetical life cycle based on the evidence we collected and (b) a footage showing the first interaction between a recently ecloded wasp and a group of termites. In doing so, we attempt to provoke relevant discussions in the field and, perhaps, motivate further studies with the group. Finally, we describe a solution to efficiently detect and sample termitophilous species from termite nests, an intrinsic yet challenging task of any studies dealing with such a cryptic biological system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helder Hugo
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective BehaviourUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Department of Collective BehaviourMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorKonstanzGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | | | - Bolívar R. Garcete‐Barrett
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural del ParaguaySan LorenzoParaguay
- Department of BiologyUniversidad Nacional de AsunciónSan LorenzoParaguay
| | - Iain D. Couzin
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective BehaviourUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Department of Collective BehaviourMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorKonstanzGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
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Oberst S, Lai JC, Martin R, Halkon BJ, Saadatfar M, Evans TA. Revisiting stigmergy in light of multi-functional, biogenic, termite structures as communication channel. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 18:2522-2534. [PMID: 33005314 PMCID: PMC7516209 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Termite mounds are fascinating because of their intriguing composition of numerous geometric shapes and materials. However, little is known about these structures, or of their functionalities. Most research has been on the basic composition of mounds compared with surrounding soils. There has been some targeted research on the thermoregulation and ventilation of the mounds of a few species of fungi-growing termites, which has generated considerable interest from human architecture. Otherwise, research on termite mounds has been scattered, with little work on their explicit properties. This review is focused on how termites design and build functional structures as nest, nursery and food storage; for thermoregulation and climatisation; as defence, shelter and refuge; as a foraging tool or building material; and for colony communication, either as in indirect communication (stigmergy) or as an information channel essential for direct communication through vibrations (biotremology). Our analysis shows that systematic research is required to study the properties of these structures such as porosity and material composition. High resolution computer tomography in combination with nonlinear dynamics and methods from computational intelligence may provide breakthroughs in unveiling the secrets of termite behaviour and their mounds. In particular, the examination of dynamic and wave propagation properties of termite-built structures in combination with a detailed signal analysis of termite activities is required to better understand the interplay between termites and their nest as superorganism. How termite structures serve as defence in the form of disguising acoustic and vibration signals from detection by predators, and what role local and global vibration synchronisation plays for building are open questions that need to be addressed to provide insights into how termites utilise materials to thrive in a world of predators and competitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Oberst
- Centre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
- School of Engineering and IT, University of New South Wales Canberra, Northcott Dr, Campbell ACT 2612, Australia
| | - Joseph C.S. Lai
- School of Engineering and IT, University of New South Wales Canberra, Northcott Dr, Campbell ACT 2612, Australia
| | - Richard Martin
- Centre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Benjamin J. Halkon
- Centre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Mohammad Saadatfar
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Australian National University, 58-60 Mills Road, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Theodore A. Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
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Hugo H, Cristaldo PF, DeSouza O. Nonaggressive behavior: A strategy employed by an obligate nest invader to avoid conflict with its host species. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:8741-8754. [PMID: 32884654 PMCID: PMC7452783 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to its builders, termite nests are known to house a variety of secondary opportunistic termite species so-called inquilines, but little is known about the mechanisms governing the maintenance of these symbioses. In a single nest, host and inquiline colonies are likely to engage in conflict due to nestmate discrimination, and an intriguing question is how both species cope with each other in the long term. Evasive behaviour has been suggested as one of the mechanisms reducing the frequency of host-inquiline encounters, yet, the confinement imposed by the nests' physical boundaries suggests that cohabiting species would eventually come across each other. Under these circumstances, it is plausible that inquilines would be required to behave accordingly to secure their housing. Here, we show that once inevitably exposed to hosts individuals, inquilines exhibit nonthreatening behaviours, displaying hence a less threatening profile and preventing conflict escalation with their hosts. By exploring the behavioural dynamics of the encounter between both cohabitants, we find empirical evidence for a lack of aggressiveness by inquilines towards their hosts. Such a nonaggressive behaviour, somewhat uncommon among termites, is characterised by evasive manoeuvres that include reversing direction, bypassing and a defensive mechanism using defecation to repel the host. The behavioural adaptations we describe may play an important role in the stability of cohabitations between host and inquiline termite species: by preventing conflict escalation, inquilines may improve considerably their chances of establishing a stable cohabitation with their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helder Hugo
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective BehaviourUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Department of Collective BehaviourMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Lab of TermitologyFederal University of ViçosaViçosaBrazil
| | - Paulo F. Cristaldo
- Department of AgronomyFederal Rural University of PernambucoRecifeBrazil
| | - Og DeSouza
- Lab of TermitologyFederal University of ViçosaViçosaBrazil
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Hellemans S, Kaczmarek N, Marynowska M, Calusinska M, Roisin Y, Fournier D. Bacteriome-associated Wolbachia of the parthenogenetic termite Cavitermes tuberosus. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 95:5247714. [PMID: 30551145 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiy235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia has deeply shaped the ecology and evolution of many arthropods, and interactions between the two partners are a continuum ranging from parasitism to mutualism. Non-dispersing queens of the termite Cavitermes tuberosus are parthenogenetically produced through gamete duplication, a mode of ploidy restoration generally induced by Wolbachia. These queens display a bacteriome-like structure in the anterior part of the mesenteron. Our study explores the possibility of a nutritional mutualistic, rather than a parasitic, association between Wolbachia and C. tuberosus. We found a unique strain (wCtub), nested in the supergroup F, in 28 nests collected in French Guiana, the island of Trinidad and the state of Paraíba, Brazil (over 3500 km). wCtub infects individuals regardless of caste, sex or reproductive (sexual versus parthenogenetic) origin. qPCR assays reveal that Wolbachia densities are higher in the bacteriome-like structure and in the surrounding gut compared to other somatic tissues. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing reveals that Wolbachia represents over 97% of bacterial reads present in the bacteriome structure. BLAST analyses of 16S rRNA, bioA (a gene of the biosynthetic pathway of B vitamins) and five multilocus sequence typing genes indicated that wCtub shares 99% identity with wCle, an obligate nutritional mutualist of the bedbug Cimex lectularius.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Hellemans
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Kaczmarek
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Martyna Marynowska
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Magdalena Calusinska
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Yves Roisin
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Denis Fournier
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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9
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Nest composition, stable isotope ratios and microbiota unravel the feeding behaviour of an inquiline termite. Oecologia 2019; 191:541-553. [PMID: 31571038 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04514-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Termites are eusocial insects having evolved several feeding, nesting and reproductive strategies. Among them, inquiline termites live in a nest built by other termite species: some of them do not forage outside the nest, but feed on food stored by the host or on the nest material itself. In this study, we characterized some dimensions of the ecological niche of Cavitermes tuberosus (Termitidae: Termitinae), a broad-spectrum inquiline termite with a large neotropical distribution, to explain its ecological success. We used an integrative framework combining ecological measures (physico-chemical parameters, stable isotopic ratios of N and C) and Illumina MiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene to identify bacterial communities and to analyse termites as well as the material from nests constructed by different termite hosts (the builders). Our results show that (1) nests inhabited by C. tuberosus display a different physico-chemical composition when compared to nests inhabited by its builder alone; (2) stable isotopic ratios suggest that C. tuberosus feeds on already processed, more humified, nest organic matter; and (3) the gut microbiomes cluster by termite species, with the one of C. tuberosus being much more diverse and highly similar to the one of its main host, Labiotermes labralis. These results support the hypothesis that C. tuberosus is a generalist nest feeder adapted to colonize nests built by various builders, and explain its ecological success.
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Hellemans S, Dolejšová K, Křivánek J, Fournier D, Hanus R, Roisin Y. Widespread occurrence of asexual reproduction in higher termites of the Termes group (Termitidae: Termitinae). BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:131. [PMID: 31226928 PMCID: PMC6588926 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1459-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A decade ago, the mixed reproductive strategy Asexual Queen Succession (AQS) was first described in termites. In AQS species, the workers, soldiers and dispersing reproductives are produced through sexual reproduction, while non-dispersing (neotenic) queens arise through automictic thelytokous parthenogenesis, replace the founding queen and mate with the founding king. As yet, AQS has been documented in six species from three lineages of lower (Rhinotermitidae) and higher (Termitinae: Termes group and Syntermitinae) termites. Independent evolution of the capacity of thelytoky as a preadaptation to AQS is supported by different mechanisms of automixis in each of the three clades. These pioneering discoveries prompt the question on the extent of thelytoky and AQS in the diversified family of higher termites. RESULTS Here, we investigated the capacity of thelytoky and occurrence of AQS in three species from the phylogenetic proximity of the neotropical AQS species Cavitermes tuberosus (Termitinae: Termes group): Palmitermes impostor, Spinitermes trispinosus, and Inquilinitermes inquilinus. We show that queens of all three species are able to lay unfertilized eggs, which undergo thelytokous parthenogenesis (via gamete duplication as in C. tuberosus) and develop through the transitional stage of aspirants into replacement neotenic queens. CONCLUSIONS The breeding system in P. impostor is very reminiscent of that described in C. tuberosus and can be characterized as AQS. In the remaining two species, our limited data do not allow classifying the breeding system as AQS; yet, also in these species the thelytokous production of neotenic females appears to be a systematic element of reproductive strategies. It appears likely that the capacity of thelytokous parthenogenesis evolved once in the Termes group, and may ultimately be found more widely, well beyond these Neotropical species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Hellemans
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Klára Dolejšová
- Chemistry of Social Insects, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, CZ-166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Křivánek
- Chemistry of Social Insects, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, CZ-166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Denis Fournier
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robert Hanus
- Chemistry of Social Insects, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, CZ-166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Yves Roisin
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
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Casalla Daza R, Korb J. Phylogenetic Community Structure and Niche Differentiation in Termites of the Tropical Dry Forests of Colombia. INSECTS 2019; 10:E103. [PMID: 30974858 PMCID: PMC6523111 DOI: 10.3390/insects10040103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms that structure species communities are still debated. We addressed this question for termite assemblages from tropical dry forests in Colombia. These forests are endangered and poorly understood ecosystems and termites are important ecosystem engineers in the tropics. Using biodiversity and environmental data, combined with phylogenetic community analyses, trait mapping, and stable isotopes studies, we investigated the termite community composition of three protected dry forests in Colombia. Our data suggest that the structuring mechanisms differed between sites. Phylogenetic overdispersion of termite assemblages correlated with decreasing rainfall and elevation and increasing temperature. Food niche traits-classified as feeding groups and quantified by δ15N‰ and δ13C‰ isotope signatures-were phylogenetically conserved. Hence, the overdispersion pattern implies increasing interspecific competition with decreasing drier and warmer conditions, which is also supported by fewer species occurring at the driest site. Our results are in line with a hypothesis that decreased biomass production limits resource availability for termites, which leads to competition. Along with this comes a diet shift: termites from drier plots had higher δ13C signatures, reflecting higher δ13C values in the litter and more C4 plants. Our study shows how a phylogenetic community approach combined with trait analyses can contribute to gaining the first insights into mechanisms structuring whole termite assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Casalla Daza
- Departamento de Química y Biología, Universidad del Norte, Kilómetro 5 Antigua vía Puerto Colombia, 081007-Puerto Colombia, Colombia.
| | - Judith Korb
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, 79104-Freiburg, Germany.
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Gössinger E. Chemistry of the Secondary Metabolites of Termites. PROGRESS IN THE CHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC NATURAL PRODUCTS 2019; 109:1-384. [PMID: 31637529 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-12858-6_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Isolation, structure determination, synthesis, and biochemistry of the low-molecular-weight compounds of the secretion of exocrine glands of termites are described, with an emphasis on pheromones and defensive compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edda Gössinger
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- , Mistelbach, Austria.
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13
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Rodrigues VB, Costa DA, Cristaldo PF, DeSouza O. Lagged Population Growth in a Termite Host Colony: Cause or Consequence of Inquilinism? NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 47:815-820. [PMID: 30259419 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-018-0634-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The presence of foreign organisms in the colonies of social insects could affect energy allocation to growth and reproduction of these hosts. Highly specialized invaders of such long-lived hosts, however, can be selected to be less harmful. After all, it pays for these symbionts to keep their host's good health thereby prolonging cohabitation in the homeostatic environment of the termite colony. Here, we investigated such a hypothesis, focusing on populational parameters of a termite host sharing its nest with an obligatory termite inquiline. To this end, 19 natural colonies of Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Silvestri, 1901) (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) were sampled and the (i) number of individuals, (ii) proportion of soldier/workers in the colonies, and (iii) presence/absence of obligatory inquiline Inquilinitermes microcerus (Silvestri, 1901) (Termitidae: Termitinae) were measured. Results revealed a negative correlation between the number of individuals and the proportion of soldier/workers in the host colonies with the presence of I. microcerus colonies. In search of causal mechanisms for such a correlation, we inspected life history traits of both, inquilines and hosts, hypothesizing that such a result could indicate either (i) a dampening effect of the inquiline upon its host population or (ii) the coincidence of the moment of inquiline infiltration with the natural reduction of C. cyphergaster populational growth at the onset of its reproductive phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- V B Rodrigues
- Lab de Termitologia, Depto de Entomologia, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brasil
| | - D A Costa
- Lab de Termitologia, Depto de Entomologia, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brasil
- Depto de Zoologia, Univ do Estado do Mato Grosso, Tangará da Serra, MT, Brasil
| | - P F Cristaldo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Agricultura e Biodiversidade, Univ Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE, Brasil.
| | - O DeSouza
- Lab de Termitologia, Depto de Entomologia, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brasil
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Monteiro I, Viana-Junior AB, de Castro Solar RR, de Siqueira Neves F, DeSouza O. Disturbance-modulated symbioses in termitophily. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:10829-10838. [PMID: 29299261 PMCID: PMC5743531 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiosis, the living-together of unlike organisms, underlies every major transition in evolution and pervades most ecological dynamics. Among examples of symbioses, the simultaneous occupation of a termite nest by its builder termites and intruding invertebrate species (so-called termitophily) provides suitable macroscopic scenarios for the study of species coexistence in confined environments. Current evidence on termitophily abounds for dynamics occurring at the interindividual level within the termitarium, but is insufficient for broader scales such as the community and the landscape. Here, we inspect the effects of abiotic disturbance on termitophile presence and function in termitaria at these broader scales. To do so, we censused the termitophile communities inhabiting 30 termitaria of distinct volumes which had been exposed to increasing degrees of fire-induced disturbance in a savanna-like ecosystem in southeastern Brazil. We provide evidence that such an abiotic disturbance can ease the living-together of termitophiles and termites. Putative processes facilitating these symbioses, however, varied according to the invader. For nonsocial invaders, disturbance seemed to boost coexistence with termites via the habitat amelioration that termitaria provided under wildfire, as suggested by the positive correlation between disturbance degree and termitophile abundance and richness. As for social invaders (ants), disturbance seemed to enhance associational defenses with termites, as suggested by the negative correlation between the presence of ant colonies and the richness and abundance of other termitarium-cohabiting termitophiles. It is then apparent that disturbance-modulated distinct symbioses in these termite nests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Monteiro
- Departamento de EcologiaInstituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte MG Brazil.,Pós-graduação em Ecologia Departamento de Biologia Geral Universidade Federal de Viçosa Viçosa MG Brazil
| | - Arleu Barbosa Viana-Junior
- Departamento de EcologiaInstituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte MG Brazil.,Pós-graduação em Ecologia Departamento de Biologia Geral Universidade Federal de Viçosa Viçosa MG Brazil
| | - Ricardo Ribeiro de Castro Solar
- Departamento de EcologiaInstituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte MG Brazil.,Pós-graduação em Ecologia Departamento de Biologia Geral Universidade Federal de Viçosa Viçosa MG Brazil
| | - Frederico de Siqueira Neves
- Departamento de EcologiaInstituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte MG Brazil.,Pós-graduação em Ecologia Departamento de Biologia Geral Universidade Federal de Viçosa Viçosa MG Brazil
| | - Og DeSouza
- Departamento de Entomologia Universidade Federal de Viçosa Viçosa MG Brazil
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15
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Cristaldo PF, Rodrigues VB, Elliot SL, Araújo AP, DeSouza O. Heterospecific detection of host alarm cues by an inquiline termite species (Blattodea: Isoptera: Termitidae). Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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16
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Jirošová A, Sillam-Dussès D, Kyjaková P, Kalinová B, Dolejšová K, Jančařík A, Majer P, Cristaldo PF, Hanus R. Smells Like Home: Chemically Mediated Co-Habitation of Two Termite Species in a Single Nest. J Chem Ecol 2016; 42:1070-1081. [PMID: 27639394 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-016-0756-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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17
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Campbell C, Russo L, Marins A, DeSouza O, Schönrogge K, Mortensen D, Tooker J, Albert R, Shea K. Top-down network analysis characterizes hidden termite-termite interactions. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:6178-88. [PMID: 27648235 PMCID: PMC5016641 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Revised: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The analysis of ecological networks is generally bottom-up, where networks are established by observing interactions between individuals. Emergent network properties have been indicated to reflect the dominant mode of interactions in communities that might be mutualistic (e.g., pollination) or antagonistic (e.g., host-parasitoid communities). Many ecological communities, however, comprise species interactions that are difficult to observe directly. Here, we propose that a comparison of the emergent properties from detail-rich reference communities with known modes of interaction can inform our understanding of detail-sparse focal communities. With this top-down approach, we consider patterns of coexistence between termite species that live as guests in mounds built by other host termite species as a case in point. Termite societies are extremely sensitive to perturbations, which precludes determining the nature of their interactions through direct observations. We perform a literature review to construct two networks representing termite mound cohabitation in a Brazilian savanna and in the tropical forest of Cameroon. We contrast the properties of these cohabitation networks with a total of 197 geographically diverse mutualistic plant-pollinator and antagonistic host-parasitoid networks. We analyze network properties for the networks, perform a principal components analysis (PCA), and compute the Mahalanobis distance of the termite networks to the cloud of mutualistic and antagonistic networks to assess the extent to which the termite networks overlap with the properties of the reference networks. Both termite networks overlap more closely with the mutualistic plant-pollinator communities than the antagonistic host-parasitoid communities, although the Brazilian community overlap with mutualistic communities is stronger. The analysis raises the hypothesis that termite-termite cohabitation networks may be overall mutualistic. More broadly, this work provides support for the argument that cryptic communities may be analyzed via comparison to well-characterized communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Campbell
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State University208 Mueller LaboratoryUniversity ParkPennsylvania16802
- Department of PhysicsPennsylvania State University122 Davey LaboratoryUniversity ParkPennsylvania16802
- Department of PhysicsWashington CollegeChestertownMaryland21620
| | - Laura Russo
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State University208 Mueller LaboratoryUniversity ParkPennsylvania16802
- Department of EntomologyCornell University3126 Comstock HallIthacaNew York14853
| | - Alessandra Marins
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State University208 Mueller LaboratoryUniversity ParkPennsylvania16802
| | - Og DeSouza
- Departamento de EntomologiaUniversidade Federal de ViçosaViçosaMG36570‐000Brazil
| | - Karsten Schönrogge
- Centre for Ecology & HydrologyNatural Environment Research CouncilMaclean BuildingBenson LaneCrowmarsh GiffordWallingfordOxfordshireOX10 8BBUK
| | - David Mortensen
- Department of Plant SciencesPennsylvania State University422 Agricultural Sciences and Industries BuildingUniversity ParkPennsylvania16802
| | - John Tooker
- Department of EntomologyPennsylvania State University501 ASI BuildingUniversity ParkPennsylvania16802
| | - Réka Albert
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State University208 Mueller LaboratoryUniversity ParkPennsylvania16802
- Department of PhysicsPennsylvania State University122 Davey LaboratoryUniversity ParkPennsylvania16802
| | - Katriona Shea
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State University208 Mueller LaboratoryUniversity ParkPennsylvania16802
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18
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DeSouza O, Araújo APA, Florencio DF, Rosa CS, Marins A, Costa DA, Rodrigues VB, Cristaldo PF. Allometric Scaling of Patrolling Rate and Nest Volume in Constrictotermes cyphergaster Termites: Hints on the Settlement of Inquilines. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147594. [PMID: 26808197 PMCID: PMC4726492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Structural and functional traits of organisms are known to be related to the size of individuals and to the size of their colonies when they belong to one. Among such traits, propensity to inquilinism in termites is known to relate positively to colony size. Larger termitaria hold larger diversity of facultative inquilines than smaller nests, whereas obligate inquilines seem unable to settle in nests smaller than a threshold volume. Respective underlying mechanisms, however, remain hypothetical. Here we test one of such hypotheses, namely, that nest defence correlates negatively to nest volume in Constrictotermes cyphergaster termites (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae). As a surrogate to defence, we used ‘patrolling rate’, i.e., the number of termite individuals attending per unit time an experimentally damaged spot on the outer wall of their termitaria. We found that patrolling rate decayed allometrically with increasing nest size. Conspicuously higher patrolling rates occurred in smaller nests, while conspicuously lower rates occurred in larger nests presenting volumes in the vicinity of the threshold value for the establishment of inquilinism. This could be proven adaptive for the host and guest. At younger nest age, host colonies are smaller and presumably more vulnerable and unstable. Enhanced defence rates may, hence, prevent eventual risks to hosts from inquilinism at the same time that it prevents inquilines to settle in a still unstable nest. Conversely, when colonies grow and maturate enough to stand threats, they would invest in priorities other than active defence, opening an opportunity for inquilines to settle in nests which are more suitable or less risky. Under this two-fold process, cohabitation between host and inquiline could readily stabilize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Og DeSouza
- Laboratório de Termitologia, Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Albano Araújo
- Laboratório de Interações Ecológicas, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE, Brazil
| | - Daniela Faria Florencio
- Departamento de Agrotecnologia e Ciências Sociais, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Mossoró, RN, Brazil
| | | | - Alessandra Marins
- Laboratório de Termitologia, Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Diogo Andrade Costa
- Laboratório de Termitologia, Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Tangará da Serra, MT, Brazil
| | - Vinicius Barros Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Termitologia, Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Paulo Fellipe Cristaldo
- Laboratório de Interações Ecológicas, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Mikaelyan A, Dietrich C, Köhler T, Poulsen M, Sillam-Dussès D, Brune A. Diet is the primary determinant of bacterial community structure in the guts of higher termites. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:5284-95. [PMID: 26348261 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The gut microbiota of termites plays critical roles in the symbiotic digestion of lignocellulose. While phylogenetically 'lower termites' are characterized by a unique association with cellulolytic flagellates, higher termites (family Termitidae) harbour exclusively prokaryotic communities in their dilated hindguts. Unlike the more primitive termite families, which primarily feed on wood, they have adapted to a variety of lignocellulosic food sources in different stages of humification, ranging from sound wood to soil organic matter. In this study, we comparatively analysed representatives of different taxonomic lineages and feeding groups of higher termites to identify the major drivers of bacterial community structure in the termite gut, using amplicon libraries of 16S rRNA genes from 18 species of higher termites. In all analyses, the wood-feeding species were clearly separated from humus and soil feeders, irrespective of their taxonomic affiliation, offering compelling evidence that diet is the primary determinant of bacterial community structure. Within each diet group, however, gut communities of termites from the same subfamily were more similar than those of distantly related species. A highly resolved classification using a curated reference database revealed only few genus-level taxa whose distribution patterns indicated specificity for certain host lineages, limiting any possible cospeciation between the gut microbiota and host to short evolutionary timescales. Rather, the observed patterns in the host-specific distribution of the bacterial lineages in termite guts are best explained by diet-related differences in the availability of microhabitats and functional niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aram Mikaelyan
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, SYNMIKRO, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Carsten Dietrich
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tim Köhler
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen East, Denmark
| | - David Sillam-Dussès
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology (LEEC), University of Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France.,Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences - Paris (iEES-Paris), Institute of Research for Development, Sorbonne Universités, Bondy, France
| | - Andreas Brune
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, SYNMIKRO, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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20
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Jesus FM, Pereira MR, Rosa CS, Moreira MZ, Sperber CF. Preservation Methods Alter Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Values in Crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137650. [PMID: 26390400 PMCID: PMC4577105 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is an important tool for investigation of animal dietary habits for determination of feeding niche. Ideally, fresh samples should be used for isotopic analysis, but logistics frequently demands preservation of organisms for analysis at a later time. The goal of this study was to establish the best methodology for preserving forest litter-dwelling crickets for later SIA analysis without altering results. We collected two cricket species, Phoremia sp. and Mellopsis doucasae, from which we prepared 70 samples per species, divided among seven treatments: (i) freshly processed (control); preserved in fuel ethanol for (ii) 15 and (iii) 60 days; preserved in commercial ethanol for (iv) 15 and (v) 60 days; fresh material frozen for (vi) 15 and (vii) 60 days. After oven drying, samples were analyzed for δ15N, δ13C values, N(%), C(%) and C/N atomic values using continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry. All preservation methods tested, significantly impacted δ13C and δ15N and C/N atomic values. Chemical preservatives caused δ13C enrichment as great as 1.5‰, and δ15N enrichment as great as 0.9‰; the one exception was M. doucasae stored in ethanol for 15 days, which had δ15N depletion up to 1.8‰. Freezing depleted δ13C and δ15N by up to 0.7 and 2.2‰, respectively. C/N atomic values decreased when stored in ethanol, and increased when frozen for 60 days for both cricket species. Our results indicate that all preservation methods tested in this study altered at least one of the tested isotope values when compared to fresh material (controls). We conclude that only freshly processed material provides adequate SIA results for litter-dwelling crickets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiene Maria Jesus
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Marcelo Ribeiro Pereira
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Biologia, Alegre, ES, Brazil
| | - Cassiano Sousa Rosa
- Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Campus Iturama, Curso de Ciências Biológicas, Iturama, MG, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Zacharias Moreira
- Laboratório de Ecologia Isotópica, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura—CENA/USP, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlos Frankl Sperber
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
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Mutual use of trail-following chemical cues by a termite host and its inquiline. PLoS One 2014; 9:e85315. [PMID: 24465533 PMCID: PMC3897442 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Termite nests are often secondarily inhabited by other termite species ( = inquilines) that cohabit with the host. To understand this association, we studied the trail-following behaviour in two Neotropical species, Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) and its obligatory inquiline, Inquilinitermes microcerus (Termitidae: Termitinae). Using behavioural experiments and chemical analyses, we determined that the trail-following pheromone of C. cyphergaster is made of neocembrene and (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol. Although no specific compound was identified in I. microcerus, workers were able to follow the above compounds in behavioural bioassays. Interestingly, in choice tests, C. cyphergaster prefers conspecific over heterospecific trails while I. microcerus shows the converse behaviour. In no-choice tests with whole body extracts, C. cyphergaster showed no preference for, while I. microcerus clearly avoided heterospecific trails. This seems to agree with the hypothesis that trail-following pheromones may shape the cohabitation of C. cyphergaster and I. microcerus and reinforce the idea that their cohabitation is based on conflict-avoiding strategies.
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