Comparison of colony foundation success between sexual pairs and female asexual units in the termite Reticulitermes speratus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenji Matsuura ◽  
Takayoshi Nishida
Keyword(s):  
Colony Foundation ◽  
Reticulitermes Speratus

scholarly journals The lose-to-win strategy of the weak: intraspecific parasitism via egg abduction in a termite

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chihiro Tamaki ◽  
Mamoru Takata ◽  
Kenji Matsuura
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Imprinting ◽  
Social Insects ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Colony Foundation ◽  
Reticulitermes Speratus ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Incipient Colonies ◽  
Intraspecific Parasitism

Predation by larger conspecifics poses a major threat to small juveniles in many animal species. However, in social insects, raids perpetrated by large colonies may provide smaller colonies with opportunities for parasitization. Herein, in the termite Reticulitermes speratus , we demonstrate that small incipient colonies parasitize large mature colonies through egg abduction when attacked by raiding conspecifics. We observed that the eggs of incipient colonies were brought into raiding colonies while their parents were killed during the attack. In this species, unmated females found new colonies with female–female (FF) cooperation, in addition to the typical monogamous colony foundation. Interestingly, the abducted eggs of FF pairs developed into nymphs (reproductive caste) in the raiding colonies, whereas the eggs of male–female (MF) pairs developed into workers (non-reproductive caste). Parthenogenetic eggs are known to be developmentally predisposed to becoming female reproductives owing to genomic imprinting in termites. This study demonstrates that the plundering of small colonies by larger conspecific colonies not only results in the extinction of the weaker colonies, but also serves as a strategy that incipient colonies use to obtain the reproductive position in large colonies by stealth. The results elucidate the diversity and complexity of inter-colonial interactions in social insects.

scholarly journals Cellulolytic Protist Numbers Rise and Fall Dramatically in Termite Queens and Kings during Colony Foundation

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keisuke Shimada ◽  
Nathan Lo ◽  
Osamu Kitade ◽  
Akane Wakui ◽  
Kiyoto Maekawa
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Transfer ◽  
Reproductive Tissue ◽  
Colony Foundation ◽  
Dynamic Nature ◽  
Termite Species ◽  
Reticulitermes Speratus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Critical Phase ◽  
Incipient Colonies

ABSTRACTAmong the best-known examples of mutualistic symbioses is that between lower termites and the cellulolytic flagellate protists in their hindguts. Although the symbiosis in worker termites has attracted much attention, there have been only a few studies of protists in other castes. We have performed the first examination of protist population dynamics in queens and kings during termite colony foundation. Protist numbers, as well as measurements of hindgut and reproductive tissue sizes, were undertaken at five time points over 400 days in incipient colonies ofReticulitermes speratus, as well as in other castes of mature colonies of this species. We found that protist numbers increased dramatically in both queens and kings during the first 50 days of colony foundation but began to decrease by day 100, eventually disappearing by day 400. Hindgut width followed a pattern similar to that of protist numbers, while ovary and testis widths increased significantly only at day 400. Kings were found to contain higher numbers of protists than queens in incipient colonies, which may be linked to higher levels of nutrient transfer from kings to queens than vice versa, as is known in some other termite species. Protists were found to be abundant in soldiers from mature colonies but absent in neotenics. This probably reflects feeding of soldiers by workers via proctodeal trophallaxis and of reproductives via stomodeal trophallaxis. The results reveal the dynamic nature of protist numbers during colony foundation and highlight the trade-offs that exist between reproduction and parental care during this critical phase of the termite life cycle.

scholarly journals Colony Foundation in an Oceanic Seabird

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e0147222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Munilla ◽  
Meritxell Genovart ◽  
Vitor H. Paiva ◽  
Alberto Velando
Keyword(s):  
Colony Foundation

scholarly journals The evolution of social parasitism in Formica ants revealed by a global phylogeny

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek L Borowiec ◽  
Stefan P Cover ◽  
Christian Rabeling
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
New World ◽  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Colony Foundation ◽  
Parasite Diversity ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectories ◽  
Competing Hypotheses ◽  
Temporary Social Parasitism

Studying the behavioral and life history transitions from a cooperative, eusocial life history to exploitative social parasitism allows for deciphering the conditions under which changes in behavior and social organization lead to diversification. The Holarctic ant genus Formica is ideally suited for studying the evolution of social parasitism because half of its 178 species are confirmed or suspected social parasites, which includes all three major classes of social parasitism known in ants. However, the life-history transitions associated with the evolution of social parasitism in this genus are largely unexplored. To test competing hypotheses regarding the origins and evolution of social parasitism, we reconstructed the first global phylogeny of Formica ants and representative formicine outgroups. The genus Formica originated in the Old World during the Oligocene (~30 Ma ago) and dispersed multiple times to the New World. Within Formica, the capacity for dependent colony foundation and temporary social parasitism arose once from a facultatively polygynous, independently colony founding ancestor. Within this parasitic clade, dulotic social parasitism evolved once from a facultatively temporary parasitic ancestor that likely practiced colony budding frequently. Permanent social parasitism evolved twice from temporary social parasitic ancestors that rarely practiced colony budding, demonstrating that obligate social parasitism can originate from different facultative parasitic backgrounds in socially polymorphic organisms. In contrast to inquiline ant species in other genera, the high social parasite diversity in Formica likely originated via allopatric speciation, highlighting the diversity of convergent evolutionary trajectories resulting in nearly identical parasitic life history syndromes.

scholarly journals Cuticular hydrocarbon profile for queen recognition in the termite Reticulitermes speratus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Mitaka ◽  
Tadahide Fujita
Keyword(s):  
Cuticular Hydrocarbon ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Reticulitermes Speratus ◽  
Recognition Mechanism ◽  
The Social ◽  
Queen Succession ◽  
Queen Recognition ◽  
And Function ◽  
Reproductive Division Of Labor ◽  
Reproductive Division

Abstract Chemical communication underlies the sophisticated colony organization of social insects. In these insects, cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) play central roles in nestmate, task, and caste recognition, which contribute to maintenance of the social and reproductive division of labor. Queen-specific CHCs reflect queen fertility status and function as a queen recognition pheromone, triggering aggregation responses around the queens. However, there are only a few studies about the royal recognition mechanism in termites, and particularly, no study has reported about queen-specific CHCs in the species using asexual queen succession (AQS) system, in which the primary queen is replaced by neotenic queens produced parthenogenetically. In this study, we identified the CHC pheromone for neotenic queen recognition in the AQS termite species Reticulitermes speratus. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses revealed that the relative amount of n-pentacosane was disproportionately greater in the CHC profiles of queens than in the CHC profiles of kings, soldiers, and workers. Furthermore, we investigated the cuticular chemicals of the queen aggregate workers; bioassays demonstrated that n-pentacosane shows a worker arrestant activity in the presence of workers’ cuticular extract. These results suggest that R. speratus workers identify whether each individual is a neotenic queen by recognizing the relatively higher ratio of n-pentacosane in the conspecific CHC background. Moreover, they suggest that termites have evolved queen recognition behavior, independently of social hymenopterans.

The pattern of Colony foundation in the archaic ant Myrmecia regularis

1955 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Haskins ◽  
E. F. Haskins
Keyword(s):  
Colony Foundation
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