Reticulitermes
,
Heterotermes
and
Coptotermes
form a small termite clade with partly overlapping distributions. Although native species occur across all continents, the factors influencing their distribution are poorly known. Here, we reconstructed the historical biogeography of these termites using mitochondrial genomes of species collected on six continents. Our analyses showed that
Reticulitermes
split from
Heterotermes
+
Coptotermes
at 59.5 Ma (49.9–69.5 Ma 95% CI), yet the oldest split within
Reticulitermes
(Eurasia and North America) is 16.1 Ma (13.4–19.5 Ma) and the oldest split within
Heterotermes
+
Coptotermes
is 36.0 Ma (33.9–40.5 Ma). We detected 14 disjunctions between biogeographical realms, all of which occurred within the last 34 Ma, not only after the break-up of Pangaea, but also with the continents in similar to current positions. Land dispersal over land bridges explained four disjunctions, oceanic dispersal by wood rafting explained eight disjunctions, and human introduction was the source of two recent disjunctions. These wood-eating termites, therefore, appear to have acquired their modern worldwide distribution through multiple dispersal processes, with oceanic dispersal and human introduction favoured by the ecological traits of nesting in wood and producing replacement reproductives.
Factors influencing atmospheric composition over subarctic North America during summer
