A trade‐off between antipredatory behavior and pairing competition produced by male‑male tandem running in three Reticulitermes species

Abstract

Due to the omnipresent risk of predation, termites have evolved many antipredatory behaviors. The two related species Reticulitermes speratus and R. chinensis have been demonstrated to use homosexual tandem running to decrease individual predation risk after shedding their wings. In this study, we tested risk of predation in the termite R. flaviceps, which is distantly related to the above two species. We determined that homosexual tandem running also led to low individual predation risk in dealates of R. flaviceps. Moreover, by combining a predation model with a competition model, we observed a typical trade-off phenomenon between antipredatory behavior and pairing competition produced by male-male tandem running in the above three Reticulitermes species. Our results indicated that male-male tandem running could effectively protect disadvantaged individuals from being caught, but disadvantaged individuals would be easily eliminated in pairing competition after male-male tandem running, suggesting that male-male tandem running can promote population evolution in termites by repeatedly removing the relatively inferior male individuals.

Interspecific Hybridization between the Two Sympatric Termite Reticulitermes Species under Laboratory Conditions

“…Preference for conspecifics is a type of assortative mating which is considered to be a mechanism to prevent gene exchange between distinct species or divergent populations [2,18]. Previously, assortative mating has been used to describe a particular form of mate choice in which individuals select mates on the basis of homologous genotypic or phenotypic traits [19][20][21][22]. It can contribute to the genetic isolation of two populations that come into a hybrid zone and prevent them from merging back into a hybrid population [23,24].…”

Same-sex Pairs Retain Their Reproductive Capacity as a Potential Opportunity for Individual Reproductive Success in Termites

“…Risk of predation for single individuals was twice that of tandem dealates. Reducing the risk of predation and increasing survival rates is an important reason why same-sex pairs naturally occur ( Li et al 2015 , Mizumoto et al 2016 ). The other reason is exemplified in Reticulitermes , which lives and nests in rotting wood where there are complex assemblages of microorganisms (bacterial and fungal pathogens) ( Rosengaus et al 2003 , Matsuura 2011 ).…”

“…A new termite colony is usually established by one female dealate (primary queen) and one male dealate (primary king) during swarming, which then gives rise to other colony members ( Thorne et al 1999 , Korb and Hartfelder 2008 ). However, recent studies suggested that homosexual behaviors in termites is common during courtship, copulation, and pairing ( Li et al 2015 , Mizumoto et al 2016 ). The presence of this behavior is a waste of reproductive resources for monogamous termites—it cannot produce offspring.…”

“…However, same-sex pairs, especially male–male pairs, run in tandem to compete for a beneficial position. Two individuals of same-sex pairs in tandem often try to follow each other to form circles, because the individual at the back of a male–male tandem is likely to win a female if and when encountering one ( Li et al 2015 ). This behavior may even result in a switch of leader–follower positions ( Mizumoto et al 2022 ).…”

Transcriptomic and Functional Analyses of Phenotypic Plasticity in a Higher Termite, Macrotermes barneyi Light

“…Alates, queens and kings are reproductive castes and develop from nymphs (Eggleton, 2011), while the remaining mature castes are derived from the other immature castes, including major and minor presoldiers, and major and minor preworkers ( Figure 1A , Noirot, 1990). Major soldiers provide defense near or within the colony using their strong mandibles, and minor soldiers provide protection for the foraging workers (Thorne and Haverty, 1991; Roux and Korb, 2004; Wang et al, 2009; Li et al, 2015b). Major workers are primarily responsible for the nest construction and foraging, while minor workers carry out in-nest duties, such as feeding, nursing, and grooming (Wang et al, 2009).…”