Behavioral response of termites to tunnel surface irregularity

Lee, S.-H.; Bardunias, Paul; Su, Nan‐Yao; Yang, Rou-Ling

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2008.02.009

Cited by 29 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…It is important to note that our study was conducted in open‐air arenas. Experiments on the behavioral patterns of escaping termites within preformed (Lee et al ., ,b) or artificial tunnels (Ku et al ., , ; Sim & Lee, , ; Cho & Lee, ) in 2‐dimensional arenas also would be useful.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Panic escape polyethism in worker and soldier Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

et al. 2015

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Termites were the first animal to form societies. Two hundred million years of evolution provide for a multitude of innate social behaviors that can be experimentally dissected. These fine-tuned patterns of behavior are especially interesting when observing group decision making in the panic mode. In this study, we examined behavioral patterns of termites under panic conditions to gain insight into how an escape flow self-organizes. One hundred worker and 10 soldier Coptotermes formosanus were released into agar plates. After a disturbance was created most workers followed each other and ran along the wall of dishes, thus forming a unidirectional escape flow, whereas soldiers showed a significantly higher frequency of moving to the center of the arena or on periphery of the escape flow as compared to workers. Agonistic behavior was usually observed as soldiers moved to center or periphery. This is the first report on the behavioral repertoire of termites when panicked, with details on the behavioral polymorphism of workers and soldiers during an escape.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Panic escape polyethism in worker and soldier Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

et al. 2015

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“…Lee et al (2008c) showed experimentally that termites passed through smooth—rounded corners more quickly than around sharp corners. When termites confront a sharp corner, many stop walking and touch the lateral walls of the tunnel with their antennae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They revealed that the presence of surface irregularity was essential to induce termite tunneling. Lee et al (2008c) showed that when termites encountered surface irregularity in the tunnel they responded in either of these ways—the tunneling or non—tunneling behavior—according to the size of the irregularity. Ku et al (2010) showed that when termites encountered tunnel intersections, they selected a relatively wide tunnel.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement of the Time Required for a Termite to Pass Through Tunnels with Different Curvatures

Sim

Lee

2012

Journal of Insect Science

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The subterranean termite, Reticulitermes speratus kyushuensis (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), excavate complex tunnel networks below the ground for foraging. The tunnels are either curved or meandering. In our previous study, results showed that termites passed smooth—rounded corners faster than they did around sharp corners. Smooth—rounded corners can be mathematically quantified by the curvature, representing the amount by which a geometric object deviates from a straight line. The present study explored how the time spent inside a tunnel changes in accordance with the degree of tunnel curvature. To do so, artificial tunnels with different curvatures were constructed in acryl substrates. Tunnels were 5 cm in length with widths of W — 2, 3, or 4 mm, and the distance between the two ends of the tunnel was D = 2, 3, 4, or 5 cm. A higher value of D signified a lower curvature. The time (τ) taken by a termite to pass through the tunnel was measured. In the case of W = 2 mm, the values of τ were statistically equal for D = 2, 3, or 4 cm, while τ for D = 5 cm was significantly lesser. In the case of W = 3, τ was statistically more for D = 2 and 3 cm than it was for D = 4 and 5 cm. For W = 4, τ was statistically equal for D = 2 and 3 cm, while τ for D = 4 cm was relatively shorter. Interestingly, the value of τ when D = 5 cm was statistically the same as D = 3 or 4 cm. These resulted from two types of termite behavior: biased walking and zigzag walking.

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“…The clay surface was on both sides marked with an X-shaped scratch. Assuming that surface irregularities can motivate ants to start digging at them, as reported for termites [36], scratching the surfaces was aimed at shortening the response time of the workers to gain more replicates within the same time. A sliding door prevented additional workers from entering the segment.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sequential Soil Transport and Its Influence on the Spatial Organisation of Collective Digging in Leaf-Cutting Ants

Pielström

Roces

2013

PLoS ONE

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The Chaco leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri (Forel) inhabits large and deep subterranean nests composed of a large number of fungus and refuse chambers. The ants dispose of the excavated soil by forming small pellets that are carried to the surface. For ants in general, the organisation of underground soil transport during nest building remains completely unknown. In the laboratory, we investigated how soil pellets are formed and transported, and whether their occurrence influences the spatial organisation of collective digging. Similar to leaf transport, we discovered size matching between soil pellet mass and carrier mass. Workers observed while digging excavated pellets at a rate of 26 per hour. Each excavator deposited its pellets in an individual cluster, independently of the preferred deposition sites of other excavators. Soil pellets were transported sequentially over 2 m, and the transport involved up to 12 workers belonging to three functionally distinct groups: excavators, several short-distance carriers that dropped the collected pellets after a few centimetres, and long-distance, last carriers that reached the final deposition site. When initiating a new excavation, the proportion of long-distance carriers increased from 18% to 45% within the first five hours, and remained unchanged over more than 20 hours. Accumulated, freshly-excavated pellets significantly influenced the workers' decision where to start digging in a choice experiment. Thus, pellets temporarily accumulated as a result of their sequential transport provide cues that spatially organise collective nest excavation.

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Behavioral response of termites to tunnel surface irregularity

Cited by 29 publications

References 18 publications

Panic escape polyethism in worker and soldier Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Panic escape polyethism in worker and soldier Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Measurement of the Time Required for a Termite to Pass Through Tunnels with Different Curvatures

Sequential Soil Transport and Its Influence on the Spatial Organisation of Collective Digging in Leaf-Cutting Ants

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