‘Cost’ of proctodeal trophallaxis in extant termite individuals has no relevance in analysing the origins of eusociality

Nalepa, Christine A.

doi:10.1111/een.12276

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…These previous observations all indicate that in our experiment, when all workers were removed at 150 days, a workerless family unit essentially lost its ability to digest wood and its nurturing ability, resulting in their rapid death. The 'reverse parental care' (Nalepa, 2016) is therefore achieved by 150 days after foundation in termite incipient colonies and the family unit is already advanced in their transition from a subsocial to a eusocial system. This assertion is further supported by our result from the 'one worker' experiment: if a single worker was left in the family unit, the king and queen survived despite major brood loss, in all replicates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This distinction is important, as it is necessary to differentiate basal traits common to all termites and their wood roach ancestor from derived traits acquired during the Isoptera radiation, when interpreting their potential role in the initial route towards termite eusociality. This was recently stressed by Nalepa (): ‘While vestiges of individual cost can be detected in extant one‐piece termite parents and the first alloparents during the subsocial colony initiation stage, it is irrelevant in established termite colonies’ contra Korb et al . () who considered the low brood care in some Kalotermitidae colonies as an ancestral trait; in fact, it is a derived trait that evolved from the extremely low metabolism in some drywood termites that establish colonies in the absence of water and extremely low access to nitrogen resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Irreversible transfer of brood care duties and insights into the burden of caregiving in incipient subterranean termite colonies

Chouvenc

2017

Ecological Entomology

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1. In incipient termite colonies, biparental brood care rapidly shifts towards alloparental brood care. This transition was suggested to recapitulate the evolutionary trajectory from subsocial wood roach ancestors to eusociality in termites. 2. Incipient colonies of the subterranean termite Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) were investigated to determine if this transition was irreversible and if the burden of brood care on the first alloparents could be measured. To do so, the initial size of the work force necessary for an incipient colony to survive once the brood care became alloparental was determined. 3. The results of the study show that within 5 months after foundation, brood care duties were fully transferred to workers and the primary reproductives became irreversibly dependent on these workers for survival, reproduction, and colony growth. 4. Once the brood care became strictly alloparental, the presence of a single worker was enough to maintain the survival of the king and queen, confirming that ‘reversed parental care’ was also achieved. However, major brood loss and suppressed egg‐laying activity from the queen was observed, suggesting that the burden of brood care was too high for a single worker to absorb. Therefore, once brood care has shifted to alloparents, a critical number of workers is necessary to prevent brood loss and initiate colony growth. 5. As the initial cost of brood care is rapidly absorbed with colony growth in termites, the performance in brood care of the first few alloparents in a subsocial wood roach ancestor may have contributed to the emergence of eusociality in this clade.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Irreversible transfer of brood care duties and insights into the burden of caregiving in incipient subterranean termite colonies

Chouvenc

2017

Ecological Entomology

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“…Historically, the death of these flagellates at molt was thought to be a key factor associated with termite eusocial origins, e.g., [ 47 , 48 ] but more recent work habitually excludes its influence on social structure. Any hypothesis that ignores this termite specific life history characteristic, however, is unsatisfactory and serves to emphasize the current deep-seated bias in analyzing Isopteran eusocial origins in terms of hymenopteran attributes [ 49 , 50 ]. A re-examination of this symbiotic relationship during host molt is overdue for two compelling reasons: first, because the need to re-acquire the symbiosis after molt precludes independent living by termite individuals, and second, because current literature rarely describes the symbiotic relationship during the host molting cycle in either insect taxon accurately.…”

Section: Why Is Death Of Protists In Termites Of Significance?mentioning

confidence: 99%

What Kills the Hindgut Flagellates of Lower Termites during the Host Molting Cycle?

Nalepa

2017

Microorganisms

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Subsocial wood feeding cockroaches in the genus Cryptocercus, the sister group of termites, retain their symbiotic gut flagellates during the host molting cycle, but in lower termites, closely related flagellates die prior to host ecdysis. Although the prevalent view is that termite flagellates die because of conditions of starvation and desiccation in the gut during the host molting cycle, the work of L.R. Cleveland in the 1930s through the 1960s provides a strong alternate hypothesis: it was the changed hormonal environment associated with the origin of eusociality and its concomitant shift in termite developmental ontogeny that instigates the death of the flagellates in termites. Although the research on termite gut microbial communities has exploded since the advent of modern molecular techniques, the role of the host hormonal environment on the life cycle of its gut flagellates has been neglected. Here Cleveland’s studies are revisited to provide a basis for re-examination of the problem, and the results framed in the context of two alternate hypotheses: the flagellate symbionts are victims of the change in host social status, or the flagellates have become incorporated into the life cycle of the eusocial termite colony. Recent work on parasitic protists suggests clear paths for exploring these hypotheses and for resolving long standing issues regarding sexual-encystment cycles in flagellates of the Cryptocercus-termite lineage using molecular methodologies, bringing the problem into the modern era.

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“…The present study first investigated the composition of microbial assemblages of termite guts and nest substrates of P. araujoi. Termite soldiers cannot feed themselves because their mandibles are modified or reduced and, therefore, depend on workers for nutrition [41], which could be reflected in the composition of the gut microbiota between workers and soldiers. In this context, we evaluated the variation in the microbial composition between the two castes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Communities of the Gut and Nest of the Humus- and Litter-Feeding Termite Procornitermes araujoi (Syntermitinae)

et al. 2018

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The evolution of the symbiotic association with microbes allowed termites to decompose ingested lignocellulose from plant-derived substrates, including herbivore dung and soil humus. Representatives of the Syntermitinae (Termitidae) range in their feeding habits from wood and litter-feeding to humus-feeding species. However, only limited information is available about their feeding ecology and associated microbial communities. Here we conducted a study of the microbial communities associated to the termite Procornitermes araujoi using Illumina sequencing of the 16S and ITS rRNA genes. This species has been previously included in different feeding guilds. However, most aspects of its feeding ecology are unknown, especially those associated to its symbiotic microbiota. Our results showed that the microbial communities of termite guts and nest substrates of P. araujoi differed significantly for bacteria and fungi. Firmicutes dominated the bacterial gut community of both workers and soldiers, whereas Actinobacteria was found in higher prevalence in the nest walls. Sordariomycetes was the most abundant fungal class in both gut and nest samples and distinguish P. araujoi from the grass/litter feeding Cornitermes cumulans. Our results also showed that diversity of gut bacteria were higher in P. araujoi and Silvestritermes euamignathus than in the grass/litter feeders (C. cumulans and Syntermes dirus), that could indicate an adaptation of the microbial community of polyphagous termites to the higher complexity of their diets.

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‘Cost’ of proctodeal trophallaxis in extant termite individuals has no relevance in analysing the origins of eusociality

Cited by 11 publications

References 39 publications

Irreversible transfer of brood care duties and insights into the burden of caregiving in incipient subterranean termite colonies

Irreversible transfer of brood care duties and insights into the burden of caregiving in incipient subterranean termite colonies

What Kills the Hindgut Flagellates of Lower Termites during the Host Molting Cycle?

Microbial Communities of the Gut and Nest of the Humus- and Litter-Feeding Termite Procornitermes araujoi (Syntermitinae)

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