How to preserve termite samples in the field for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope studies?

Florencio, Daniela Faria; Rosa, Cassiano Sousa; Marins, Alessandra; Cristaldo, Paulo F.; Araújo, Ana Paula Albano; Silva, Ivo Ribeiro da; DeSouza, Og

doi:10.1002/rcm.4820

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…For example, though some studies have proposed efficient preservation methods for SIA (e.g., for Isoptera: EtOH 80% and NaCl [58]; for Diptera and Hymenoptera: EtOH ≥ 70% for δ 15 N values [2, 24]; for aquatic insects: EtOH 80% [42] and EtOH 75% [19]), our results agreed with a large proportion of alternative studies demonstrating that such preservatives may alter either δ 15 N or δ 13 C values, or both [19–21, 45, 47–49, 59–61]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preservation Methods Alter Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Values in Crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea)

et al. 2015

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Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is an important tool for investigation of animal dietary habits for determination of feeding niche. Ideally, fresh samples should be used for isotopic analysis, but logistics frequently demands preservation of organisms for analysis at a later time. The goal of this study was to establish the best methodology for preserving forest litter-dwelling crickets for later SIA analysis without altering results. We collected two cricket species, Phoremia sp. and Mellopsis doucasae, from which we prepared 70 samples per species, divided among seven treatments: (i) freshly processed (control); preserved in fuel ethanol for (ii) 15 and (iii) 60 days; preserved in commercial ethanol for (iv) 15 and (v) 60 days; fresh material frozen for (vi) 15 and (vii) 60 days. After oven drying, samples were analyzed for δ 15N, δ 13C values, N(%), C(%) and C/N atomic values using continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry. All preservation methods tested, significantly impacted δ 13C and δ 15N and C/N atomic values. Chemical preservatives caused δ 13C enrichment as great as 1.5‰, and δ 15N enrichment as great as 0.9‰; the one exception was M. doucasae stored in ethanol for 15 days, which had δ 15N depletion up to 1.8‰. Freezing depleted δ 13C and δ 15N by up to 0.7 and 2.2‰, respectively. C/N atomic values decreased when stored in ethanol, and increased when frozen for 60 days for both cricket species. Our results indicate that all preservation methods tested in this study altered at least one of the tested isotope values when compared to fresh material (controls). We conclude that only freshly processed material provides adequate SIA results for litter-dwelling crickets.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preservation Methods Alter Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Values in Crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea)

et al. 2015

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“…To avoid contamination from gut content, we dissected heads of 25 workers and directly stored them in 96% ethanol at − 20 °C until use. Storage in 96% ethanol preserves tissues for morphological and genetic analyses and isotopic ratios are not altered (Florencio et al 2011). Tissue samples were dried at 60 °C for 24 h in a stove prior to weighing.…”

Section: Isotopic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest composition, stable isotope ratios and microbiota unravel the feeding behaviour of an inquiline termite

et al. 2019

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Termites are eusocial insects having evolved several feeding, nesting and reproductive strategies. Among them, inquiline termites live in a nest built by other termite species: some of them do not forage outside the nest, but feed on food stored by the host or on the nest material itself. In this study, we characterized some dimensions of the ecological niche of Cavitermes tuberosus (Termitidae: Termitinae), a broad-spectrum inquiline termite with a large neotropical distribution, to explain its ecological success. We used an integrative framework combining ecological measures (physico-chemical parameters, stable isotopic ratios of N and C) and Illumina MiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene to identify bacterial communities and to analyse termites as well as the material from nests constructed by different termite hosts (the builders). Our results show that (1) nests inhabited by C. tuberosus display a different physico-chemical composition when compared to nests inhabited by its builder alone; (2) stable isotopic ratios suggest that C. tuberosus feeds on already processed, more humified, nest organic matter; and (3) the gut microbiomes cluster by termite species, with the one of C. tuberosus being much more diverse and highly similar to the one of its main host, Labiotermes labralis. These results support the hypothesis that C. tuberosus is a generalist nest feeder adapted to colonize nests built by various builders, and explain its ecological success.

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On the Chemical Disguise of a Physogastric Termitophilous Rove Beetle

Rosa¹,

Cristaldo²,

Florencio³

et al. 2018

Sociobiology

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Inter-specific symbiotic links are often reinforced by morphological, physiological, or behavioural trait modification undergone by the associated species. In some cases, such as in physogastric termitophile staphylinids, such modifications do facilitate the social interaction. Here we inspect chemical traits of the physogastric staphylinid Corotoca melantho (Insecta: Coleoptera) and its termite host Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Insecta: Blattodea: Isoptera), aiming to verify whether staphylinids resemble their host. First, we compared CHC profiles of hosts and guests within and among termitaria, to gather evidence on the origin of such profiles in guests. Then, we examined nitrogen and carbon isotopic signatures of these cohabitants to inspect whether chemical disguise is achieved by predation of host workers by staphylinids. Beetles presented CHC more similar to the CHC of their cohabiting termites than to (i) their conspecifics and (ii) termites from another nest, thereby favouring the hypothesis on CHC acquisition by guests. Isotopic signatures revealed that such similarities could not be majorly determined by share nutrition between these cohabitants. In general, our results evidenced that chemical disguise in termitophiles may function as a strategy for social integration in morphological mimics.

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How to preserve termite samples in the field for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope studies?

Cited by 3 publications

References 21 publications

Preservation Methods Alter Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Values in Crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea)

Preservation Methods Alter Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Values in Crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea)

Nest composition, stable isotope ratios and microbiota unravel the feeding behaviour of an inquiline termite

On the Chemical Disguise of a Physogastric Termitophilous Rove Beetle

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