Influence of seasonal changes, weather factors and soil depth on the foraging activities of subterranean termites in Eucalyptus plantations

Alamu, O.; Ewete, F. K.

doi:10.1007/s42690-020-00311-8

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Subterranean termite colonies search for and collect food through collective behaviors performed by workers and mediated by both social and environmental conditions, such as colony size, temperature, and food availability [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Foraging typically takes place underground and begins with the exploration of an area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Soldiers on Exploratory Foraging Behavior in the Formosan Subterranean Termite, Coptotermes formosanus (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)

McCarthy

Khadka

Hakanoglu

et al. 2023

Insects

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Termites are eusocial insects that live in organized colonies consisting of reproductives, workers, and soldiers. Soldiers are specialized for defense but are expensive to maintain, as they are incapable of husbandry and must be fed and groomed by workers. The soldiers of several species influence foraging behavior by acting as scouts that initiate foraging or by mediating worker behavioral plasticity during food exploration. These behaviors imply that soldiers may play a keystone role in termite colony function, apart from defense. Subterranean termite workers tunnel through soil in search of food while accompanied by varying proportions of soldiers, depending on the species and colony conditions. Previous studies have shown that soldiers accelerate worker exploratory tunneling behavior in two Reticulitermes species, the colonies of which contain fewer than 2% soldiers. This effect, however, is unknown in other subterranean species with different soldier proportions. In this study, we examined the influence of soldiers on exploratory foraging behavior in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, which is an economically devastating invasive species that maintains a relatively high soldier proportion (about 10%). When 100 foraging workers were grouped with 0, 2, 10, or 30 soldiers in two-dimensional foraging arenas, we found no significant effect of soldiers on the tunnel length, branch pattern, food source interception, or food collected within 96 h. These results suggest that C. formosanus colonies maintain food exploration efficiency regardless of soldier proportion variation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Soldiers on Exploratory Foraging Behavior in the Formosan Subterranean Termite, Coptotermes formosanus (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)

McCarthy

Khadka

Hakanoglu

et al. 2023

Insects

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“…Termites forage through the synchronized and integrated action of individuals in search of food resources (Traniello & Leuthold, 2000); seasonal changes like temperature and humidity seem to be determinants of foraging and colony survival since even small variations can affect the activities of termite workers (Smith & Rust, 1994;Haverty et al, 2010;Clarke et al, 2013;Alamu & Ewete, 2021). However, studies on termite ecophysiology aimed to identify environmental factors limiting the foraging activity of each species with specific microclimatic requirements are still incipient (Cornelius & Osbrink, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding substrate selection is not affected by the soil and environment temperature during the foraging of Constrictotermes cyphergaster

et al. 2022

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Termites are known as wood consumers, although some species eat other substrates. Assessing resource selection is important to understanding their biology. The present study provides information on the foraging behavior of Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Blattaria, Termitidae) in a dry forest area of Caatinga in Brazil. We aimed to verify the frequency of resource exploitation by termites as a function of environmental and soil temperatures. We found no significant differences in resource exploitation as a function of temperature, which is interesting because this variable is often reported as modulating foraging activity in some other termite species. This species forages on open trails at high temperatures in the Brazilian semi-arid zone. Environmental changes may affect the dynamics of their behavior and, consequently, the ecosystem, since C. cyphergaster influences the carbon cycle and can modify the soil. Our study provides a basis for future research intending to understand the adaptations of this termite to live in the drylands.

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Influence of seasonal changes, weather factors and soil depth on the foraging activities of subterranean termites in Eucalyptus plantations

Cited by 2 publications

References 32 publications

Influence of Soldiers on Exploratory Foraging Behavior in the Formosan Subterranean Termite, Coptotermes formosanus (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)

Influence of Soldiers on Exploratory Foraging Behavior in the Formosan Subterranean Termite, Coptotermes formosanus (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)

Feeding substrate selection is not affected by the soil and environment temperature during the foraging of Constrictotermes cyphergaster

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