Physiological changes of primary reproductives after founding incipient colonies in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder

Li, Ganghua; Zhou, Jiachang; Huang, Yubin; Huang, Qiuying

doi:10.1007/s00040-020-00795-0

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 32 publications

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“…Specifically, wood-feeding termites have limited access to dietary nitrogen, especially during colony foundation where the limited alates' nitrogen-carrying capacity constrains initial colony growth (Mullins & Su, 2018). This set of observations raises a series of questions on how the transition to alloparental care was optimized during termite evolution (Chouvenc, 2019;Husseneder et al, 2012;Inagaki et al, 2020;Li et al, 2021) within the context of limited access to environmental nitrogen resources during colony foundation (Mullins et al, 2021;Nalepa, 2015). Using Coptotermes as a termite model, this study investigates the following questions: first, what is the timing of the transition from biparental to alloparental care and how does it relate to the emergence of the first few workers?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eusociality and the transition from biparental to alloparental care in termites

Chouvenc

2022

Functional Ecology

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1. In eusocial organisms, cooperative brood care within a colony represents a situation where the ancestral parental care duties have shifted away from the reproductive parent(s) towards their offspring. The shift to alloparental care was often instrumental in the initial emergence of eusociality, as it ultimately contributed to the establishment of the reproductive division of labour.2. Remarkably, eusocial taxa such as ants and termites, which still display an ancestral independent colony foundation phase, must go through an obligatory parental care period, as a temporary subsocial family unit. In termites specifically, an incipient colony inherently remains a woodroach family unit until alloparental care is established. Colony foundation success can then be limited by a series of factors that may include environmental, behavioural, symbiotic and physiological constraints.3. In this study, 450 incipient termite colonies (Coptotermes gestroi) were established to investigate the timing of physiological changes in founders during the transition from biparental to alloparental care. Results showed that the finite initial internal nutritional resources that alates carry during the dispersal flight are a primary limiting factor for successful colony establishment. The Coptotermes queen and king must rapidly establish (<150 days) their first cohort of offspring to reach alloparental care or simply run out of resources and die. Alates, therefore, carry just enough internal resources to produce the first few alloparents (< 15 workers) to prime the system towards colony ergonomic growth, with a definitive shift to solely reproductive functions. 4. Eusocial insect primary reproductive traits were optimized for three successive functions within the life cycle of a colony: alate dispersal (sexual reproduction), colony foundation (parental care) and colony growth (increased egg production towards colony maturity). However, results suggest that trade-offs involving these functions appear to primarily favour dispersal ones (quantity vs. quality of alates), as founder(s) carry minimal resources and have no room for parental care inefficiency and as they then fully rely on their alloparents for further reproductive output.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eusociality and the transition from biparental to alloparental care in termites

Chouvenc

2022

Functional Ecology

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On the reproductive strategies post-colony foundation: major termite pest species with distinct ecological habits differ in their oviposition dynamics

da Silva,

Costa-Leonardo

2023

Bull. Entomol. Res.

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Termite colony foundation precedes the incipient stage, when the first oviposition cycle takes place, followed by months of reproductive inactivity. The royal couple is supposed to cease oviposition during this period, investing energy to care for the first brood. When a suitable number of alloparents differentiate, egg-laying resumes. Here we followed oviposition dynamics, embryo development and queen/king body changes in laboratory colonies of the major pest species Coptotermes gestroi (Rhinotermitidae) and Cryptotermes brevis (Kalotermitidae) during 9 months. We show that they differ in these oviposition dynamics, as C. gestroi queens displayed an uninterrupted oviposition whereas C. brevis laid a cohort of eggs and ceased oviposition during a 3-month period (lag phase). C. gestroi oviposition dynamic was remarkable and suggests that occurrence of progeny was not a limiting factor, thus queens and kings were able to concomitantly invest energy in reproduction and parental care. These findings contrast those reported for rhinotermitids from temperate areas, and we discuss the likely reasons for such a condition, including endogenous rhythms, avoidance of a high mortality rate of the first progeny and adaptation to the weather conditions of the Neotropical region. Oviposition dynamic in C. brevis resembled those of several termite species, in which the royal couple cease reproduction to care for the first brood. Rearing conditions did not influence oviposition dynamics (egg-laying cycle followed by a lag phase), thus our results on the oviposition of C. gestroi and C. brevis correspond to different reproductive strategies post-foundation adopted by these pest species.

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Physiological changes of primary reproductives after founding incipient colonies in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder

Cited by 2 publications

References 32 publications

Eusociality and the transition from biparental to alloparental care in termites

Eusociality and the transition from biparental to alloparental care in termites

On the reproductive strategies post-colony foundation: major termite pest species with distinct ecological habits differ in their oviposition dynamics

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