Although eusociality evolved independently within several orders of insects, research into the molecular underpinnings of the transition towards social complexity has been confined primarily to Hymenoptera (for example, ants and bees). Here we sequence the genome and stage-specific transcriptomes of the dampwood termite Zootermopsis nevadensis (Blattodea) and compare them with similar data for eusocial Hymenoptera, to better identify commonalities and differences in achieving this significant transition. We show an expansion of genes related to male fertility, with upregulated gene expression in male reproductive individuals reflecting the profound differences in mating biology relative to the Hymenoptera. For several chemoreceptor families, we show divergent numbers of genes, which may correspond to the more claustral lifestyle of these termites. We also show similarities in the number and expression of genes related to caste determination mechanisms. Finally, patterns of DNA methylation and alternative splicing support a hypothesized epigenetic regulation of caste differentiation.

Termites normally rely on gut symbionts to decompose organic matter but the Macrotermitinae domesticated Termitomyces fungi to produce their own food. This transition was accompanied by a shift in the composition of the gut microbiota, but the complementary roles of these bacteria in the symbiosis have remained enigmatic. We obtained high-quality annotated draft genomes of the termite Macrotermes natalensis, its Termitomyces symbiont, and gut metagenomes from workers, soldiers, and a queen. We show that members from 111 of the 128 known glycoside hydrolase families are represented in the symbiosis, that Termitomyces has the genomic capacity to handle complex carbohydrates, and that worker gut microbes primarily contribute enzymes for final digestion of oligosaccharides. This apparent division of labor is consistent with the Macrotermes gut microbes being most important during the second passage of comb material through the termite gut, after a first gut passage where the crude plant substrate is inoculated with Termitomyces asexual spores so that initial fungal growth and polysaccharide decomposition can proceed with high efficiency. Complex conversion of biomass in termite mounds thus appears to be mainly accomplished by complementary cooperation between a domesticated fungal monoculture and a specialized bacterial community. In sharp contrast, the gut microbiota of the queen had highly reduced plant decomposition potential, suggesting that mature reproductives digest fungal material provided by workers rather than plant substrate.carbohydrate-active enzymes | eusocial | symbioses | cellulose | lignin

E usociality, the reproductive division of labour with overlapping generations and cooperative brood care, is one of the major evolutionary transitions in biology 1 . Although rare, eusociality has been observed in a diverse range of organisms, including shrimps, mole rats and several insect lineages [2][3][4] . A particularly striking case of convergent evolution occurred within the holometabolous Hymenoptera and in the hemimetabolous termites (Isoptera), which are separated by over 350 Myr of evolution 5 . Termites evolved within the cockroaches around 150 Myr ago, towards the end of the Jurassic period 6,7 , about 50 Myr before the first bees and ants appeared 5 . Therefore, identifying the molecular mechanisms common to both origins of eusociality is crucial to understanding the fundamental signatures of these rare evolutionary transitions. While the availability of genomes from many eusocial and non-eusocial hymenopteran species 8 has allowed extensive research into the origins of eusociality within ants and bees [9][10][11] , a paucity of genomic data from cockroaches and termites has precluded large-scale investigations into the evolution of eusociality in this hemimetabolous clade.The conditions under which eusociality arose differ greatly between the two groups. Termites and cockroaches are hemimetabolous and so show a direct development, while holometabolous hymenopterans complete the adult body plan during metamorphosis. In termites, workers are immatures and only reproductive castes are adults 12 , while in Hymenoptera, adult workers and queens represent the primary division of labour. Moreover, termites are diploid and their colonies consist of both male and female workers, and usually a queen and king dominate reproduction. This is in contrast to the haplodiploid system found in Hymenoptera, in which all workers and dominant reproductives are female. It is therefore intriguing that strong similarities have evolved convergently within the termites and the hymenopterans, such as differentiated castes and a nest life with reproductive division of labour. The termites can be subdivided into wood-dwelling and foraging termites. The former belong to the lower termites and produce simple, small colonies with totipotent workers that can become reproductives. Foraging termites (some lower and all higher termites) form large, complex societies, in which worker castes can be irreversible 12 . For this reason, higher, but not lower, termites can be classed as superorganismal 13 . Similarly, within Hymenoptera, varying levels of eusociality exist.Here we provide insights into the molecular signatures of eusociality within the termites. We analysed the genomes of two lower and one higher termite species and compared them to the genome

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Termites (Isoptera) are the phylogenetically oldest social insects, but in scientific research they have always stood in the shadow of the social Hymenoptera. Both groups of social insects evolved complex societies independently and hence, their different ancestry provided them with different life-history preadaptations for social evolution. Termites, the 'social cockroaches', have a hemimetabolous mode of development and both sexes are diploid, while the social Hymenoptera belong to the holometabolous insects and have a haplodiploid mode of sex determination. Despite this apparent disparity it is interesting to ask whether termites and social Hymenoptera share common principles in their individual and social ontogenies and how these are related to the evolution of their respective social life histories. Such a comparison has, however, been much hampered by the developmental complexity of the termite caste system, as well as by an idiosyncratic terminology, which makes it difficult for non-termitologists to access the literature. Here, we provide a conceptual guide to termite terminology based on the highly flexible caste system of the "lower termites". We summarise what is known about ultimate causes and underlying proximate mechanisms in the evolution and maintenance of termite sociality, and we try to embed the results and their discussion into general evolutionary theory and developmental biology. Finally, we speculate about fundamental factors that might have facilitated the unique evolution of complex societies in a diploid hemimetabolous insect taxon. This review also aims at a better integration of termites into general discussions on evolutionary and developmental biology, and it shows that the ecology of termites and their astounding phenotypic plasticity have a large yet still little explored potential to provide insights into elementary evo-devo questions.

Some of the most sophisticated of all animal-built structures are the mounds of African termites of the subfamily Macrotermitinae, the fungus-growing termites. They have long been studied as fascinating textbook examples of thermoregulation or ventilation of animal buildings. However, little research has been designed to provide critical tests of these paradigms, derived from a very small number of original papers. Here I review results from recent studies on Macrotermes bellicosus that considered the interdependence of ambient temperature, thermoregulation, ventilation and mound architecture, and that question some of the fundamental paradigms of termite mounds. M. bellicosus achieves thermal homeostasis within the mound, but ambient temperature has an influence too. In colonies in comparably cool habitats, mound architecture is adapted to reduce the loss of metabolically produced heat to the environment. While this has no negative consequences in small colonies, it produces a trade-off with gas exchange in large colonies, resulting in suboptimally low nest temperatures and increased CO(2) concentrations. Along with the alteration in mound architecture, the gas exchange/ventilation mechanism also changes. While mounds in the thermally appropriate savannah have a very efficient circular ventilation during the day, the ventilation in the cooler forest is a less efficient upward movement of air, with gas exchange restricted by reduced surface exchange area. These results, together with other recent findings, question entrenched ideas such as the thermosiphon-ventilation mechanism or the assumption that mounds function to dissipate internally produced heat. Models trying to explain the proximate mechanisms of mound building, or building elements, are discussed.

SignificanceSocial insects such as honey bees or termites are promising new models for aging research. In contrast to short-lived models like the fruit fly or mouse, the reproductives of an insect colony have exceptionally long lifespans. This offers important new avenues for gerontology, especially as mechanisms underlying aging are highly conserved among animals. We studied aging in a termite from the wild. Our results suggest that aging in this species, as in other animals, is related to the activity of transposable elements (TEs; also known as “jumping genes”). Yet reproductives seem to be protected by a process that normally silences TEs in the germline of animals. This suggests that natural selection used a mechanism from the germline to protect whole animals.

We determined density and distribution of the mounds of the fungus-cultivating termite Macrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman) in two habitats (shrub savanna and gallery forest) of the Comoé National Park (Ivory Coast, West Africa). We measured height, basal width, and interior and exterior temperatures of mounds in both habitats, and established a new method to measure the surface area of mounds.In the shrub savanna, M. bellicosus mounds reached high densities (up to 22.7 live mounds/ha), whereas in the gallery forest mounds could only be found in open stands and at comparatively low densities (up to 6.5 live mounds/ha).Ambient temperature had an important influence on the architecture of the mounds. Mounds in the warmer, but thermally more fluctuating shrub savanna were more structured with many ridges and turrets than the dome-like, compact mounds in the cooler, more equable gallery forest. The surface complexity was quantified as the ratio of surface (= rsf), which is the quotient of the real surface to the minimal possible surface of an ideal cone of the same height and basal width as the measured mound. By manipulating ambient temperatures, we were able to demonstrate causal relationships between temperature and mound shape. In the gallery forest, where shade was reduced surface complexity increased on mounds.Despite their different architecture in the gallery forest, the M. bellicosus colonies could not completely compensate for the cooler environment and had a lower than optimal nest temperature. We speculate that this might be caused by the need for a sufficient surface for gas exchange. The gallery forest is a suboptimal habitat for M. bellicosus, because of lower than optimal nest temperatures. This might limit M. bellicosus to open stands in the gallery forest and may explain its surprisingly low abundance in this habitat.