Burial behaviour by dealates of the termite Pseudacanthotermes spiniger (Termitidae, Macrotermitinae) induced by chemical signals from termite corpses

Chouvenc, Thomas; Robert, Alain; Sémon, Étienne; Bordereau, Christian

doi:10.1007/s00040-011-0197-3

Cited by 49 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…In Isoptera, the mechanism of undertaking elicitation has been recently studied in a fungus-growing termite, Pseudacanthotermes spiniger (Sjöstedt). The burial behavior in Pseudacanthotermes spiniger was triggered by a blend of indole, phenol, and fatty acids 19, which, at least in part, supported the “fatty acid death cue” hypothesis. In the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), however, the “chemical vital sign” hypothesis could not be excluded based on our observation that workers showed an immediate response (< 15min) toward freshly killed nestmates 27.…”

Section: Death Recognition and Elicitation Of Undertaking Behaviormentioning

confidence: 58%

“…Most recently, an influx of studies have shown a complex series of undertaking behaviors in termites, including burial, avoidance, and cannibalism 7, 19-21. Cannibalism of the dead in termites was considered to be a mechanism of recycling nitrogenous nutrients47, 51, which is, in part, due to their nutritionally poor cellulosic diet52.…”

Section: Behavioral Responses Toward Corpsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To date, studies of undertaking behavior have been focused on three aspects: death recognition cue, behavioral process, and division of labor. Recently, there have been renewed interests in undertaking behavior in termites focusing on death cues and behavioral responses 7, 19-21. Despite studies for over 50 years, the genetic underpinning of undertaking behavior is still not well understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Corpse Management in Social Insects

2013

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Undertaking behavior is an essential adaptation to social life that is critical for colony hygiene in enclosed nests. Social insects dispose of dead individuals in various fashions to prevent further contact between corpses and living members in a colony. Focusing on three groups of eusocial insects (bees, ants, and termites) in two phylogenetically distant orders (Hymenoptera and Isoptera), we review mechanisms of death recognition, convergent and divergent behavioral responses toward dead individuals, and undertaking task allocation from the perspective of division of labor. Distinctly different solutions (e.g., corpse removal, burial and cannibalism) have evolved, independently, in the holometabolous hymenopterans and hemimetabolous isopterans toward the same problem of corpse management. In addition, issues which can lead to a better understanding of the roles that undertaking behavior has played in the evolution of eusociality are discussed.

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Section: Death Recognition and Elicitation Of Undertaking Behaviormentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Behavioral Responses Toward Corpsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Corpse Management in Social Insects

2013

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“…A total of 51 compounds from the integument of a dead alate termite were extracted, and the majority contained fatty acid, phenol, and indol [13], [16]. The combination of the compounds was shown to trigger carcass-burying behavior in dealates of P. spiniger .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Termites Avoid Carcasses? Behavioral Responses Depend on the Nature of the Carcasses

et al. 2012

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BackgroundUndertaking behavior is a significant adaptation to social life in enclosed nests. Workers are known to remove dead colony members from the nest. Such behavior prevents the spread of pathogens that may be detrimental to a colony. To date, little is known about the ethological aspects of how termites deal with carcasses.Methodology and Principal FindingsIn this study, we tested the responses to carcasses of four species from different subterranean termite taxa: Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Reticulitermes speratus (Kolbe) (lower termites) and Microcerotermes crassus Snyder and Globitermes sulphureus Haviland (higher termites). We also used different types of carcasses (freshly killed, 1-, 3-, and 7-day-old, and oven-killed carcasses) and mutilated nestmates to investigate whether the termites exhibited any behavioral responses that were specific to carcasses in certain conditions. Some behavioral responses were performed specifically on certain types of carcasses or mutilated termites. C. formosanus and R. speratus exhibited the following behaviors: (1) the frequency and time spent in antennating, grooming, and carcass removal of freshly killed, 1-day-old, and oven-killed carcasses were high, but these behaviors decreased as the carcasses aged; (2) the termites repeatedly crawled under the aging carcass piles; and (3) only newly dead termites were consumed as a food source. In contrast, M. crassus and G. sulphureus workers performed relatively few behavioral acts. Our results cast a new light on the previous notion that termites are necrophobic in nature.ConclusionWe conclude that the behavioral response towards carcasses depends largely on the nature of the carcasses and termite species, and the response is more complex than was previously thought. Such behavioral responses likely are associated with the threat posed to the colony by the carcasses and the feeding habits and nesting ecology of a given species.

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“…For this reason, the global production of alates could not be measured. The fate of alates which never left the colony is not known with an absolute certainty, but they were probably eaten by workers or buried in cemeteries to avoid the proliferation of pathogens (Chouvenc et al, 2012). After 17 years of rearing, colonies of P. militaris were healthy and produced alates, but also died after they were transferred to another laboratory.…”

Section: Dispersal Flights In the Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal flight and colony development in the fungus-growing termites Pseudacanthotermes spiniger and P. militaris

2012

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Pseudacanthotermes spiniger and P. militaris are two African fungus-growing termites (Termitidae, Macrotermitinae) which may become pests in disturbed agrosystems where they often live in sympatry. To study their development and their reproductive strategies, colonies of both species were reared in the laboratory for 20 and 17 years, respectively, after their foundation from reproductive pairs. The first steps of development were in great part similar in both species, although P. spiniger favoured the defence during the juvenile period, while P. militaris tended to favour a rapid development. While P. spiniger colonies did not produce alates until year 7 of colony life, P. militaris colonies were able to produce a fertile progeny 4 years after their foundation. In contrast, major soldiers were more rapidly differentiated in the incipient colonies of P. spiniger. Dispersal flights occurred every year for 10 years in P. spiniger. In P. militaris, dispersal flights did not occur regularly although alates appeared yearly. The annual number of alates produced by P. spiniger increased with the colony age to reach a maximum of 25,000 individuals and global production of alates was estimated at ca. 150,000 individuals in the life of a colony. The longevity of P. spiniger and P. militaris colonies was around 20 years. These species were shown to be reproductively isolated by multiple pre-mating mechanisms. While chronological differences in dispersal flights contribute to reproductive isolation of the two species, the non-viability of experimental hybrid colonies also indicates the involvement of post-mating mechanisms of isolation.

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Burial behaviour by dealates of the termite Pseudacanthotermes spiniger (Termitidae, Macrotermitinae) induced by chemical signals from termite corpses

Cited by 49 publications

References 30 publications

Corpse Management in Social Insects

Corpse Management in Social Insects

Do Termites Avoid Carcasses? Behavioral Responses Depend on the Nature of the Carcasses

Dispersal flight and colony development in the fungus-growing termites Pseudacanthotermes spiniger and P. militaris

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