Development of Nests and Composition of Colonies of Nasutitermes nigriceps (Isoptera: Termitidae) in the Mangroves of Jamaica

Clarke, P. A.; Garraway, Eric

doi:10.2307/3495513

Cited by 11 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Despite the limited number of polymorphic allozyme loci, our work was able to show that most nests of N. nigriceps have genotypic frequencies which approximate Mendelian expectations and verifies that monogamy (monogyny and monoandry) is the predominant mode of reproduction for this species. This interpretation of the breeding system of N. nigriceps is in agreement with Clarke & Garraway (1994) who found no more than one pair of reproductives in nests which had at least one reproductive. Further, the present study indicates that there is little to no turnover in the reproductive composition of colonies, at least over the interval of one year.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Therefore, the deviations are more likely to arise from multiple reproductives contributing offspring to a single nest in a more continuous fashion. Our genetic data do not rule out multiple reproductives in a single nest, but, as single colonies of this species may occupy more than one nest (Clarke & Garraway, 1994), the deviant kin structure is more likely to result from the mixing of offspring from connected daughter nests which have since developed reproductives of their own. Our sampling regime did not discriminate among colonies based on their size or apparent maturity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The present study focuses on Nasutitermes nigriceps Haldeman, the most common arboreal termite on Jamaica. Colonies of this species are regularly monogamous (Clarke & Garraway, 1994), and single nests have been shown to consist of up to 500 000 individuals (Clarke, 1993). This study employed allozyme markers to verify the number of reproductives contributing to single nests and to assess levels of inbreeding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population genetic structure of the Neotropical termite Nasutitermes nigriceps (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Thompson

1998

Heredity

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Monogamy and inbreeding are often thought to characterize the breeding system of termite societies. However, few studies have employed genetic markers to ascertain either the genetic structure of single colonies or the extent of local inbreeding. This study employs allozyme analysis to investigate the breeding system of Nasutitermes nigriceps with respect to the number of reproductives contributing to single colonies, and the level of inbreeding within and among local colonies. The majority of the 136 nests examined from three study sites showed patterns of protein polymorphism consistent with their origin from a single mated pair, establishing that monogamy is indeed the predominant mode of reproduction. A small proportion of colonies (N = 7) had genotypic frequencies suggesting that offspring were not all full-siblings. The genetic composition of all colonies appeared stable through a one-year interval, suggesting that the observed genetic attributes represent relatively persistent reproductive associations. Wright's (1978) F-statistics showed moderate differentiation among study sites, indicative of restricted gene flow and the occurrence of inbreeding at a regional scale. However, mating appeared to be random at single sites as the inferred genotypic frequencies of colony progenitors did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg expectations, indicating little inbreeding in the study populations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population genetic structure of the Neotropical termite Nasutitermes nigriceps (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Thompson

1998

Heredity

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“…The present study combines allozyme electrophoresis with mtDNA analysis to compare the genetic structure of Nasutitermes nigriceps Haldeman and Nasutitermes costalis Holmgren, two ecologically similar arboreal species on Jamaica. Prior studies have suggested that while N. nigriceps is predominantly monogamous (Clarke and Garraway, 1994), N. costalis is facultatively polygamous (Roisin and Pasteels, 1986a). The genus Nasutitermes has been relatively well studied and has a comparatively high number of species known to be polygamous with the functional number of kings and queens ranging from one to many hundreds (e.g., Roisin and Pasteels, 1986a;Roisin, 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Probing termite social systems through allozyme and mtDNA analysis: a case study of Nasutitermes nigriceps and Nasutitermes costalis (Isoptera, Termitidae)

Thompson¹

1998

Insectes Sociaux

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“…Little is known of colony structure in N. acajutlae. Although the monitored nests on Guana appear to represent independent colonies because of a scattered spatial conÞguration, colonies of the closely related species N. nigriceps (Thorne et al 1994(Thorne et al , 1996b ) may occasionally occupy more than one nest Adams 1984, Clarke andGarraway 1994). Further study of N. acajutlae is needed before we can fully interpret the association between nests and colonies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest Growth and Survivorship in Three Species of NeotropicalNasutitermes(Isoptera: Termitidae)

Thorne

Haverty

2000

Environ Entomol

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Long-term growth and survivorship of individual arboreal nests were studied in three species of Neotropical termites in the genus Nasutitermes. Of the 29 N. corniger (Motschulsky) and seven N. ephratae (Holmgren) nests monitored in an area of young second-growth in Panama, 12 (41%) N. corniger and four (57%) N. ephratae nests remained active throughout the 9-to 11-mo study. There was no signiÞcant difference in survivorship between small and large nests of either species. In surviving N. corniger nests with a single queen, the net increase in volume was highly correlated (r ϭ 0.87, n ϭ 9) with queen wet weight. There was a marked seasonality to nest expansion in both N. corniger and N. ephratae, with growth occurring almost exclusively during the wet season. Seventeen N. acajutlae (Holmgren) nests were monitored for 4 Ð9 yr on Guana Island, British Virgin Islands. Four of the 17 (23.5%) N. acajutlae nests survived the study period, and two more abandoned their original nest and relocated. Within this limited sample of colonies, N. acajutlae nests that were large (Ͼ150,000 cm 3 ) at the beginning of the study had a higher probability of survival than did small (Ͻ100,000 cm 3 ) nests. Nest budding, relocation, and resprouting are mechanisms that Nasutitermes may use to create a new nest for all or a portion of an established colony. The ontogeny of incipient Nasutitermes colonies is discussed as a sequence in which a young colony remains cryptic within wood, building its population size to a point where the colony can maintain and defend a nest. Early in a wet season, termites then venture from within wood to build and occupy a small arboreal nest.

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Development of Nests and Composition of Colonies of Nasutitermes nigriceps (Isoptera: Termitidae) in the Mangroves of Jamaica

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Population genetic structure of the Neotropical termite Nasutitermes nigriceps (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Population genetic structure of the Neotropical termite Nasutitermes nigriceps (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Probing termite social systems through allozyme and mtDNA analysis: a case study of Nasutitermes nigriceps and Nasutitermes costalis (Isoptera, Termitidae)

Nest Growth and Survivorship in Three Species of NeotropicalNasutitermes(Isoptera: Termitidae)

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