Feeding ecology and phylogenetic structure of a complex neotropical termite assemblage, revealed by nitrogen stable isotope ratios

Bourguignon, Thomas; Šobotník, Jan; Lepoint, Gilles; Martin, Jean Michel; Hardy, Olivier J.; Déjean, Alain; Roisin, Yves

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2311.2011.01265.x

Cited by 77 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(70 reference statements)

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“…These could include stored organic material, the hosts faeces and dead bodies, and the lining of the termitarium walls, which is also composed of faeces. Although still open to investigation, this assumption is in line – at least regarding I. microcerus – with previous reports by Noirot [56] and Mathews [12] and recent evidence by Bourguignon et al [32].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

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Diet Segregation between Cohabiting Builder and Inquiline Termite Species

et al. 2013

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How do termite inquilines manage to cohabit termitaria along with the termite builder species? With this in mind, we analysed one of the several strategies that inquilines could use to circumvent conflicts with their hosts, namely, the use of distinct diets. We inspected overlapping patterns for the diets of several cohabiting Neotropical termite species, as inferred from carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures for termite individuals. Cohabitant communities from distinct termitaria presented overlapping diet spaces, indicating that they exploited similar diets at the regional scale. When such communities were split into their components, full diet segregation could be observed between builders and inquilines, at regional (environment-wide) and local (termitarium) scales. Additionally, diet segregation among inquilines themselves was also observed in the vast majority of inspected termitaria. Inquiline species distribution among termitaria was not random. Environmental-wide diet similarity, coupled with local diet segregation and deterministic inquiline distribution, could denounce interactions for feeding resources. However, inquilines and builders not sharing the same termitarium, and thus not subject to potential conflicts, still exhibited distinct diets. Moreover, the areas of the builder’s diet space and that of its inquilines did not correlate negatively. Accordingly, the diet areas of builders which hosted inquilines were in average as large as the areas of builders hosting no inquilines. Such results indicate the possibility that dietary partitioning by these cohabiting termites was not majorly driven by current interactive constraints. Rather, it seems to be a result of traits previously fixed in the evolutionary past of cohabitants.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…In communities of termites, interactions with respect to food resources have been identified as an important regulating factor; examples include species assemblages from the African savannah [47], [48] and the South American tropical rainforest [32], [34].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet Segregation between Cohabiting Builder and Inquiline Termite Species

et al. 2013

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“…With recent observations on E. neotenicus [15], the presence of AQS as a queen replacement strategy in the Termitidae is firmly established. Far from being restricted to temperate wood-feeding Rhinotermitidae of the genus Reticulitermes, AQS now involves two species which are tropical rainforest soil feeders [38,39] and represent distinct subfamilies of higher termites. In AQS systems, two contrasted dispersal and reproductive patterns occur simultaneously: sexually produced alates initiate new colonies after a longdistance dispersal, while asexually produced neotenics reproduce inside the mother-nest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facultative asexual reproduction and genetic diversity of populations in the humivorous termite Cavitermes tuberosus

et al. 2016

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Termite colonies are typically founded by a pair of sexually reproducing dispersers, which can sometimes be replaced by some of their offspring. Some Reticulitermes and Embiratermes species routinely practice asexual queen succession (AQS): the queen is replaced by neotenic daughters produced by parthenogenesis, which mate with the primary king. Here, to cast light on the evolution of AQS, we investigated another candidate species, Cavitermes tuberosus (Termitinae). Of 95 nests, 39 contained a primary queen and 28 contained neotenic females (2-667 individuals), usually with the primary king. Microsatellite analyses confirmed that colonies were initiated by single pairs after large dispersal flights. More than 80% of the neotenic females were of exclusively maternal origin and completely homozygous, suggesting automictic parthenogenesis with gamete duplication. Conversely, workers, soldiers, and most alates and primary reproductives were produced sexually. AQS often occurs late, after colonies have reached maturity, whereas early AQS in other species may boost the young colony's growth rate. We suggest additional benefits of AQS in C. tuberosus, related with a smaller size, lesser stability and higher mobility of colonies. Our data add to the phylogenetical dispersion and diversity of modalities of AQS in termites, supporting a multiple evolutionary origin of this process.

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“…The categories are defined by a humification gradient, which ranges from whole plant matter (such as wood and dead leaves) to decomposed cellulosic compounds dispersed in the soil (see Donovan et al 2001 for a more detailed description). Although the classification by feeding groups is widely used, more recent studies have indicated that there is a continuum among termite feeding preferences (Bourguignon et al 2010).…”

Section: Feeding Habit Inferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internal ornamentation of the first proctodeal segment of the digestive tube of Syntermitinae (Isoptera, Termitidae)

Rocha¹,

Constantini²

2015

DEZ

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The ornaments inside the first proctodeal segment of the digestive tube in thirty-three species of the termite subfamily Syntermitinae are described and illustrated, encompassing all genera of the subfamily. The occurrence, type and pattern of the ornamentation reveal a wide morphological diversity. A first proposal for classification and nomenclature of these structures and coverage patterns is included, as well as a discussion of possible functions.

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Feeding ecology and phylogenetic structure of a complex neotropical termite assemblage, revealed by nitrogen stable isotope ratios

Abstract: absen

Cited by 77 publications

References 55 publications

Diet Segregation between Cohabiting Builder and Inquiline Termite Species

Diet Segregation between Cohabiting Builder and Inquiline Termite Species

Facultative asexual reproduction and genetic diversity of populations in the humivorous termite Cavitermes tuberosus

Internal ornamentation of the first proctodeal segment of the digestive tube of Syntermitinae (Isoptera, Termitidae)

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