Resource availability influences aggression and response to chemical cues in the Neotropical termite Nasutitermes aff. coxipoensis (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae)

Cristaldo, Paulo F.; Araújo, Ana Paula Albano; Almeida, Camilla S.; Cruz, Nayara G.; Ribeiro, Efrem J. M.; Rocha, M L C; Santana, Alex Fabiano Bertollo; Santos, Abraão Almeida; Passos, A. M. A. dos; Souza, Og De; Florencio, Daniela Faria

doi:10.1007/s00265-016-2134-y

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Such an ameliorated habitat would also be formed if disturbance had enhanced tolerance or weakened defensive powers of the builder termite colony. This would seem plausible as stress, at least in the form of resource deprivation, attenuates intercolonial aggressivity and enhances neighbor tolerance in termites (Cristaldo, Araújo, et al., ; Cristaldo, Rodrigues, et al., ), easing colony fusion (Korb & Foster, ; Korb & Roux, ) and cooperative nest defense (Shellman Reeve, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance‐modulated symbioses in termitophily

Monteiro

Viana‐Júnior

Solar

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Symbiosis, the living‐together of unlike organisms, underlies every major transition in evolution and pervades most ecological dynamics. Among examples of symbioses, the simultaneous occupation of a termite nest by its builder termites and intruding invertebrate species (so‐called termitophily) provides suitable macroscopic scenarios for the study of species coexistence in confined environments. Current evidence on termitophily abounds for dynamics occurring at the interindividual level within the termitarium, but is insufficient for broader scales such as the community and the landscape. Here, we inspect the effects of abiotic disturbance on termitophile presence and function in termitaria at these broader scales. To do so, we censused the termitophile communities inhabiting 30 termitaria of distinct volumes which had been exposed to increasing degrees of fire‐induced disturbance in a savanna‐like ecosystem in southeastern Brazil. We provide evidence that such an abiotic disturbance can ease the living‐together of termitophiles and termites. Putative processes facilitating these symbioses, however, varied according to the invader. For nonsocial invaders, disturbance seemed to boost coexistence with termites via the habitat amelioration that termitaria provided under wildfire, as suggested by the positive correlation between disturbance degree and termitophile abundance and richness. As for social invaders (ants), disturbance seemed to enhance associational defenses with termites, as suggested by the negative correlation between the presence of ant colonies and the richness and abundance of other termitarium‐cohabiting termitophiles. It is then apparent that disturbance‐modulated distinct symbioses in these termite nests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance‐modulated symbioses in termitophily

Monteiro

Viana‐Júnior

Solar

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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“…coxipoensis were attracted to allocolonial odor cues that they were previously exposed (Figure ). The use of interindividual/interspecific cues to obtain own benefits, such as access to resource or information about risk, has already been demonstrated for a range of animals (e.g., Binz, Foitzik, Staab, & Menzel, ; Goodale, Beauchamp, Magrath, Nieh, & Ruxton, ; Silverman, Veit, & Nevitt, ), including termites (Cristaldo, Araújo, et al, ; Cristaldo, Rodrigues, Elliot, Araújo, & DeSouza, ; Evans et al, ). Although the use of allocolonial foraging cues is still an unexplored subject in termites (but see Cristaldo, ), the attraction of allocolonial odor cues observed here strongly indicates that termites could use this cues to access new food sources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In social insects, individuals perceive variations in both quantity (Cristaldo, Araújo, et al, ) and type of resources used by other colonies (Buczkowski et al, ) through allocolonial cues. Coptotermes formosanus , for example, behave less aggressive during encounters with individuals of colonies that consumed the same food resource (Florane et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attraction and vibration: Effects of previous exposure and type of food resource in the perception of allocolonial odors in termites

et al. 2018

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Social insects have an efficient recognition system that guarantees social cohesion and protection against intruders in their colonies and territories. However, the energy costs in constant conflicts with neighboring colonies could promote a reduction in the fitness of colonies. Here, we evaluated the effect of previous exposure to allocolonial odor and the consumption of similar food resources on aggressive behavior and choice of allocolonial cues in Nasutitermes aff. coxipoensis (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae). Our results showed that intercolonial aggressiveness was not affected by previous exposure to allocolonial odor and by the consumption of similar food resources. However, individuals previously exposed to allocolonial odor were more attracted to these odors than individuals who had no prior exposure to allocolonial odor. In addition, individuals from colonies of N. aff. coxipoensis that use similar food resources increased alertness via a greater number of vibration than individuals who consumed different food resources. In general, our results indicate that colonies of N. aff coxipoensis perceive allocolonial cues that have been previously exposed and that the consumption of similar resources triggers an alert signal between individuals. Additional studies are necessary to assess how widespread this capacity of perception is present among the different Isoptera groups and the consequences of colony recognition odor cues on termite space use.

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“…Thus, it was not possible to determine whether tree size had any effect independent of colony size. Yet, food abundance has been shown to affect aggressiveness between conspecific neighbouring colonies in another Nasutitermes species (Cristaldo et al., ), and the ground‐dwelling termite Macrotermes bellicosus fled foraging sites upon disturbance faster when food was abundant, indicating that termites valued safety over foraging in the latter condition (Korb & Linsenmair, ). In vertebrates, both positive and negative relationships between vigilance and food abundance have been reported (Beauchamp, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What drives patrolling behaviour by nasute termites? A model and an empirical assessment

Pequeno

2017

Ethology

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Animals have evolved a number of antipredator strategies, which can reflect both intrinsic and extrinsic factors related to predation risk. In many termite species, a chemically armed soldier caste known as “nasute” engages in patrols upon breaching of foraging galleries, suggesting an adaptive response to imminent risk of mortality. However, the drivers of this collective behaviour are poorly understood. Here, I describe and test a qualitative model of patrolling behaviour upon gallery breaching by the arboreal termite Nasutitermes corniger (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae). Patrolling behaviour is postulated to change throughout colony ontogeny, thus scaling with colony size. Further, this pattern is expected to be modulated by extrinsic cues for predation risk. Accordingly, patroller number increased with tree circumference at breast height, a surrogate for colony size. However, for any tree size, more soldiers engaged in patrols after repeated breaching, suggesting sensitization to structural damage. In parallel, patrolling rate (i.e., patroller number per time unit) was higher in smaller trees due to a disproportionate increase in patrol duration with patroller number. However, this response only occurred after repeated breaching; otherwise, patrolling rate was constant across tree sizes. Overall, patrolling behaviour by N. corniger seems to reflect intrinsic risks related to colony growth, adjusted by the extrinsic risk imposed by structural damage.

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Resource availability influences aggression and response to chemical cues in the Neotropical termite Nasutitermes aff. coxipoensis (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae)

Cited by 16 publications

References 35 publications

Disturbance‐modulated symbioses in termitophily

Disturbance‐modulated symbioses in termitophily

Attraction and vibration: Effects of previous exposure and type of food resource in the perception of allocolonial odors in termites

What drives patrolling behaviour by nasute termites? A model and an empirical assessment

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