Differential construction response to humidity by related species of mound-building termites
Autor: | Paul Bardunias, Justin Werfel, Nicole Carey, J. Scott Turner, Daniel S. Calovi, Radhika Nagpal |
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Jazyk: | angličtina |
Rok vydání: | 2019 |
Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Systematic difference food.ingredient Physiology 030310 physiology Short Communication Isoptera Aquatic Science Biology 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Time-Lapse Imaging 03 medical and health sciences Nutrient food Species Specificity Macrotermes Animals Molecular Biology Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 0303 health sciences Behavior Animal Ecology fungi Humidity Building activity Habitat Insect Science Macrotermes michaelseni Animal Science and Zoology Bushland |
Zdroj: | J Exp Biol |
Popis: | Macrotermes michaelseni and M. natalensis are two morphologically similar termite species occupying the same habitat across southern Africa. Both build large mounds and tend mutualistic fungal symbionts for nutrients, but despite these behavioural and physiological similarities, the mound superstructures they create differ markedly. The behavioural differences behind this discrepancy remain elusive, and are the subject of ongoing investigations. Here, we show that the two species demonstrate distinctive building activity in a laboratory-controlled environment consisting of still air with low ambient humidity. In these conditions, M. michaelseni transports less soil from a central reservoir, deposits this soil over a smaller area, and creates structures with a smaller volumetric envelope than M. natalensis. In high humidity, no such systematic difference is observed. This result suggests a differential behavioural threshold or sensitivity to airborne moisture that may relate to the distinct macro-scale structures observed in the African bushland. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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