Differential undertaking response of a lower termite to congeneric and conspecific corpses

Qian Sun; Kenneth F. Haynes; Xuguo Zhou

doi:10.1038/srep01650

Differential undertaking response of a lower termite to congeneric and conspecific corpses

Qian Sun, Kenneth F. Haynes, Xuguo Zhou

Entomology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Undertaking behaviour is an essential activity in social insects. Corpses are often recognized by a postmortem change in a chemical signature.Reticulitermes flavipesresponded to corpses within minutes of death. This undertaking behaviour did not change with longer postmortem time (24 h); however,R.flavipes exhibited distinctively different behaviours toward dead termites from various origins. Corpses of the congeneric species, Reticulitermes virginicus,were buried onsite by workers with a large group of soldiers guarding the burial site due to the risk of interspecific competition; while dead conspecifics, regardless of colony origin, were pulled back into the holding chamber for nutrient recycling and hygienic purposes. The burial task associated with congeneric corpses was coupled with colony defence and involved ten times more termites than retrieval of conspecific corpses. Our findings suggest elicitation of undertaking behaviour depends on the origin of corpses which is associated with different types of risk.

Original language	English
Article number	1650
Journal	Scientific Reports
Volume	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/srep01650
State	Published - Apr 18 2013

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to anonymous reviewers and editor for their constructive criticisms. Special thanks go to Drs. Susan Jones (Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University) for providing a Reticulitermes flavipes colony, John Obrycki (Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky) for his comments on an earlier draft, and Ric Bessin (Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky) for his assistance with statistical analysis. This research was supported by a start-up fund from the University of Kentucky, the NSF-EPSCoR Research Scholars Program, Kentucky Initiative in Ecological Genomics (Award Agreement No. NSF/EPSCoR RII Grant EPS-0814194), and a grant from the Kentucky Commercialization Fund Program, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (Award Agreement No. KSTC-144-401-09-034). The granting agencies have no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The information reported in this paper (No. 13-08-025) is part of a project of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station and is published with the approval of the Director.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General

Access to Document

10.1038/srep01650

Cite this

@article{cc180b294245408ab76d8338d92599c5,

title = "Differential undertaking response of a lower termite to congeneric and conspecific corpses",

abstract = "Undertaking behaviour is an essential activity in social insects. Corpses are often recognized by a postmortem change in a chemical signature.Reticulitermes flavipesresponded to corpses within minutes of death. This undertaking behaviour did not change with longer postmortem time (24 h); however,R.flavipes exhibited distinctively different behaviours toward dead termites from various origins. Corpses of the congeneric species, Reticulitermes virginicus,were buried onsite by workers with a large group of soldiers guarding the burial site due to the risk of interspecific competition; while dead conspecifics, regardless of colony origin, were pulled back into the holding chamber for nutrient recycling and hygienic purposes. The burial task associated with congeneric corpses was coupled with colony defence and involved ten times more termites than retrieval of conspecific corpses. Our findings suggest elicitation of undertaking behaviour depends on the origin of corpses which is associated with different types of risk.",

author = "Qian Sun and Haynes, {Kenneth F.} and Xuguo Zhou",

note = "Funding Information: The authors are grateful to anonymous reviewers and editor for their constructive criticisms. Special thanks go to Drs. Susan Jones (Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University) for providing a Reticulitermes flavipes colony, John Obrycki (Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky) for his comments on an earlier draft, and Ric Bessin (Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky) for his assistance with statistical analysis. This research was supported by a start-up fund from the University of Kentucky, the NSF-EPSCoR Research Scholars Program, Kentucky Initiative in Ecological Genomics (Award Agreement No. NSF/EPSCoR RII Grant EPS-0814194), and a grant from the Kentucky Commercialization Fund Program, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (Award Agreement No. KSTC-144-401-09-034). The granting agencies have no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The information reported in this paper (No. 13-08-025) is part of a project of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station and is published with the approval of the Director.",

year = "2013",

month = apr,

day = "18",

doi = "10.1038/srep01650",

language = "English",

volume = "3",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Differential undertaking response of a lower termite to congeneric and conspecific corpses

AU - Sun, Qian

AU - Haynes, Kenneth F.

AU - Zhou, Xuguo

N1 - Funding Information: The authors are grateful to anonymous reviewers and editor for their constructive criticisms. Special thanks go to Drs. Susan Jones (Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University) for providing a Reticulitermes flavipes colony, John Obrycki (Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky) for his comments on an earlier draft, and Ric Bessin (Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky) for his assistance with statistical analysis. This research was supported by a start-up fund from the University of Kentucky, the NSF-EPSCoR Research Scholars Program, Kentucky Initiative in Ecological Genomics (Award Agreement No. NSF/EPSCoR RII Grant EPS-0814194), and a grant from the Kentucky Commercialization Fund Program, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (Award Agreement No. KSTC-144-401-09-034). The granting agencies have no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The information reported in this paper (No. 13-08-025) is part of a project of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station and is published with the approval of the Director.

PY - 2013/4/18

Y1 - 2013/4/18

N2 - Undertaking behaviour is an essential activity in social insects. Corpses are often recognized by a postmortem change in a chemical signature.Reticulitermes flavipesresponded to corpses within minutes of death. This undertaking behaviour did not change with longer postmortem time (24 h); however,R.flavipes exhibited distinctively different behaviours toward dead termites from various origins. Corpses of the congeneric species, Reticulitermes virginicus,were buried onsite by workers with a large group of soldiers guarding the burial site due to the risk of interspecific competition; while dead conspecifics, regardless of colony origin, were pulled back into the holding chamber for nutrient recycling and hygienic purposes. The burial task associated with congeneric corpses was coupled with colony defence and involved ten times more termites than retrieval of conspecific corpses. Our findings suggest elicitation of undertaking behaviour depends on the origin of corpses which is associated with different types of risk.

AB - Undertaking behaviour is an essential activity in social insects. Corpses are often recognized by a postmortem change in a chemical signature.Reticulitermes flavipesresponded to corpses within minutes of death. This undertaking behaviour did not change with longer postmortem time (24 h); however,R.flavipes exhibited distinctively different behaviours toward dead termites from various origins. Corpses of the congeneric species, Reticulitermes virginicus,were buried onsite by workers with a large group of soldiers guarding the burial site due to the risk of interspecific competition; while dead conspecifics, regardless of colony origin, were pulled back into the holding chamber for nutrient recycling and hygienic purposes. The burial task associated with congeneric corpses was coupled with colony defence and involved ten times more termites than retrieval of conspecific corpses. Our findings suggest elicitation of undertaking behaviour depends on the origin of corpses which is associated with different types of risk.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84885588447&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84885588447&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/srep01650

DO - 10.1038/srep01650

M3 - Article

C2 - 23598990

AN - SCOPUS:84885588447

SN - 2045-2322

VL - 3

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

M1 - 1650

ER -

Differential undertaking response of a lower termite to congeneric and conspecific corpses

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this