Brent CS

Breznak JA

Brune A

Cleveland LR

Cook TJ

Elliott KL

Howard KJ

Ikeda-Ohtsubo W

Inoue T

Kitade O

Koizumi M

Lewis JL

Lo N

Machida M

Maekawa K

Matsuura K

Nalepa CA

Nutting WL

Ohkuma M

Saiki R

Shellman-Reeve JS

Shimada K

Yamin MA

ABSTRACT
          
            Among the best-known examples of mutualistic symbioses is that between lower termites and the cellulolytic flagellate protists in their hindguts. Although the symbiosis in worker termites has attracted much attention, there have been only a few studies of protists in other castes. We have performed the first examination of protist population dynamics in queens and kings during termite colony foundation. Protist numbers, as well as measurements of hindgut and reproductive tissue sizes, were undertaken at five time points over 400 days in incipient colonies of
            Reticulitermes speratus
            , as well as in other castes of mature colonies of this species. We found that protist numbers increased dramatically in both queens and kings during the first 50 days of colony foundation but began to decrease by day 100, eventually disappearing by day 400. Hindgut width followed a pattern similar to that of protist numbers, while ovary and testis widths increased significantly only at day 400. Kings were found to contain higher numbers of protists than queens in incipient colonies, which may be linked to higher levels of nutrient transfer from kings to queens than vice versa, as is known in some other termite species. Protists were found to be abundant in soldiers from mature colonies but absent in neotenics. This probably reflects feeding of soldiers by workers via proctodeal trophallaxis and of reproductives via stomodeal trophallaxis. The results reveal the dynamic nature of protist numbers during colony foundation and highlight the trade-offs that exist between reproduction and parental care during this critical phase of the termite life cycle.
          </jats:p

Keisuke Shimada

Nathan Lo

Osamu Kitade

Akane Wakui

Kiyoto Maekawa

Crossref

Eukaryotic Cell

Cellulolytic Protist Numbers Rise and Fall Dramatically in Termite Queens and Kings during Colony Foundation

Cellulolytic Protist Numbers Rise and Fall Dramatically in Termite Queens and Kings during Colony Foundation

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