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Termitarium volume as a determinant of invasion by obligatory termitophiles and inquilines in the nests of Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae)

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Abstract

A range of organisms can be found inside termite nests where the degree of association can vary from facultative to obligatory dependence. Studies of the dynamics of nest invasion are still unresolved, so how and when cohabitants enter termite nests remain open questions. This study analyzed one specific aspect of the dynamics of termite nest invasion by obligatory termitophiles and inquilines, i.e., whether cohabitants were more likely to invade a nest when it reached a critical nest size. We collected 36 Constrictotermes cyphergaster nests of different sizes and sampled their cohabitant fauna. Our results indicated that the invasion of C. cyphergaster nests by obligatory termitophiles and inquilines was dependent on nest size. There appeared to be a critical nest size above which nests were more prone to invasion. Above this size, there was a significantly higher likelihood of finding obligatory cohabitants. Termitophile species were observed in nests ≥2.2 L, whereas inquiline species were only occur in nests ≥13.6 L. This may indicate that the obligatory cohabitants studied here did not occupy C. cyphergaster nests at random and that they were dependent on features that made these nests suitable for cohabitation, which are linked to colony development.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank J. M. Waquil and F. Valicente from EMBRAPA for logistic support, R. Constantino for his help in termite identification and E. Caron for the identification of Staphylinidae. This work was partially funded by the National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq), Minas Gerais State Agency for Research Support (FAPEMIG; APQ-01519-11 and BPV 00055-11), and Coordination for the Improvement of High Education Personnel (CAPES). PFC holds a Doctoral Fellowship from CNPq and ODS holds a Research Fellowship from CNPq (PQ 302486/2010-0 and PDE 200271/2010-5). All computational work was performed using free software (GNU-Linux/Debian and Ubuntu, LATEX, Emacs, Inkscape and R). This is contribution nº 50 of the Termitology Lab at Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil (http://www.isoptera.ufv.br).

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  1. D. F. Florencio

    Present address: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil

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  1. Laboratório de Termitologia, Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-000, Brazil

    P. F. Cristaldo, C. S. Rosa, D. F. Florencio, A. Marins & O. DeSouza

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Cristaldo, P.F., Rosa, C.S., Florencio, D.F. et al. Termitarium volume as a determinant of invasion by obligatory termitophiles and inquilines in the nests of Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae). Insect. Soc. 59, 541–548 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-012-0249-3

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