Influence of Food Resource Size on the Foraging Behavior of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky)
In general, termite foraging can be affected by physical and chemical factors linked to food. This study investigated if the wood length of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, as a food resource, influences the behavior of foraging events of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky). Nests with mature a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
2018-07-01
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| Series: | Sociobiology |
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| Online Access: | http://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/2844 |
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| author | Thiago Sampaio de Souza Vinícius Siqueira Gazal Vinicius José Fernandes Ana Carolina Campos de Oliveira Elen de Lima Aguiar-Menezes |
| author_facet | Thiago Sampaio de Souza Vinícius Siqueira Gazal Vinicius José Fernandes Ana Carolina Campos de Oliveira Elen de Lima Aguiar-Menezes |
| author_sort | Thiago Sampaio de Souza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In general, termite foraging can be affected by physical and chemical factors linked to food. This study investigated if the wood length of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, as a food resource, influences the behavior of foraging events of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky). Nests with mature and active colonies were collected in the field and transferred to glass cubes connected to a test arena under laboratory conditions. Wooden blocks of E. grandis, with a 2.5 x 2.0 cm rectangular cross section, were offered to termites in three different lengths: 5, 10 and 15 cm. Each test was repeated with 20 nests and lasted 60 minutes, when the following behavioral events and their duration were observed: initial exploration, initial recruitment and mass recruitment. At the end of each test, the quantities of termites (total, workers and soldiers) and gnawing workers were determined. The results show that longer blocks favored a higher occurrence of exploration and initial recruitment. However, the highest mass recruitment occurred with the 10 cm blocks. The length of the wood influenced the total number of termites recruited and gnawing workers; both were highest for the 10 cm blocks. There was no significant difference in relation to exploration time of the blocks and number of workers and soldiers recruited. Therefore, we conclude that wood length is a factor that can affect N. corniger foraging. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T15:04:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4da596e6f8c74fa7bfa8e3c037ed93e6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0361-6525 2447-8067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T15:04:57Z |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sociobiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-4da596e6f8c74fa7bfa8e3c037ed93e62022-12-22T04:16:50ZengUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaSociobiology0361-65252447-80672018-07-0165210.13102/sociobiology.v65i2.2844Influence of Food Resource Size on the Foraging Behavior of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky)Thiago Sampaio de Souza0Vinícius Siqueira Gazal1Vinicius José Fernandes2Ana Carolina Campos de Oliveira3Elen de Lima Aguiar-Menezes4Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fitossanidade e Biotecnologia Aplicada, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica-RJ, BrazilDepartamento Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica-RJ, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Fitossanidade e Biotecnologia Aplicada, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica-RJ, BrazilGraduação em Agronomia, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica-RJ, BrazilDepartamento Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica-RJ, BrazilIn general, termite foraging can be affected by physical and chemical factors linked to food. This study investigated if the wood length of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, as a food resource, influences the behavior of foraging events of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky). Nests with mature and active colonies were collected in the field and transferred to glass cubes connected to a test arena under laboratory conditions. Wooden blocks of E. grandis, with a 2.5 x 2.0 cm rectangular cross section, were offered to termites in three different lengths: 5, 10 and 15 cm. Each test was repeated with 20 nests and lasted 60 minutes, when the following behavioral events and their duration were observed: initial exploration, initial recruitment and mass recruitment. At the end of each test, the quantities of termites (total, workers and soldiers) and gnawing workers were determined. The results show that longer blocks favored a higher occurrence of exploration and initial recruitment. However, the highest mass recruitment occurred with the 10 cm blocks. The length of the wood influenced the total number of termites recruited and gnawing workers; both were highest for the 10 cm blocks. There was no significant difference in relation to exploration time of the blocks and number of workers and soldiers recruited. Therefore, we conclude that wood length is a factor that can affect N. corniger foraging.http://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/2844Arboreal termitesNasutitermitinaeEucalyptus grandisforaging behaviorrecruitment pattern |
| spellingShingle | Thiago Sampaio de Souza Vinícius Siqueira Gazal Vinicius José Fernandes Ana Carolina Campos de Oliveira Elen de Lima Aguiar-Menezes Influence of Food Resource Size on the Foraging Behavior of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky) Sociobiology Arboreal termites Nasutitermitinae Eucalyptus grandis foraging behavior recruitment pattern |
| title | Influence of Food Resource Size on the Foraging Behavior of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky) |
| title_full | Influence of Food Resource Size on the Foraging Behavior of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky) |
| title_fullStr | Influence of Food Resource Size on the Foraging Behavior of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of Food Resource Size on the Foraging Behavior of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky) |
| title_short | Influence of Food Resource Size on the Foraging Behavior of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky) |
| title_sort | influence of food resource size on the foraging behavior of nasutitermes corniger motschulsky |
| topic | Arboreal termites Nasutitermitinae Eucalyptus grandis foraging behavior recruitment pattern |
| url | http://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/2844 |
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