Reproductives and eggs trigger worker vibration in a subterranean termite.

ABSTRACT: In insect societies, the presence of reproductives or eggs has been shown to shape several biological traits in the colony members. Social interactions are one of these traits that involve modification of the communication system of the entire colony. Many studies described the role of chemical compounds and dominance behaviors in the presence of reproductive but vibratory behaviors received very few investigations. Yet, vibratory behaviors are ideal candidates, particularly for subterranean species like termites, as they could be quickly transmitted through the substrate and could be very diversified (origin, modulation). Here, we investigated whether the presence of reproductives/eggs affects the vibratory behavior (body-shaking) of workers in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes f

SUBMITTER: Ruhland F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7319145 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature