Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The production of soldiers and the maintenance of caste proportions delay the growth of termite incipient colonies

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Insectes Sociaux Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In a termite colony, the incipient phase is the most critical part of the life of the colony. The quality of the investment in the first offspring by the primary reproductives may determine the rate of success of the colony to survive the first year and its growth rate in the following years. However, termite colonies possess a physiological constraint, forcing the group to maintain a relatively fixed caste proportion. During the development of the incipient colony, there is therefore a conflict for the group on the developmental pathways of larvae into workers or soldiers. On the one hand, the more workers produced, the more work forces would be available to provide for the primary reproductives, the brood and the nest maintenance (overall nurturing capacity). On the other hand, some larvae must develop into soldiers to maintain the caste proportion, reducing the potential number of workers. Using incipient colonies of Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann), we investigated the cost of maintaining the soldier proportion over the growth of the colony within the first year. Our results showed that an incipient colony maintains a stable soldier proportion regardless of the stress imposed. The resources redirected into the replacement of soldiers not only reduced the total number of workers, but it also reduced the overall growth of the colony by delaying the development of the remaining eggs. Our observations suggest that in termite incipient colonies, because of physiological constraints, the maintenance of the soldier proportion overrides the development of the colony.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barsotti R.C. and Costa-Leonardo A.M. 2005. The caste system of Coptotermes gestroi (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Sociobiology 46: 87-103

  • Bates D., Maechler M. and Bolker B. 2012. lme4: Linear mixed-effects models using S4 classes. R Package lme4 1.1-6

  • Bordereau C. and Han S.H. 1986. Stimulatory influence of the queen and king on soldier differentiation in the higher termites Nasutitermes lujae and Cubitermes fungifaber. Insect. Soc. 33: 296-305

  • Castle G.B. 1934. The damp-wood termites of western United States, genus Zootermopsis (formerly Termopsis). Chapter 24, In: Termites and Termite Control (Kofoid C., Ed), University of California Press 2: 273-310

  • Chouvenc T. and Su N.-Y. 2014. Colony-age dependent pathway in caste development of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Insect. Soc. 61: 171-182

  • Costa-Leonardo A.M. and Barsotti R.C. 1998. Swarming and incipient colonies of Coptotermes havilandi (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Sociobiology 31: 131-142

  • Costa-Leonardo A.M. and Barsotti R.C. 2001. Growth patterns of incipient colonies of Coptotermes havilandi (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) initiated in the laboratory from swarming alates. Sociobiology 37: 551-561

  • Emerson A.E. 1952. The superorganismic aspects of the society. In: Colloque CNRS Paris, XXXIV. Structure et Physiologie des Sociétiés Animales. pp 333-353

  • Grassé P.-P. 1939. Comportement et particularités physiologiques des soldats de termites. Bull. Soc. Zool. Fr. 64: 1-262

  • Grassé P.-P. 1952. La régulation sociales chez les Isoptères et les Hyménoptères. In: Colloque CNRS Paris, XXXIV. Structure et Physiologie des Sociétiés Animales. pp 323-331

  • Haverty M.I. 1977. Proportion of soldiers in termite colonies: A list and a bibliography. Sociobiology 2: 199-216

  • Haverty M.I. 1979. Soldier production and maintenance of soldier proportions in laboratory experiment groups of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Insect. Soc. 26: 69-84

  • Haverty M.I. and Howard R.W. 1981. Production of soldiers and maintenance of soldier proportions by laboratory experimental groups of Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) and Reticulitermes virginicus (Banks) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Insect. Soc. 28: 32-39

  • Higa S.Y. 1981. Flight, colony foundation and development of the gonads of the primary reproductives of the Formosans subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Hawaii, Honolulu

  • Higa S.Y. and Tamashiro M. 1983. Swarming of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki in Hawaii (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Proc. Hawaiian Entomol. Soc. 24: 233-238

  • Hrdý I., Křeček J. and Zuskova Z. 1979. Juvenile hormone analogues: effects on the soldier caste differentiation in termites (Isoptera). Vestnik Cesk. spol. zool. 43: 260-269

  • Itano H. and Maekawa K. 2008. Soldier differentiation and larval juvenile hormone sensitivity in an incipient colony of the damp-wood termite Zootermopsis nevadensis (Isoptera, Termopsidae). Sociobiology 51: 151-16

  • King E.G. and Spink W.T. 1974. Laboratory studies on the biology of the Formosan subterranean termite with primary emphasis on young colony development. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 67: 953-958

  • Korb J., Roux E.A. and Lenz M. 2003. Proximate factors influencing soldier development in the basal termite Cryptotermes secundus (Hill). Insect. Soc. 50: 299-303

  • Li H.-F., Su N.-Y. and Wu W.-J. 2010. Solving the hundred-year controversy of Coptotermes taxonomy in Taiwan. Am. Entomol. 56: 222–227

  • Light S.F. 1943. The determination of the castes of social insects (concluded). Quart. Rev. Biol. 18: 46-63

  • Light S.F. and Weesner F.H. 1955. The production and replacement of soldiers in incipient colonies of Reticulitermes hesperus Banks. Insect. Soc. 2: 347-354

  • Liu Y., Henderson G., Mao L. and Laine R.A. 2005a. Effects of temperature and nutrition on juvenile hormone titers of Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 98: 732-737

  • Liu Y., Henderson G., Mao, L. and Laine R.A. 2005b. Seasonal variation of juvenile hormone titers of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus (Rhinotermitidae). Environ. Entomol. 34: 557-562

  • Mao L., Henderson G., Liu Y. and Laine R.A. 2005. Formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) soldiers regulate juvenile hormone levels and caste differentiation in workers. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 98: 340-345

  • Mao L. and Henderson G. 2010. Group size effect on worker juvenile hormone titers and soldier differentiation in Formosan subterranean termite. J. Insect Physiol. 56: 725-730

  • Miller E.M. 1942. The problem of castes and caste differentiation in Prorhinotermes simplex (Hagen). Bull. Univ. Miami 15: 3-27

  • Morales-Ramos J.A. and Rojas M.G. 2003. Nutritional ecology of the Formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae): growth and survival of incipient colonies feeding on preferred wood species. J. Econ. Entomol. 96: 106-116

  • Noirot Ch. 1985. Pathways of caste development of lower termites. In: Caste Differentiation in Social Insects (Watson J.A.L., Okot-Kotber B.M. and Noirot Ch., Eds), Pergamon, New York. pp 41-57

  • Noirot Ch. 1989. Social structure in termite societies. Ethol. Ecol. Evol. 1: 1-17

  • Nutting W.L. 1969. Flight and colony foundation. In: Biology of Termites. Vol. 1 (Krishna K. and Weesner F.M., Eds), Academic Press, New York. pp 233-282

  • Oster G.F. and Wilson E.O. 1978. Caste and Ecology in the Social Insects. Princeton University Press

  • Park Y.I. and Raina A.K. 2003. Factors regulating caste differentiation in the Formosan subterranean termite with emphasis on soldier formation. Sociobiology 41: 49-60

  • Park Y.I. and Raina A.K. 2004. Juvenile hormone III titers and regulation of soldier caste in Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). J. Insect Physiol. 50: 561-566

  • Park Y.I. and Raina A.K. 2005. Regulation of juvenile hormone titers by soldiers in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus. J. Insect Physiol. 51: 385-391

  • Passera L., Roncin E., Kaufmann B. and Keller L. 1996. Increased soldier production in ant colonies exposed to intraspecific competition. Nature 379: 630-631

  • R Core Team 2014. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL http://www.R-project.org/

  • Roisin Y. and Pasteels J.M. 1986. Replacement of reproductives in Nasutitermes princeps (Desneux) (Isoptera: Termitidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 18: 437-442

  • Roux E.A. and Korb J. 2004. Evolution of eusociality and the soldier caste in termites: a validation of the intrinsic benefit hypothesis. J. Evol. Biol. 17: 869-875

  • Springhetti A. 1973. Group effects in the differentiation of the soldiers of Kalotermes flavicollis Fabr. (Isoptera). Insect. Soc. 20: 333-342

  • Su N.-Y. and La Fage J.P. 1986. Effects of starvation on survival and maintenance of soldier proportion in laboratory groups of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 79: 312-316

  • Su N.-Y. and La Fage J.P. 1987. Effects of soldier proportion on the wood-consumption rate of the Formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Sociobiology 13: 145-151

  • Su N.-Y. and Tamashiro M. 1987. An overview of the Formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in the world. Research extension series 083-College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii, Cooperative Extension Service

  • Su N.-Y., Scheffrahn R.H. and Weissling T. 1997. A new introduction of a subterranean termite, Coptotermes havilandi Holmgren (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Miami, Florida. Florida Entomol. 80: 408-411

  • Thorne B.L., Breisch N.L. and Muscedere M.L. 2003. Evolution of eusociality and the soldier caste in termites: influence of intraspecific competition and accelerated inheritance. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100: 12808-12813

  • Waller D.A. and La Fage J.P. 1988. Environmental influence on soldier differentiation in Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Rhinotermitidae). Insect. Soc. 35: 144-152

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Aaron Mullins, Stephanie Osorio, and Angelica Moncada for their technical assistance, and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on a previous version of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology and Nematology, Ft Lauderdale Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 3205 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA

    T. Chouvenc & N.-Y. Su

  2. Department of Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation, Ft Lauderdale Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 3205 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA

    M. Basille

Authors
  1. T. Chouvenc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Basille
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. N.-Y. Su
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. Chouvenc.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chouvenc, T., Basille, M. & Su, NY. The production of soldiers and the maintenance of caste proportions delay the growth of termite incipient colonies. Insect. Soc. 62, 23–29 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-014-0369-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-014-0369-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation