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Biology of Termites: a Modern Synthesis pp 413–438Cite as

Diversity, Structure, and Evolution of the Termite Gut Microbial Community

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Abstract

The gut of termites is densely populated with microbial symbionts that aid in the efficient digestion of recalcitrant lignocellulose. Despite the formidable unculturability of the resident members, ribosomal RNA-based molecular analyses and other comprehensive and elaborate culture-independent studies of molecular microbial ecology in the past decade have gradually unveiled the complex nature of the intestinal microbiota. The microbial community, whose structure and spatial distribution seems to be characteristic for a termite species (but may differ between genera), consists of mostly novel lineages that seem to have co-evolved or converged with their particular host. A prominent feature of lower termites is the tripartite symbiosis with a variety of flagellated protists that are themselves associated with diverse prokaryotes. Here, the complete genome sequences of several bacterial endosymbionts have disclosed their functional interactions with their host flagellates, but the highly structured and coevolving nature of these associations requires more emphasis in future studies.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Karen A. Brune for editing an earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbe Division, (Japan Collection of Microorganisms), RIKEN BioResource Center, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan

    Moriya Ohkuma

  2. Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043, Marburg, Germany

    Andreas Brune

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  1. Moriya Ohkuma
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  2. Andreas Brune
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Correspondence to Moriya Ohkuma .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Rd., London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom

    David Edward Bignell

  2. Behavioural & Evolutionary Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50, Bruxelles, 1050, Belgium

    Yves Roisin

  3. School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, New South Wales, Australia

    Nathan Lo

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Ohkuma, M., Brune, A. (2010). Diversity, Structure, and Evolution of the Termite Gut Microbial Community. In: Bignell, D., Roisin, Y., Lo, N. (eds) Biology of Termites: a Modern Synthesis. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3977-4_15

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