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An Introduction to Termites: Biology, Taxonomy and Functional Morphology

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Biology of Termites: a Modern Synthesis

Abstract

Termites are fully social insects, with an extraordinary range of morphological forms. It is now clearly established that they are a very specialised form of cockroach, with far more complex social systems than other cockroaches, and with a far wider range of diets. Termites all live in colonies, with reproductives (kings, queens, and nymphs), soldiers and “helpers” (true workers and also immature stages that assist within the colony to some extent). Termite morphological and anatomical adaptations are caste-specific, with structures evolving independently in reproductives (to allow dispersal, pair bonding and fecundity), workers (foraging and feeding, tending and feeding of immatures, nest construction) and soldiers (only defence). The modifications seen in termite societies are similar to those found in the somatic parts of multicellular organisms, leading to the idea that a termite colony is best thought of as a single organism (or, more controversially, a “superorganism”). The structures that termites build, the mounds and nests, might also be defined as part of this organism. Mounds and nests contribute greatly to the well-being of termite colonies by providing shelter, fortifications and climate control. Overall, termites have amongst the most complex social, anatomical and structural adaptations of any animal.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Marais’s work first appeared in a series of magazine articles in the early 1920s, and was published as a book (Die Siel van die Mier) in 1937, a year after his death. Modern editions in English have been published by Penguin Books, and most recently by New York University Press and by Osiran Books. The text is widely available. A similar work (The Life of the White Ant) produced in 1927 by Maurice Maeterlinck (George Allen and Unwin Ltd) is now considered to plagiarise Marais’s ideas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Termite Research Group and Soil Biodiversity Programme, Entomology Department, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK

    Paul Eggleton

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  1. Paul Eggleton
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Correspondence to Paul Eggleton .

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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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Eggleton, P. (2010). An Introduction to Termites: Biology, Taxonomy and Functional Morphology. 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_1

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