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Coordination of construction behavior in the termite Procornitermes araujoi: structure is a stronger stimulus than volatile marking

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Abstract

We studied the behavioral coordination mechanisms underlying morphogenesis in shelter construction by the termite Procornitermes araujoi. We detected positive feedback in both digging and pellet deposition behavior. The literature suggests two stimuli for these positive feedbacks: the emerging structure itself or volatile chemical marking added to the construction material. The experiments showed that the most important stimulus is the change in structure, but indirect evidence suggests that there is also some chemical marking involved. Beyond shedding light on the behavioral mechanisms of termite shelter construction, these results also stress the necessity of direct experimental approaches in order to identify and properly weight different coordination mechanisms underlying morphogenesis in biological systems.

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Acknowledgments

CJ acknowledges financial aid for traveling and experiments from a CAPES/Cofecub Brazil—France cooperation Grant in 2009 (No. 633/09) and from the UNESP—French Embassy visiting professor cooperation program in 2012. We thank P. Bardunias and two anonymous referees for their constructive comments on this manuscript. R. Constantino from the University of Brasilia helped with the identification of the termites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CRCA (Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale), Université de Toulouse, UPS, Bât 4R3, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France

    D. Fouquet & C. Jost

  2. CRCA, CNRS, Bât 4R3, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France

    D. Fouquet & C. Jost

  3. Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Av. 24A, No. 1515, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil

    A. M. Costa-Leonardo

  4. LAPLACE, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Bât 3R1, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France

    R. Fournier & S. Blanco

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  1. D. Fouquet
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Correspondence to C. Jost.

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Fouquet, D., Costa-Leonardo, A.M., Fournier, R. et al. Coordination of construction behavior in the termite Procornitermes araujoi: structure is a stronger stimulus than volatile marking. Insect. Soc. 61, 253–264 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-014-0350-x

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