Zoology and Ecology ISSN: 2165-8005 (Print) 2165-8013 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tzec20 Studies on the development of captive termite colonies A. K. Harit, S. Gajalakshmi & S. A. Abbasi To cite this article: A. K. Harit, S. Gajalakshmi & S. A. Abbasi (2016): Studies on the development of captive termite colonies, Zoology and Ecology, DOI: 10.1080/21658005.2016.1228731 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21658005.2016.1228731 Published online: 16 Sep 2016. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tzec20 Download by: [171.51.18.27] Date: 16 September 2016, At: 09:29 ZOOLOGY AND ECOLOGY, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21658005.2016.1228731 Studies on the development of captive termite colonies A. K. Harit, S. Gajalakshmi and S. A. Abbasi Centre for Pollution Control & Environmental Engineering, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, India ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Different authors have tried in the past to develop captive colonies of termites in their Received 15 June 2016 laboratories, starting with capturing of alate pairs and confining them in Petri dishes or Accepted 23 August 2016 small boxes to facilitate mating, then transferring incipient colonies into progressively larger KEYWORDS containers. Twenty-three termite species of the genera Coptotermes, Cortaritermes, Cryptotermes, Swarming; termite; alates; Hodotermes, Macrotermes, Mastotermes, Microtermes, Odontotermes, Pseudacanthotermes, Macrotermes; colony Reticulitermes, Trinervitermes, and Zootermopsis have been explored following this method in 33 initiation reported studies. However, in most of the attempts, incipient colonies did not grow beyond the population of a few hundred insects and tended to die off in a few months. In this paper, we report the efforts made to develop colonies of Hypotermes obscuriceps, Macrotermes convulsionarius, Microcerotermes cameroni, Odontotermes brunneus, Pericapritermes sp., and Trinervitermes biformis found in the study area. Several strategies were attempted to develop termite colonies to maturity. However, none of these efforts resulted in any greater success than the previous attempts of other authors had been, albeit targeted at the development of different species. Although some useful information on termite biology was obtained in the course of the process, the studies performed indicate that termitaria are possibly based on too fine a tuning of food, architecture, humidity, and temperature to be amenable to simulation in laboratory conditions. Introduction dwelling, and shifted the colony to a bigger container as it grew. Eventually they transferred the colony to the Beginning with the work of Ausat et al. (1960), 33 reports below-ground soil. In the process, even though a giant have appeared on attempts to develop captive termite 6 m tall mound came up and was enveloped by the colonies within the confines of a laboratory (Table 1). But, authors in a glass case (to make it a show-piece), the as may be seen from the summary provided in Table 1, in colony was not really a captive one. more than half of the reported studies, incipient colonies An estimated 3000 species of termites belonging perished within less than 400 days. In most of the colonies, to 281 genera exist in the world. Of these, six species which survived longer, termite populations persisted of higher termites dwell in the area where authors of for a few hundred or fewer days. Recently Connétable, this study work (Kaur 2014) and, arguably none of these Robert, and Bordereau (2012) have reported that they species has been explored earlier for ab initio colony managed to maintain colonies of Pseudacanthotermes development. Moreover, whereas the previous attempts spiniger and P. militaris – both higher termites that make at termite colony development were largely aimed to their nests in wood – for about 20 years. But they needed find ways to control those species of termites, the aim to feed the termites with the fungi Termitomyces eurhyzus of these authors was to use the colonies as ‘bioengines’ and T. auriantacus obtained from fungus combs har- for the processing of specific biowaste. vested from nests existing in nature. Moreover, even at their largest size, the colonies were small enough to be housed in 175 l smaller containers. Use of termites in controlled fashion to process The only instance of human-mediated development biowaste of a full-fledged colony of a mound-building termite species has been described by Leuthold, Triet, and It may sound surprising, but is very true that there is only Schildger (2004). They initiated a colony of M. jeanneli one solid waste treatment technology (indeed only one in confinement, supplied it with small pieces of the fun- pollution control technology) in existence today which is gus comb when the first workers appeared, made elab- centered around a multi-cellular animal: vermicomposting. orate arrangements to maintain humidity in the termite All other bioprocesses in environmental engineering are CONTACT S. A. Abbasi [email protected] © 2016 Nature Research Centre 2 Table 1. Attempts made to develop incipient colonies in laboratories. Duration of study and Sample Termite species and geo- Container and substrate used for maximum size of con- H K. A. no. graphic location culture finement attained Objective of the culture Reference 1. Coptotermes formosanus, USA A plastic cylindrical vial with 6 g of 7 months; 39.3 ml Caste development pathway in C. formosanus and observations of incipient, mature Chouvenc and Su (2014) ARIT moistened organic soil and laboratory colonies, and mature field colonies of C. formosanus 2. Reticulitermes flavipes, USA A plastic nest container with moist filter 1 year; 87 ml Growth dynamics of inbred monogamous colonies of R. flavipes during the first year Janowiecki, Jones, and Bryant et paper pad and a combination of moist through the parameters of numbers, castes and/or developmental stages, and (2013) AL softwood and hardwood mulch biomass . 3. Reticulitermes chinensis, China A Petri dish with moist filter paper Not reported Effects of the four factors on mate choice in R. chinensis, including the colony origin, Li et al. (2013) entry time, physical damage to antennae, and fresh body weights of male dealates; in order to elucidate which factors are involved in partner selection 4. Zootermopsis nevadensis, USA A Petri dish with field-collected decayed 2 years; 35.6 ml Use of genetic markers to determine the family of origin of reproductives, soldiers, Howard et al. (2013) paper birch and helpers in colonies of Z. nevadensis, which were allowed to interact, merge and develop in the laboratory. Measurement of mixed-family colonies’ frequency in natural settings 5. Reticulitermes sp., Japan A Petri dish with sawdust bait blocks 100 days; 127 ml Ability of parthenogenesis and occurrence of homosexual female-female colony initia- Kawatsu and Matsuura (2013) tion in six different Reticulitermes species by comparing incipient colony success and founding behavior between different pair-units 6. Pseudacanthotermes spiniger and Small rectangular plastic boxes filled up Around 20 years; 175 l Dispersal flight and colony development of fungus-growing termites P. spiniger and Connétable, Robert, and P. militaris, France with wet clayish soil P. militaris Bordereau (2012) 7. Pseudacanthotermes spiniger, A Petri dish with moistened sand 50 days; not reported Burial behavior of young reproductives of incipient colonies and examination of the Chouvenc et al. (2012) France stimuli that elicit the burying response 8. Cryptotermes dudleyi, Malaysia Not reported Not reported Details of biometric descriptors of both immature and sexual castes of C. dudleyi and Neoh and Lee (2011) their analysis in terms of colony composition and sex ratio 9. Reticulitermes speratus, Japan A 20 ml glass vial with approximately 400 days; 20 ml Changes in wood digestion abilities (endogenous cellulase gene expression levels) and Shimada and Maekawa 8 g of mixed sawdust the development of reproductive characteristics (vitellogenic ovariole numbers and (2010) testis diameter) of queens and kings 10. Odontotermes formosanus and Two glass plates (150 L 3 120 W mm) 90 days and 45 days; 600 l Culturing methods for incipient colonies of O. formosanus and O. hainanensis. Obser- Tian et al. (2009) O. hainanensis, China stacked together with a 6-mm space and 712 ml vation of nesting and mating behavior, oviposition and egg hatching, molting, and between them that was filled with the caste differentiation yellow-clay culture medium 11. Trinervitermes trinervoides, South Flat-bottom glass pill vials with moist 25 weeks; 84.8 ml Energy dynamics within incipient colonies of T. trinervoides over a period of 25 weeks Adam and Mitchell (2009) Africa soil from pairing; assessment of the possible strategies developed for energy conserva- tion by investigating the establishment, development and mortality of colonies 12. Cortaritermes fulviceps, Brasil Petri plates were used, autoclaved, with 150 days; 10.92 l To ascertain whether in the absence of reproductive males, C. fulviceps shows faculta- Menzel and Elena Diehl wet and sterilized filter paper, and tive strategies, and if so, whether different combinations of individuals lead to the (2008) covered with a thin soil layer same reproductive success 13. Reticulitermes speratus, Japan A glass cell