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University Microfilms International 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 USA St NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOENERGETICS, AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF THE DRY-WOOD TERMITE, MARGINITERMES HUBBARDI (BANKS) Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors La Fage, Jeffery Paul, 1945- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 05/10/2021 08:17:33 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/289496 INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of die original submitted. 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University Microfilms International 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 USA St. John's Road, Tyler's Green High Wycombe, Bucks, England HP10 8HR 77-6061 LA FAGE, Jeffery Paul, 1945- NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOENERGETICS, AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF THE DRY-WOOD TERMITE, MARGINITERMES HUBBARDI (BANKS). The University of Arizona, Ph.D., 1976 Entomology Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOENERGETICS, AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF THE DRY-WOOD TERMITE, MARGINITERMES HUBBARDI (BANKS) by Jeffery Paul La Fage A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 7 6 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby recommend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Jeffery Paul La Fage entitled NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOENERGETICS, AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF THE DRY-WOOD TERMITE, MARGINITERMES HUBBARDI (BANKS) be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY &//0 /76 Diss Date After inspection of the final copy of the dissertation, the follov?ing members of the Final Examination Committee concur in its approval and recommend its acceptance:'" e)?/7i ^ hi11- >.i Mmu.J/tv,-- ' ( 8/ j/7i i hln> This approval and acceptance is contingent on the candidate's adequate performai>ce and defense of this dissertation at the final oral examination. The inclusion of this sheet bound into the library copy of the dissertation is evidence of satisfactory performance at the final examination. STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rule's of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My sincere gratitude is extended to Dr. William L, Nutting for his continued advice and patience throughout the preparation of this dissertation. I am also indebted to Drs. Larry Crowder, Gordon Waller, Bobby Reid, and William McCaughey for reviewing this manuscript and for serving on my graduate committee. Appreciation is especially extended to Dr. James Berry for his constant encouragement and technical advice without which much of this study would not have been possible, For their helpful suggestions con­ cerning statistical analyses, I am indebted to Dr. Robert Kuehl, Dr. David Marx, and Mr, Paul Johnson, For their assistance in gathering field and labora­ tory data I am grateful to my wife, Wendy, Dr. W. L, Nutting, Dr. Michael I, Haverty, Mr. Brad Esser, Mr, J. Gary Eckhardt, Dr. Charles Weber, Mr. Angelo Longo, Dr. Guy Josens, Dr. Stanley Alcorn, Dr. John A. Rupley, Dr, P-H Yang, and Dr, Mike McClure. Gratitude is also expressed for secretarial assistance kindly provided by Mrs, Hazel Tinsley, Mrs. Martha Montgomery, and Mrs. Tina Hutson. Finally, I am indebted to my wife, Wendy, for her everlasting patience and understanding during the prepara­ tion of this manuscript and throughout my graduate studies, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Jeffery Paul La Fage was born on June 16, 1945, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended elementary and junior high school in Watertown, Connecticut, and was graduated from the Mount Hermon School, Mount Hermon, Massachusetts. He received his undergraduate training at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, and was graduated in January, 1968, with the Bachelor of Arts degree. During the years 1971 to 1974 he was the recipient of a National Defense Education Act Title IV traineeship, The subject of his master's thesis was an analysis of en­ vironmental parameters correlated with the foraging behavior of a desert subterranean termite, Gnathamitermes perplexus (Banks). He received the Master of Science degree from The University of Arizona in 1974. During 1975 and 1976 he was supported by the International Biological Program, Analysis of Ecosystems, Desert Biome, for study and research toward the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Entomology with a minor concentration in Nutritional Biochemistry. He is married to the former Wendy Ellen Lawrence of Middlebury, Connecticut. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi ABSTRACT xii INTRODUCTION 1 MATERIALS AND METHODS 6 Biochemical Studies on Dead Saguaro Wood 7 Analytical Determinations 14 Data Anslysis 26 Nutritional Physiology 26 Feeding Trials 27 Respiration Studies 31 Response of Protozoans to Temperature .... 41 Energy Budgets for Laboratory Feeding Groups 42 Trophic Level Interactions 42 Lower Level Interactions 43 Predation 44 Field Estimates on Energy Flow Through an M. hubbardi Population 49 RESULTS 51 Biochemical Studies of Dead Saguaro Wood 51 Analytical Determinations 51 Nutritional Physiology 64 Feeding Trials 64 Respiration Studies 76 Energy Budgets for Laboratory Feeding Programs 8 5 Trophic Level Interactions 97 Lower Level Interactions 97 Predation 98 Field Estimates on Energy Flow Through an M. hubbardi Population 102 v vi TABLE OF CONTENTS—Continued Page DISCUSSION 109 Biochemical Studies on Dead Wood 109 Analytical Determinations 112 Nutritional Physiology 133 Feeding Trials 133 Respiration Studies 142 Energy Budgets for Laboratory Feeding Groups 153 Trophic Level Interactions 154 Lower Level Interactions 154 Predation 154 Field Estimates on Energy Flow Through a Population of M. hubbardi 164 APPENDIX A. MODIFIED METHYL-RED INDICATOR USED FOR KJELDAHL TITRATIONS 167 APPENDIX B. FATTY ACIDS OF SAGUARO WOOD 168 APPENDIX C. SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM THE INTER­ MEDIATE SIZED FEEDING TRIAL 170 REFERENCES ..... 218 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. The amino acid composition of 2 termite species 47 2. Constituents of diet fed to 7 pairs of weanling mice for 21 days to assess the quality of Reticulitermes flavipes protein . 48 3. Percentage of saguaro wood (dry wt) removed by successive 6 h extractions in ethanol (.95%), ethanol:benzene (1:2, v/v), and hot water 52 4. Percentage of saguaro wood (dry wt) removed by two 3-min extractions with chloroform: methanol solution (2:1, v/v) 53 5. Fatty acids in total chloroform:methanol (2:1, v/v) extracts of saguaro skeletons of 3 age categories 54 6. Per cent carbon content of saguaro samples representing 3 age categories 56 7. Per cent ash in saguaro samples representing 3 age categories 56 8. Calorific content (kcal/g dry wt) of saguaro samples from the 30 skeletons representing 3 age categories 57 9. Calorific content (kcal/g dry wt) of wood samples from superficial and inner parts of a dead saguaro rib 57 10. Per cent nitrogen content of saguaro samples from skeletons representing 3 age categories 59 11. The amino acid composition of dead saguaro wood determined by the method of Scurfield and Nicholls (1970) 60 vii viii LIST OF TABLES—Continued Table Page *12. Lignin content of extractive-free saguaro wood determined by the acetyl bromide method (Johnson et al. , 1961) 62 13. Delignification of dead saguaro wood using the method of Ritter and Barbour (1935) ..
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