| dc.creator | Aguilera-Olivares,Daniel | |
| dc.creator | Rizo,José F | |
| dc.creator | Burgos-Lefimil,Camila | |
| dc.creator | Flores-Prado,Luis | |
| dc.creator | Niemeyer,Hermann M | |
| dc.date | 2016-01-01 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-04-25T12:54:25Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-04-25T12:54:25Z | |
| dc.identifier | https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0716-078X2016000100011 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://revistaschilenas.uchile.cl/handle/2250/63210 | |
| dc.description | BACKGROUND: In one-piece nesting termites, which nest and forage in a single piece of wood, soldier production increases during the swarming period, i.e. when the risk of invasion of their substrate and hence of their colony by dealates in search of a nesting substrate increases. In Neotermes chilensis, a one-piece nesting termite endemic to Chile, we hypothesized: i) that during swarming soldiers would defend their colony by showing higher aggressiveness toward non-nestmate than toward nestmate dealates, ii) that aggressiveness would negatively correlate with genetic relatedness of interacting soldier/dealate pairs and iii) that nestmate recognition would be based on differences in cues provided by cuticular compounds (CC) between nestmates and non-nestmate dealates. METHODS: The first hypothesis was tested using bioassays in which a soldier was confronted with a nestmate or a non-nestmate dealate; the second hypothesis by using microsatellites to assess genetic relatedness of the interacting pairs; and the third hypothesis using bioassays in which a soldier was confronted with a nestmate or a non-nestmate dead dealate with or without its CC and with dead dealates with interchanged CC between nestmate and non-nestmate. RESULTS: Soldiers were more aggressive toward non-nestmate than nestmate dealates, aggressiveness was inversely correlated with genetic relatedness of the interacting pair, and CC accounted for the differences in aggressiveness towards nestmate and non-nestmate dealates. CONCLUSIONS: During swarming, soldiers of N. chilensis protect their nest against invasion by non-nestmate conspecific dealates; discrimination is based on CC and aggressiveness correlates inversely with genetic relatedness of the interacting soldier/dealate pairs. | |
| dc.format | text/html | |
| dc.language | en | |
| dc.publisher | Sociedad de Biología de Chile | |
| dc.relation | 10.1186/s40693-016-0063-9 | |
| dc.rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess | |
| dc.source | Revista chilena de historia natural v.89 2016 | |
| dc.subject | Chemical communication | |
| dc.subject | Neotermes chilensis | |
| dc.subject | Kin recognition | |
| dc.subject | Cuticular compounds | |
| dc.subject | Aggressive behavior | |
| dc.subject | Genetic relatedness | |
| dc.title | Nestmate recognition in defense against nest invasion by conspecifics during swarming in a one-piece nesting termite | |
