家白蚁的生物学和群体发育

家白蚁Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki的生物学和初建群体的经过,显示有如下特性:(1)在广州室温条件下,成虫配对后5至10天开始产卵,产卵盛期集中在6天至7天。当年产卵期有5个月,每头雌虫平均产卵约为46粒。雌里产卵后,如果不断将卵取走,产卵量显著提高。这时,每头雌虫平均可产卵约96粒。(2)家白蚁卵要经过成虫或工蚁用口舐触和搬动卵粒才能孵化。孵化期在室温下为31至35天,32至33天为孵化高峰期。卵的孵化期随温度而变化。(3)初步测定幼蚁共有6个龄期。1—2龄幼蚁不活跃,要靠成虫或工蚁喂养,3龄后幼蚁非常活跃并能自己取食。4龄期间出现工蚁和兵蚁的分化,拟工蚁可以产生短翅补充型。(4)蚁巢成片叶状,由成虫唾液与食物及沙土等基质组成。配对后80天腔室内开始出现巢架。(5)家白蚁生活史漫长,需8年才能完成一个周期。     

Antitermitic effect of the Lantana camara plant on subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Abstract The insecticidal effects of Lantana camara L. (flowers, leaves, stems and roots) and the soil where lantana had been growing, on foraging activity and survival of the subterranean termites Coptotermes formosanus and Reticulitermes flavipes were examined in a 3-week experiment. The soil in which lantana had been growing had no effect on termite tunneling and survival. Incorporation of chipped fresh lantana leaves and stems into soil had no effect on mortality but caused significant reduction in tunneling. The 5-cm wide barrier of soil with lantana tissue incorporated effectively repelled groups of both species from penetrating the barrier and thus prevented infestation of a piece of wood on the other side of the barrier. C. formosanus was more sensitive in avoiding the barrier than R. flavipes. Leaves, stems and flowers were more repellent than roots. These results provide preliminary evidence that fresh-cut lantana leaves, stems and flowers may have use as additives to garden mulches against termites.     

A case for a free-running circannual rhythm in soldier developmental time of Formosan subterranean termites

The success of all insect societies relies on their ability to maintain optimal levels of different castes. Here we report on an apparent free-running circannual rhythm that optimizes the developmental time of the soldier caste of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Over a 3 year period, bioassays were conducted each month (except June) with groups of 100 termite workers in a 28°C incubator in total darkness. The number of days needed for C. formosanus soldiers to develop varied depending on the time of the year (month). In March, just prior to the major swarming exodus for alates (April to June), 9 days were required before a worker molted to a presoldier. Longer times were required for such a molt in all other months, with an increasing trend from April to December (from 13 to 30 days) and a decreasing trend from January to February (from 25 to 12 days). Colony origin or the length of time that termites were kept in the laboratory under constant conditions (26 – 28°C, 70 – 80% RH) before testing (7 days – 1 year) did not affect this rhythm. This is the first demonstrated evidence of a free-running circannual rhythm in a social insect. Received 23 July 2007; revised 9 and 21 August 2007; accepted 23 August 2007.     

Does maternal care evolve through egg recognition or directed territoriality?

The mechanism that facilitates the evolution of maternal care is ambiguous in egg‐laying terrestrial vertebrates: does the ability of mothers to recognize their own eggs lead them under some circumstances to begin providing care or can maternal care evolve from simply being in close proximity to the eggs (e.g. through territorial behaviour)? This question is difficult to answer because in most species, parental care is either absent altogether or present; in only a few species we have the opportunity to observe intraspecific variation in the expression of parental care. We studied a population of long‐tailed skinks (Eutropis longicaudata) in which females have recently evolved maternal care from a noncaring state. Females on Orchid Island, Taiwan, remain with their eggs during incubation and when doing so, actively deter egg predation by egg‐eating snakes (Oligodon formosanus); in all other populations, females lack post‐ovipositional maternal care. Nest‐guarding females on Orchid Island (i) showed antipredator behaviours only in the original nest site in which they laid eggs, even after we removed all of the eggs or substituted them with those of a conspecific; (ii) protect any eggs present inside the original nest site (even when the eggs belong to a conspecific); and (iii) develop this behaviour while gravid (i.e. prior to laying eggs). This supports the hypothesis that long‐tailed skinks cannot recognize their own eggs, suggesting that maternal care is a directed form of territoriality only expressed towards egg‐eating snakes and only during reproduction. Nest guarding is among the most primitive forms of parental care, and the recent evolution of this behaviour in a single population provides insight into one of the mechanisms by which parental care can originate in terrestrial vertebrates.     

樟芝菌丝体的氨基酸成分分析

测定了樟芝发酵菌丝体中游离氨基酸和结合氨基酸的含量。结果表明,樟芝菌丝体中含有丰富的8种人体必需氨基酸、支链氨基酸和谷氨酸,其中8种必需氨基酸含量是FAO(联合国粮农组织)标准的5.55倍,而芳香族氨基酸的含量却很低。在测定过程中,由于采用了酸水解,菌丝体中的色氨酸被破坏,而其余17种氨基酸均被测出,含量极其丰富。尤其是支链氨基酸的含量远大于α-酪蛋白、卵蛋白和大豆球蛋白。     

Intracolonial differences in gut bacterial community between worker and soldier castes of Coptotermes formosanus

Abstract The establishment of symbiotic relationships with intestinal microorganisms enables termites to thrive on recalcitrant substrates such as cellulose and wood. A termite colony is composed of several different castes which have distinct feeding habits. The soldiers, for example, cannot feed by themselves and depend on workers, who feed them with digested or semi‐digested foods. To investigate the influence of feeding habits on the bacterial symbionts, a comparative study of gut bacteria between worker and soldier castes of the termite Coptotermes formosanus was conducted. The bacterial communities of both castes were investigated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and clonal analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Both methods indicated Bacteroidetes was the common predominant group; the common dominant phylotype was affiliated with a reported uncultured Bacteroidetes phylotype (BCf1–03). There were significant differences in Bacteroidetes and Spirochaetes between two castes. Compared to the gut bacteria of workers, those of soldiers were lower in abundance and diversity of Bacteroidetes and slightly higher in Spirochaetes. Two phylotypes (W8, W11) affiliated to Bacteroidetes and two (W26, W29) affiliated to Spirochaetes were exclusively found in the DGGE profile of the worker caste. Bacteroidetes are assumed to be involved in fermentation of sugars and nitrogenous compounds as well as degradation of uric acid. Spirochaetes are supposed to aid in the functions of acetogenesis and N₂‐fixation. The different feeding habits between workers and soldiers of C. formosanus may explain the observed differences in the gut bacterial community.     

Molting in workers of the Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus

The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, with its huge colonies, is a major urban pest in several southern states and Hawaii as well as in South Asia. Because of their cryptic nature (underground habitat) and very long life cycle, not much is known about molting in termite workers. In C. formosanus, the workers stop foraging and lose their gut fauna, respectively, approximately 10 and 5 days prior to ecdysis. In any given colony an average of 1.01% (range 0.6-1.8) of the workers were found to molt each day under laboratory conditions. Workers destined to molt become sluggish and their head capsules develop a mottled texture one day prior to ecdysis. Ecdysis was generally accomplished with the assistance of other workers, which also fed on the exuviae. Immediately after molting worker mandibles were light pink in color and became fully melanized approximately two days later. Gut fauna were acquired on the fourth day after molting. Flagellates were transferred as small encysted cells from other workers through proctodeal feeding. Juvenile hormone III titer ranged between 30-41 pg/mg bodyweight in all stages except in workers sampled 6 days prior to ecdysis. In these workers the titer was 80.5 pg/mg. The high juvenile hormones (JH) titer may also be involved in causing defaunation. Ecdysteroid titer increased from 2.1 pg/mg in non-molting workers to 359.5 and 332.4 pg/mg one and two days following defaunation, respectively. There was a second smaller peak two days prior to ecdysis.     

Behavioral Response of Two Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) to Vibrational Stimuli

Behavioral responses to vibrational stimuli were examined in two subterranean termite species, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). Termites habituated to vibrational stimulation when in social groups, but failed to do so individually, indicating that habituation is a collective action. In assays on termite groups, both species demonstrated a similar pattern of behavioral responses to vibrational stimuli: evanescent cessation of activity and movement, followed by withdrawal from the vibration source. Groups of both species then gradually moved back toward the vibration source as a consequence of continuous exposure. However, it took a significantly shorter period for C. formosanus to return (57 s) to the test arena and to resume (80 s) normal foraging activities in the test arena compared with R. flavipes, which took 97 and 227 s, respectively, when exposed to the vibration frequency of 120 bmpm. High vibration frequency (240 bmpm) increased the time required to return (C. formosanus, 80 s; R. flavipes, 153 s) and to resume regular locomotion (C. formosanus, 186 s; R. flavipes, 263 s). Our experiments demonstrate that workers play a crucial part in adjusting groups of termites to distressful vibrations. Soldiers of R. flavipes demonstrated similar behavioral responses as workers, however, C. formosanus soldiers exhibited a transient positive response before withdrawal. An erratum to this article is available at .     

曲酸对台湾乳白蚁纤维素酶活的抑制与应用研究

为了探究有害白蚁的安全防控新技术,本文研究了生物源活性物质曲酸对建筑结构主要害虫台湾乳白蚁纤维素酶活性的抑制效果。在室内条件下选择1%曲酸溶液滤纸饲喂白蚁,分别于饲喂6 h、12 h、1 d、3 d、5 d、7 d时收集白蚁消化道,采用还原糖法测定了白蚁消化道的滤纸酶活性(FPA)及内切β-1,4-葡聚糖酶(EG)、β-葡萄糖苷酶(BG)和纤维二糖水解酶(CBH)的比活力,并观测记录供试白蚁的体重与死亡率变化。结果显示,除6 h处理样的FPA和CBH活性影响不显著外,其余处理对白蚁纤维素酶活性均有显著的抑制作用,且随处理时间的延长曲酸对台湾乳白蚁纤维素酶活抑制率增强,抑制率显示FPAEG≥BGCBH。曲酸处理7d后,白蚁活动能力明显减弱,工蚁体重显著降低且死亡率显著升高。曲酸与氟虫脲联合喂食处理对台湾乳白蚁FPA和EG活性的抑制效果高于氟虫脲单独饲喂台湾乳白蚁,而且白蚁死亡率也显著提高。研究表明曲酸对于白蚁纤维素酶活性具有抑制效果,对于氟虫脲具增效作用,可为白蚁治理新技术的研究提供参考。