台湾乳白蚁种群兵蚁量度特征变异及其分类学意义分析

台湾乳白蚁Coptotermes formosanus是我国南方木材及其建筑结构最主要的有害白蚁,也是世界重要的入侵性物种。台湾乳白蚁兵蚁品级的量度特征是其描述鉴定的重要依据,本文对台湾乳白蚁兵蚁主要量度特征数据进行了整合,并就台湾乳白蚁11个地理种群兵蚁品级的主要量度特征进行了比较,探讨了台湾乳白蚁相应量度特征的分类学意义。     

尖唇散白蚁的梳理清洁行为和食物交哺行为

为了了解尖唇散白蚁梳理清洁行为和交哺行为,为防治该种白蚁提供依据,通过定性观察和定量测定的方法对尖唇散白蚁的梳理清洁行为和交哺行为进行了研究。结果表明:尖唇散白蚁的梳理清洁行为主要由4龄以上工蚁完成,4~6龄的若蚁也参与,但不及工蚁频繁;梳理清洁行为占到其昼夜活动时间的1.6%左右,当白蚁体表沾染污物时,如体表沾有染料或真菌孢子等,梳理清洁行为的频率增加,占用的时间也增多,人为用染料污染白蚁体表,梳理清洁行为可占到6.5%;尖唇散白蚁的交哺行为可发生于各个品级之间,其中工蚁是交哺行为中最活跃的品级,其他各品级均可接受来自工蚁的饲喂;6龄以上工蚁对工蚁的染料食物交哺测试显示,取食后24 h受喂工蚁获得的食物量仅占原取食工蚁取食量的5.86%,48 h饲喂者与受喂者消化道食物量大致持平,并随时间推移逐渐减少,受喂者消化道中的食物始终低于饲喂者。本研究结果支持散白蚁的交哺行为属于层叠式交哺模式的观点。     

白蚁取食行为多型及其机理

对白蚁取食行为的研究涉及5科18属38种白蚁。其取食行为多型可归纳为3类:(1)工蚁主导型:采食活动基本上由工蚁完成,兵蚁不参与或仅极少数个体参与,食物侦查或保护采食工蚁的职能不显著;(2)工蚁-兵蚁协同型:这是白蚁采食组织的常见类型,兵蚁成为采食队伍的固定成员,负责采食活动的安全侦查与防卫、食物源侦查等工作;(3)假工蚁主导型:由于尚未分化形成专职的工蚁,因而大龄幼蚁(广义的假工蚁)成为采食活动的主力,同时兼有巢内的保护职能。在食物加工和分配过程中,低等白蚁的幼蚁在未获得消化纤维素能力前主要通过肛交哺获得营养物质和共生物,且肛交哺是新蜕皮个体重新获得共生鞭毛虫的途径。高等白蚁幼龄工蚁负责食物加工、依赖型品级通过口交哺获得营养物质。白蚁采食活动中的行为多型受踪迹信息素控制,不同品级个体腹板腺有明显分化;不同品级和发育阶段个体食性分化与消化道结构、消化酶活性密切相关;保幼激素影响交哺行为以及消化酶基因表达。本文在评述研究进展的同时,对进一步研究提出了展望。     

保幼激素类似物对白蚁的作用研究进展

本文介绍了保幼激素类似物对白蚁的影响,包括诱导前兵蚁、兵蚁和一些中间品级(形态畸形)的产生、抑制白蚁的取食、减少或消除白蚁的共生原生动物群、对白蚁产生不同水平的急性和慢性毒性、抑制工蚁蜕皮以及繁殖蚁建立新群体等方面的影响,其中最主要影响是诱导前兵、兵蚁和一些中间品级的产生破坏了白蚁群体品级比例的平衡性或完整性.因此,保幼激素类似物可用于白蚁的防治,并在田问防治散白蚁和乳白蚁均取得了较好的防治效果,并探讨了应用保幼激素类似物防治白蚁的潜力与前景.     

两种鼻白蚁之间的入侵关系

设计了5个实验以研究台湾乳白蚁(Coptotermes formosanus)和黄肢散白蚁(Reticulitermes flavipes)的种间斗争关系。所试白蚁来自阿拉巴马州。实验1将两组白蚁的兵蚁和工蚁以自然比例混合(台湾乳白蚁工蚁：兵蚁＝20：5,黄肢散白蚁工蚁：兵蚁＝24：1);实验2观察了双方同数量(各25头)工蚁的种间斗争能力;实验3观察两者同数量(各5头)兵蚁的种间斗争关系;实验4、5分别研究双方工蚁与兵蚁的斗争关系。因两种工蚁形态相似,所以在实验前用0．1％Nile blue A染过的滤纸饲喂一方白蚁24h使虫体着色以便观察。所有实验在22℃,65％RH荧光灯下进行。每个实验将两方白蚁同时放入一培养皿中,观察至一方100％受伤,然后把培养皿移到培养箱内,24小时后统计死亡率。结果表明,实验一开始,双方的工蚁和兵蚁都立即进入残酷的厮杀斗争,台湾乳白蚁兵蚁和工蚁的斗争能力都明显强于黄肢散白蚁;兵蚁的斗争行为不受工蚁的影响,工蚁的斗争能力也不受兵蚁的制约。实验中台湾乳白蚁的工蚁与黄肢散白蚁的兵蚁攻击能力相当,但黄肢散白蚁的工蚁却远弱于台湾乳白蚁的兵蚁。上述结果说明,自然界中不可能出现此两种白蚁群体的偶然性融合;外来的台湾乳白蚁很可能在其群体建立的地区占据优势[动物学报49(3)：295—302,2003]。     

实验室内从幼年群体中培养出家白蚁短翅补充型

白蚁是多形态昆虫,一般每一家族可分为两大类型:生殖类型(繁殖蚁)和非生殖类型(不育蚁)。在两大类型中,一般又可分化为若干品级;非生殖类型中有工蚁和兵蚁等品级。对品级分化、生成及调节,近年来已做了很多工作。总的说来,白蚁品级分化不能单用遗传来解释。因为新孵化的幼蚁(若蚁)可以分化为各个品级的成员。多种因素,例如外激素及激素(内分泌)在品级分化上起到重要作用。     

黑胸散白蚁的分飞成熟年龄及生殖蚁对子代个体分化的抑制作用

实验室配对饲养黑胸散白蚁Reticulitermes chinensis表明,黑胸散白蚁新群体在原始生殖蚁控制下,83.30%的群体在第9年分出了有翅成虫,16.70%的群体在第7年发生有翅成虫分飞,平均分飞成熟年龄为8.67年;由补充生殖蚁控制的群体在第6年即有53.85%的群体发生分飞,第7年有46.15%的群体分飞,平均分飞成熟年龄为6.38年,较原始生殖蚁控制的群体发生分飞平均提前2.29年。初次发生分飞时群体内个体数量前者明显多于后者。研究还发现,群体内补充生殖蚁的数量与分飞发生的早迟关系不大。作者认为在黑胸散白蚁中,原始生殖蚁对补充生殖蚁和若蚁的产生具有较强的抑制作用,而补充生殖蚁对上述品级的分化虽有一定抑制,但不如原始生殖蚁强。认为黑胸散白蚁群体发展速度在品级分化的调节上起到不可忽视的作用,但一定要在生殖蚁分泌外激素的能力开始减弱后才能发挥效应。     

家白蚁实验群体中不同工、兵蚁组成对取食和存活的影响

<正> 在我国亚热带地区,家白蚁Coptotermes fo-rmosanus Shiraki是危害木、竹、塑料、橡胶,皮革、棉、麻、化纤等多种材料和产品最有代表性的白蚁种类,因此,它常被用来检验各种天然材料和加药材料的抗白蚁蛀蚀性能的实验群体。在自然条件下,家白蚁群体的品级组成有一定比例,兵蚁平均约占3％,可是在某些特殊情况下,例如某些主巢外围,王室附近或幼龄巢的白蚁,有时会出现兵蚁比例甚高现象。众所周知,兵蚁的食物靠工蚁饲喂,如果各实验群体中兵蚁所占百分比过高或不一致,对生物测定结果的正确性影响很大。本工作试验了家白蚁实验群体中不同工、兵蚁组成对取食和存活的影响,为制定材料抗白蚁蛀蚀的试验标准提供参考依据。     

截头堆砂白蚁性比的研究

为了解截头堆砂白蚁Cryptotermes domesticus（Haviland）群体中不同品级、不同虫态的雌雄性比,本文研究了该种白蚁自行配对室温条件下饲养4年巢龄的实验群体与采集的自然群体的各个品级和不同虫态的雌雄性比。结果表明：自行配对室温饲养4年巢龄群体与自然环境群体中原始繁殖蚁、幼蚁、若蚁、兵蚁都有雌雄之分,其中自行配对室温饲养群体的原始繁殖蚁雌雄比例为1：1,兵蚁雌雄比例为1：1．24,幼蚁和若蚁雌雄比例为1：1．46;自然环境群体原始繁殖蚁雌雄比例为1：1,兵蚁雌雄比例为1：1．15,幼蚁和若蚁雌雄比例为1：1．43。     

Sex ratios of the dryword termite Cryptotermes domesticus

为了解截头堆砂白蚁Cryptotermes domesticus(Haviland)群体中不同品级、不同虫态的雌雄性比,本文研究了该种白蚁自行配对室温条件下饲养4年巢龄的实验群体与采集的自然群体的各个品级和不同虫态的雌雄性比.结果表明:自行配对室温饲养4年巢龄群体与自然环境群体中原始繁殖蚁、幼蚁、若蚁、兵蚁都有雌雄之分,其中自行配对室温饲养群体的原始繁殖蚁雌雄比例为1:1,兵蚁雌雄比例为1:1.24,幼蚁和若蚁雌雄比例为1:1.46;自然环境群体原始繁殖蚁雌雄比例为1:1,兵蚁雌雄比例为1:1.15,幼蚁和若蚁雌雄比例为1:1.43.     

Unique habits of stomodeal trophallaxis in the ponerine antHypoponera sp.

Summary The present paper describes for the first time that adult-to-adult trophallaxis exists in ponerine ants. Furthermore, it shows that the adult castes of the ponerine andHypoponera sp. have different habits of trophallaxis. Workers display a soliciting behavior toward queens, males and workers, but receive regurgitated food only from workers. The workers are forced to stop soliciting for regurgitated food by the whipping behavior of the queen. Callow queens solicit regurgitated food from workers and ergatoid males and receive it, while mature queens do not solicit regurgitation from workers. Ergatoid males receive regurgitated food from workers and regurgitate it to queens. Alate males show no trophallactic food exchange with workers and queens. Trophallactic behavior was never observed between males of either winged or ergatoid types.     

Optimal Reproduction Strategies in Two Species of Mound-Building Termites

We formulate a mathematical model for food collection and production of workers and nymphs in 2 species of mound building termites. We maximise the number of nymphs (reproductives) produced by each colony over its lifetime with respect to the proportion of eggs that hatch as nymphs as opposed to workers. The results predict that food storage has a very important influence on the pattern of nymph and worker production. Food storage affects the part of the year that nymph production dominates, whether nymphs and workers are produced at the same time or not, and the existence of a final phase in the colony’s life when a very large number of nymphs but no workers are produced.     

Regulation of Diet in the Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta

In social insects, colony nutrition depends upon the volume and quality of food distributed, ingested, and assimilated by its members. The ability of Solenopsis invicta workers and larvae to regulate the volume of food ingested individually has been well documented. In this paper, the ability of fire ant workers and larvae to regulate the quality and type of food ingested is demonstrated. Larvae displayed independent appetites for solid protein, amino acid solution, and sucrose solution. When larvae that had fed on one food type were switched to another, they fed on the second food type at rates characteristic of that food type, not of the volume of food previously ingested. Larvae preferred concentrated sucrose and amino acids solutions over dilute solutions. Larval fullness was thus a relative property, depending upon the nature of food as well as the volume ingested. The number of workers recruiting to food sites also depended upon food concentration and food type. Workers preferred sucrose to amino acids, concentrated to dilute solutions, and novel to accustomed food. The absence of protein in the worker diet rather than the presence of larvae caused workers to switch their preference from sugar to amino acids solutions. When the colony was offered sucrose and amino acids solutions simultaneously, individual workers ingested from one or the other site, but not both. Little mixing of crop contents occurred when workers solicited from one another inside the nest. Workers tended to regurgitate to larvae after ingesting amino acids and to other workers after ingesting sucrose. The mechanism regulating the distribution of protein pellets, which workers do not ingest, among larvae is unknown. In summary, colony nutrition was regulated by a chain of demand. Forager hunger determined the rate at which food flowed from the environment into the nest. Larval hunger and nest-worker hunger determined the rate and direction in which food moved within the nest.     

Task-specific distribution of the two worker castes in extranidal activities inMacrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman): Observation of behaviour during food acquisition

Summary Caste-specific division of labour can be observed in extranidal activities inMacrotermes bellicosus. Food is acquired through a sequence of tasks shared between the two worker castes. During the exploration phase, a network of subterranean galleries is built outwards from the nest, almost exclusively by minor workers. The frequency of excursions made by major workers during this building period is low, but increases significantly when food is needed by the colony. After a food-source has been discovered, it is hardly exploited by the minor workers and no recruitment occurs. They continue to construct galleries, while individuals which have contact with the food show local fidelity in their building activities within the gallery nearest to the food. After a single sporadic major worker accidentally comes across a food-source, the ratio of major to minor workers continually increases. New major workers aim for the food, bite off pieces and may transfer them to the minor workers. In general, only major workers are recruited after food has been discovered, and they then orientate towards the food-source more distinctly than the minor workers.     

Antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter isolated from food animals and humans in northern Thailand

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter with antimicrobial resistance from chickens, pigs, dairy cows, healthy farm workers, and children hospitalized with diarrhea in northern Thailand. Resistance was highest in pig samples and lowest in healthy farm workers. Resistance to fluoroquinolones and tetracycline was high in all study populations. The increased prevalence of resistant isolates from meat samples collected at markets, compared to isolates collected from animals on the farm or the slaughterhouse, suggests that contamination after carcasses leave the slaughterhouse is an important factor in the spread of resistant bacteria into the human food chain.     

Discontinued alcohol consumption elicits withdrawal symptoms in honeybees

The honeybee continues to be developed as a model species in many research areas, including studies related to the effects of alcohol. Here, we investigate whether workers display one of the key features of alcoholism, namely withdrawal symptoms. We show that workers fed for a prolonged time on food spiked with ethanol, after discontinuation of access to such food, exhibited a marked increase in the consumption of ethanol and a slight increase in mortality. We additionally show that withdrawal symptoms do not include an increase in appetitiveness of ethanol diluted in water. Our results demonstrate that workers can develop alcohol dependence, which might be especially important in the natural setting of repeated exposure to ethanol in floral nectar and for their potential as a model of alcohol addiction.     

The influence of forager number and colony size on food distribution in the odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile

Stomodeal trophallaxis plays a major role in ant colony nutrition and communication. While the rate of food distribution at the individual level (worker to worker) is rapid, factors affecting the rate of food distribution at the colony level remain poorly understood. We used the odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile (Say), as a model species to investigate the factors affecting the rate of spread of liquid carbohydrate food throughout a colony. To track the movement of the food we used protein marking and double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, DAS-ELISA. Increasing colony size while keeping the number of donor workers constant significantly decreased the number of individuals testing positive for the marker. After 8 h of trophallactic interactions with ten donors, 92 ± 5% of recipient workers tested positive in a colony of 125 and 38 ± 5% tested positive in a colony of 1,000. Interestingly, as colony size increased and the percentage of workers testing positive decreased, the proportion of workers actually receiving food increased. Food originating from a single donor fed approximately 12 individuals in colonies comprised of 125 recipients and approximately 38 individuals in colonies comprised of 1,000 recipients. Thus, the per capita consumption of food decreased as colony size increased, most likely because the amount of food reaching the colony was limited. Increasing the number of donors while keeping colony size constant significantly increased the number of recipient ants testing positive for the marker. As the number of donor workers doubled, the percentage of recipients testing positive more than doubled suggesting that the number of individuals receiving food increases with increasing colony size, while the per capita amount of food decreases. When food was available ad libitum and in close proximity to the nest, numerous workers fed directly at the food source. This dramatically increased the rate and the extent of food distribution to both the workers and the queens and colony size had no significant effect on the spread of the marker in the workers or the queens. The rate and the extent of food distribution at the colony level may depend on a number of factors including the number of successful foragers, the size and density of the recipient colony, and the recipient caste.     

Association of habitual dietary intake with morningness-eveningness and rotating shift work in Japanese female nurses

Rotating shift workers are associated with imbalanced dietary intakes. Rotating shift workers and dietary intakes in adults who do not engage in night work have also been shown to be associated with chronotype. However, no studies have examined associations between morningness-eveningness (i.e., the degree to which people prefer to be active in the morning or the evening), rotating shift work and dietary intakes. Therefore, our first purpose was to elucidate the association between morningness-eveningness and habitual food group intakes in rotating shift workers. The second purpose was to elucidate the association of morningness-eveningness and rotating shift work with food group intakes, considering habitual sleep durations. Japanese nurses (1095 day workers and 1464 rotating shift workers) were studied using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire covered habitual dietary intakes, morningness-eveningness and demographic characteristics of the participants. A Japanese version of the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) was used to measure self-rated morningness-eveningness. Dietary intakes over the previous 1 month were evaluated using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Intakes of pulses, green/yellow vegetables, white vegetables, fruits, algae, eggs, confectioneries/savory snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with the MEQ score in rotating shift workers. Among these food groups, intakes of green/yellow vegetables, white vegetables, fruits and algae were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in rotating shift workers than in day workers, and intakes of confectioneries/savory snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in rotating shift workers than in day workers. Intakes of these food groups were also significantly (p < 0.05) associated with the MEQ score in day workers. In addition, the MEQ score was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in rotating shift workers than in day workers, indicating greater eveningness among rotating shift workers. Multivariate linear regression revealed that the MEQ scores were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with intakes of these food groups, while rotating shift work was associated only with confectioneries/savory snacks. These results suggest that morningness-eveningness is associated with unbalanced dietary intakes in rotating shift workers as well as day workers, which may partially explain associations between rotating shift work and unfavorable dietary intakes. These findings have important implications for the development of novel strategies for preventing poor health caused by imbalanced dietary intakes in rotating shift workers.     

The control of food flow in a society of the ant Myrmica rubra L

The control of prey, thin syrup and water flow, through a society of Myrmica was studied. Larval intake increases if they are deprived of prey, but not if they are deprived of water or sugar. Deprivation causes them to take prey juices from workers and they get more if the workers themselves have also been deprived; this is because such workers over-collect and readily pass on their surplus. Even well-fed larvae will take prey juices from these surfeited workers; they will also take sugary fluids but not water. The head of a larva elicits some food collection by workers even if it is immobile, but the real cause of food flow towards larvae is their ability to absorb and assimilate the prey juices which they can obtain from workers. Starved nurse workers can obtain prey and water from foragers but a reverse flow does not occur; only thin syrup is exchanged freely between workers.     

Queen pheromone transfer within honeybee colonies

ABSTRACT. The observations provided strong circumstantial evidence that workers in a queen's court obtain queen pheromone on their antennae, and that queen pheromone is distributed through the colony during antennal contact between workers. Workers that had just left the court of a mated or virgin queen had an increased tendency to make reciprocated antennal contacts with other workers. This tendency was reinforced when the workers concerned licked the queen in addition to palpating her with their antennae, probably because they spent longer in the court. The first workers contacted by those leaving the court also had an increased tendency to make reciprocated antennal contacts. Antennal contacts were more likely to be initiated by bees other than those from the queen's court. Workers from the court and those they first contacted, participated in food transfer more than did workers selected at random. Workers that licked a virgin queen subsequently participated in food transfer more than those that palpated her with their antennae only. Within about 5 min of leaving the court, a worker's participation in reciprocated antennal contacts and in food transfer diminished to the level of non-court workers. Workers chosen at random made more transient and non-reciprocated antennal contacts when in a colony with a mated queen than when in a colony with a virgin queen.