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Taxonomy
Isoptera
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Termites are closely related to cockroaches based on a primitative termite species found in Australia. The fossil record suggests that termites have existed for approximately 200 million years. Isopterans are the oldest known social insect.
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Isoptera/ |
Isoptera consists of over 2600 species (mostly tropical). Termites are the oldest social insect group with complex societies dating back at least to the early Cretaceous (140 Mya). Only 12 species occur in Europe. Recent studies have shown that Isoptera are basically social cockroaches forming a monophyletic clade within the Blattodea, most likely the sister group of the Cryptocercidae (woodroaches) (Inward et al. 2007). Termites are the only hemimetabolous insects that exhibit true social behavior. They build large nests housing an entire colony. These colonies contain adult reproductives (one queen and one king) plus hundreds or thousands of immatures that serve as workers and soldiers. Termites are important decomposer animals in lowland tropical ecosystems. They mostly feed on dead plant material and are able to digest cellulose with the help of symbiotic gut symbionts.
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Rights holder/Author | Katja Schulz, Katja Schulz |
Source | http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/biorisk.4.68 |
About 2, 900 termites have been described worldwide. They undergo simple metamorphosis. They are eusocial insects and nymphs grow into one of the castes, where they will specialize in a job for the colony. A colony would consist of: a king, a queen, workers, and soldiers. The colony lives in nests, which are mostly built with saliva, mud, and soil. Nests are typically underground, but some can grow above the surface, with some of the tallest going thirty feet high. Termites have soft bodies that need to be kept moist and the nests provide the necessary protection and thermoregulation for the colony to survive. They frequently groom each other with their mouths. Termites feed on wood, leaf litter, or soil. They have bacteria in their gut, which aids with the digestion of cellulose. As detritivores, they play a huge role in nutrient cycling. They can be found in the fossil record as far back as the Late Triassic.
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Rights holder/Author | Rhianna Hruska, Rhianna Hruska |
Source | No source database. |
Isoptera (isoptera) preys on:
detritus
Eleucine
Cyperus
Cenchrus
live wood
dead wood
wood
Based on studies in:
Namibia, Namib Desert (Desert or dune)
Puerto Rico, El Verde (Rainforest)
India, Rajasthan Desert (Desert or dune)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- E. Holm and C. H. Scholtz, Structure and pattern of the Namib Desert dune ecosystem at Gobabeb, Madoqua 12(1):3-39, from p. 21 (1980).
- I. K. Sharma, A study of ecosystems of the Indian desert, Trans. Indian Soc. Desert Technol. and Univ. Center Desert Stud. 5(2):51-55, from p. 52 and A study of agro-ecosystems in the Indian desert, ibid. 5:77-82, from p. 79 1980).
- Waide RB, Reagan WB (eds) (1996) The food web of a tropical rainforest. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
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Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
The king and queen secrete inhibitory pheromones that work synergistically to suppress reproductive development of workers and soldiers. Juvenile hormones in termite eggs influence caste differentiation such that numbers of workers and soldiers remain constant throughout the life of the colony.
For termites that build giant mounds, trail pheromones are used in subterranean tunnels as a means of navigation.
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Isoptera/ |
Termites develop via simple metamorphosis from egg to nymph to adult. Five to six molts are necessary for the termite to attain maturity. Those that do not achieve sexual maturity become workers or soldiers. The life cycle requires a year for completion.
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Isoptera/ |
Queens and their colony may survive for several years. Females may live to 20 years. Non-reproductive termites live for a couple of years. Individual termite colonies have been known to exist for approximately 100 years.
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Isoptera/ |
Mating System: eusocial
In termite colonies, there is one king and queen pair which develop from fully winged adults. The queen develops an enlarged abdomen to accomodate her increased egg-laying capacity. She may lay millions of eggs annually. In some species, the king is smaller than the female. These fully winged adults are produced in large numbers, whereby individuals leave the original colony, locate a new nest site and mate, and establish a new colony. This may not happen for 5 to 10 years after the establishment of the original colony.
If the king and/or queen dies, or part of the colony becomes separated from the parent colony, some of the young will develop into a new king and/or queen. The new king and/or queen will achieve sexual maturity without becoming fully winged and without leaving the nest.
Special workers and soldiers care for the eggs and young. Worker and soldier termites are both male and female, sterile, wingless, most are blind, amd sometimes they are polymorphic.
Key Reproductive Features: oviparous
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Isoptera/ |
Ventilated nests remove heat and gas: termites
The ovoid nests of termites carry away dangerous accumulations of heat and carbon dioxide via ventilation shafts.
"The outside of this ovoid bunker is perforated by a series of vents or tubes (or vents converging on circumferential tubes giving rise to more vents, or an arrangement even more elaborate); the structure of these vents and tubes is so unique that they are often used for species identification. As a rule, the vents run down from the inside to the outside, which would keep dripping moisture out and draw cool air up and into the structure. The entire home is suspended from all walls on arching pillars. Ventilation shafts bring cool fresh air in and carry warm stale air out." (Gould and Gould 2007:136)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Gould, James L; Gould, Carol Grant. 2007. Animal architects: building and the evolution of intelligence. New York: Basic Books. 324 p.
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Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/04518d273f2a32dad9d43e7f458943b9 |
There are over 2,600 species of termite. These winged insects are related to cockroaches. They are known for eating wood and other plant parts. Like bees, termites live in colonies led by a queen. Other termites are kings, workers, or soldiers.
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Rights holder/Author | Life on Earth, Life on Earth |
Source | No source database. |