Meeting Abstract

63.2  Wednesday, Jan. 6  The role of nest architecture as a mechanism of disease resistance in termite species with different nesting strategies POSTAVA-DAVIGNON, Marielle A.*; ROSENGAUS, Rebeca B.; Northeastern University; Northeastern University postava-davig.m@husky.neu.edu

Homeostatic nests are a ubiquitous characteristic of termites. Nest building behavior can be unique to species, with some being identifiable by their nest structure. Previous studies have analyzed in detail the nest architectures of various social insects, and some have examined specific behaviors evolved to defend the nest from predators, pathogens, and parasites. As of yet, the importance of nest structure itself being a mechanism of defense against pathogenic pressures has not been demonstrated experimentally, despite the high occurrence of these pressures in social insect habitats. To test the effect of nest architecture on termite survival, five artificial structures designed from natural termite nests were constructed from corrugated cardboard. Twenty termites per nest from three species (Zootermopsis angusticollis, Reticulitermes flavipes, and Nasutitermes corniger) with different natural nesting strategies were exposed to either a control or conidia suspension of the generalist entomopathogen Metarhizium anisopliae. Following a 20 day census, the results show that nest architecture is a significant and independent predictor of survival in all three species. The nest that exhibited the highest survival rate varied across species, and it appears that termite survival relies upon the particular nest structure a species is adapted to. This research makes important implications as to the adaptive role of nest architecture in termite evolution.