Janzow Micah P, Judd Timothy M
Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.
Environ Entomol. 2015 Jun;44(3):814-20. doi: 10.1093/ee/nvv041. Epub 2015 Apr 3.
Micronutrients are important for metabolic processes and structures in insects. How termites obtain micronutrients from the environment is not fully understood. It has been suggested that lower subterranean termites of Rhinotermitidae only gain their nutrients from their food sources. However, for subterranean termites, soil offers a potential source of micronutrients. This study tested the hypothesis that subterranean termites acquire micronutrients from the soil. Laboratory colonies of Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar were reared in arenas in which the levels of micronutrients, food, and soil were varied. The results showed that the micronutrients Ca (Calcium), Fe (Iron), Mg (Magnesium), and Mn (Manganese) were obtained from the soil, Cu (copper) was obtained by the food source, and K (Potassium) and Zn (Zinc) showed no differences between treatments. The results of this experiment suggest that subterranean termites can acquire micronutrients from the soil as well as other food sources.
微量营养素对昆虫的代谢过程和结构很重要。白蚁如何从环境中获取微量营养素尚未完全了解。有人提出，鼻白蚁科的地下低等白蚁仅从其食物来源获取营养。然而，对于地下白蚁来说，土壤提供了微量营养素的潜在来源。本研究检验了地下白蚁从土壤中获取微量营养素这一假设。将黄胸散白蚁（Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar）的实验室群体饲养在微量营养素、食物和土壤水平各不相同的饲养场地中。结果表明，微量营养素钙（Ca）、铁（Fe）、镁（Mg）和锰（Mn）是从土壤中获取的，铜（Cu）是通过食物来源获取的，而钾（K）和锌（Zn）在各处理之间没有差异。该实验结果表明，地下白蚁可以从土壤以及其他食物来源获取微量营养素。
