Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan.
Mol Ecol. 2024 Sep;33(17):e17494. doi: 10.1111/mec.17494. Epub 2024 Aug 13.
Social insects have developed a broad diversity of nesting and foraging strategies. One of these, inquilinism, occurs when one species (the inquiline) inhabits the nest built and occupied by another species (the host). Obligatory inquilines must overcome strong constraints upon colony foundation and development, due to limited availability of host colonies. To reveal how inquilinism shapes reproductive strategies in a termite host-inquiline dyad, we carried out a microsatellite marker study on Inquilinitermes inquilinus and its host Constrictotermes cavifrons. The proportion of simple, extended and mixed families was recorded in both species, as well as the presence of neotenics, parthenogenesis and multiple foundations. Most host colonies (95%) were simple families and all were monodomous. By contrast, the inquiline showed a higher proportion of extended (30%) and mixed (5%) families, and frequent neotenics (in 25% of the nests). This results from the simultaneous foundation in host nests of numerous incipient colonies, which, as they grow, may compete, fight, or merge. We also documented the use of parthenogenesis by female-female pairs. In conclusion, the classical monogamous colony pattern of the host species suggests uneventful development of simple foundations dispersed in the environment, in accordance with the wide distribution of their resources. By contrast, the multiple reproductive patterns displayed by the inquiline species reveal strong constraints on foundation sites: founders first concentrate into host nests, then must attempt to outcompete or absorb the neighbouring foundations to gain full control of the resources provided by the host nest.
社会性昆虫发展出了广泛多样的筑巢和觅食策略。其中一种策略是寄生现象，即一个物种（寄生者）栖息在另一个物种（宿主）所建造和占据的巢穴中。由于宿主群体的有限可用性，强制性寄生者必须克服对群体建立和发展的强烈限制。为了揭示寄生现象如何塑造白蚁宿主-寄生者对偶的繁殖策略，我们对 Inquilinitermes inquilinus 和其宿主 Constrictotermes cavifrons 进行了微卫星标记研究。在这两个物种中，记录了简单、扩展和混合家庭的比例，以及存在的幼态持续、孤雌生殖和多次建立。大多数宿主群体（95%）是简单家庭，并且都是单巢的。相比之下，寄生者显示出更高比例的扩展（30%）和混合（5%）家庭，以及频繁的幼态持续（在 25%的巢穴中）。这是由于大量初始群体同时在宿主巢穴中建立，随着它们的生长，这些群体可能会竞争、打架或合并。我们还记录了雌性-雌性对使用孤雌生殖的情况。总之，宿主物种的经典单配制群体模式表明，简单基础在环境中分散，没有发生任何事件，这与它们资源的广泛分布相一致。相比之下，寄生者物种所表现出的多种繁殖模式揭示了对建立地点的强烈限制：建立者首先集中在宿主巢穴中，然后必须试图竞争或吸收邻近的巢穴，以完全控制宿主巢穴提供的资源。
