Applied Entomology and Zoology (2014) 49, 579-590

Wonju Jeon and Sang-Hee Lee (2014)
A mathematical model for the territorial competition of the subterranean termites Coptotermes formosanus and Reticulitermes flavipes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Applied Entomology and Zoology 49 (4), 579-590
Abstract: The foraging territories of two subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), were simulated using a two-dimensional model to explore how territorial competition changes according to two variables characterizing territory formation: the total number of territories, and the blocking probability. Meanwhile, the blocking probability quantitatively describes the likelihood that a tunnel will be terminated when another tunnel is encountered. In our previous study, we introduced an interference coefficient gamma to characterize territorial competition, and obtained gamma as a function of the total number of territories and the blocking probability for a single termite species by model simulation. In the field, the territorial competition of more than two termite species is frequently observed. Here, we extended the gamma function to be able to explain the competition between the two species by applying statistical regression to the simulation data. Further, we statistically checked the extended gamma function by comparing the gamma function for a single species. We also discuss another approach to mathematically derive the extended gamma function, which can be easily generalized for use in cases of territorial competition involving more than two termite species.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
population dynamics/ epidemiology
general biology - morphology - evolution

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Coptotermes formosanus
	Reticulitermes flavipes