Insect Science (2015) 22, 560-568

Gang-Hua Li, Long Liu, Chao-Liang Lei and Qiu-Ying Huang (2015)
A trade-off between antipredatory behavior and pairing competition produced by male-male tandem running in three Reticulitermes species
Insect Science 22 (4), 560-568
Abstract: Due to the omnipresent risk of predation, termites have evolved many antipredatory behaviors. The two related species Reticulitermes speratus and R. chinensis have been demonstrated to use homosexual tandem running to decrease individual predation risk after shedding their wings. In this study, we tested risk of predation in the termite R. flaviceps, which is distantly related to the above two species. We determined that homosexual tandem running also led to low individual predation risk in dealates of R. flaviceps. Moreover, by combining a predation model with a competition model, we observed a typical trade-off phenomenon between antipredatory behavior and pairing competition produced by male-male tandem running in the above three Reticulitermes species. Our results indicated that male-male tandem running could effectively protect disadvantaged individuals from being caught, but disadvantaged individuals would be easily eliminated in pairing competition after male-male tandem running, suggesting that male-male tandem running can promote population evolution in termites by repeatedly removing the relatively inferior male individuals.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Qiu-Ying Huang, Chao-Liang Lei

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Reticulitermes flaviceps