Using twenty colonies from three populations, we examined nestmate recognition among Reticulitermes hesperus workers in Northern California. We showed that R. hesperus workers can discriminate between nestmates and non-nestmates using an aggression bioassay. The level of aggression was variable depending on which colonies were interacting. We examined whether cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, genetic similarity, and distance between colonies could explain this variation.
Species 1: Isoptera Rhinotermitidae Reticulitermes hesperus (Subterranean termite)
Keywords: microsatellites, cuticular hydrocarbons
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA