A trade-off between antipredatory behavior and pairing competition produced by male-male tandem running in three Reticulitermes species  

作　　者：Gang-Hua Li Long Liu Chao-Liang Lei Qiu-Ying Huang 

机构地区：[1]Hubei Insect Resource Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China

出　　处：《Insect Science》2015年第4期560-568,共9页昆虫科学（英文版）

摘　　要：Due to the omnipresent risk of predation, termites have evolved many antipreda- tory 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 pro- mote population evolution in termites by repeatedly removing the relatively inferior male individuals.Due to the omnipresent risk of predation, termites have evolved many antipreda- tory 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 pro- mote population evolution in termites by repeatedly removing the relatively inferior male individuals.

关 键 词：antipredatory behavior pairing competition tandem running termites trade-off 

分 类 号：Q141[生物学—生态学] TD442.2[生物学—普通生物学]