title: Trail-following in termites: Evidence for a multicomponent system.
abstract: Several African termite species from different subfamilies and different habitats are sensitive to trail-active extracts or to naturally laid trails from other species. Using single-extract bioassays, it is shown that the response threshold for trail-following is nearly identical for all tested species (except forHodotermes mossambicus). However, when termite workers have a choice between trails from their own species and from other species, conspecific trail-following is exclusively observed. This phenomenon can be counteracted by dilution (1∶10) of the conspecific trail-pheromone extract. Tests of the trail activity of various synthetic alcohols show that among these, the highest sensitivity of termite workers is to (Z)-3-dodecen-1-ol. Based on our experimental data, we postulate that, in addition to a generally active trail-pheromone constituent (an unsaturated primary C12 alcohol) or a pool of chemically closely related alcohols, other species-specific components are present in termite trails.
authors.affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaib
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bruinsma
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Leuthold