title: Smells Like Home: Chemically Mediated Co-Habitation of Two Termite Species in a Single Nest.
abstract: Termite nests often are referred to as the most elaborate constructions of animals. However, some termite species do not build a nest at all and instead found colonies inside the nests of other termites. Since these so-called inquilines do not need to be in direct contact with the host population, the two colonies usually live in separate parts of the nest. Adaptations of both the inquiline and its host are likely to occur to maintain the spatial exclusion and reduce the costs of potential conflicts. Among them, mutual avoidance, based on chemical cues, is expected. We investigated chemical aspects of cohabitation between Constrictotermes cavifrons (Nasutitermitinae) and its obligatory inquiline Inquilinitermes inquilinus (Termitinae). Inquiline soldiers produce in their frontal glands a blend of wax esters, consisting of the C12alcohols (3Z)-dodec enol, (3Z,6Z)-dodecadienol, and dodecanol, esterified with different fatty acids. The C12alcohols appear to be cleaved gradually from the wax esters, and they occur in the frontal gland, in soldier headspace, and in the walls of the inquiline part of the nest. Electrophysiological experiments revealed that (3Z)-dodecenol and (3Z,6Z)-dodecadienol are perceived by workers of both species. Bioassays indicated that inquiline soldier heads, as well as the two synthetic compounds, are attractive to conspecific workers and elicit an arresting behavior, while host soldiers and workers avoid these chemicals at biologically relevant amounts. These observations support the hypothesis that chemically mediated spatial separation of the host and the inquiline is an element of a conflict-avoidance strategy in these species.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic. anna.jirosova@uochb.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jirošová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Research for Development - Sorbonne Universités, iEES-Paris, U 242, Bondy, France. drdavidsd@hotmail.com.|Université Paris 13 - Sorbonne Paris Cité, LEEC, EA 4443, Villetaneuse, France. drdavidsd@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: David
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5027-8703
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sillam-Dussès
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavlína
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kyjaková
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Blanka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kalinová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Klára
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dolejšová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Andrej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jančařík
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Majer
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Sergipe, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Fellipe
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Cristaldo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hanus
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000378:metabolism; D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D004924:Escape Reaction; D004951:Esterification; D004952:Esters / Q000378:metabolism; D020049:Isoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D009425:Nesting Behavior; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism; D012903:Smell; D014885:Waxes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D004952:Esters; D010675:Pheromones; D014885:Waxes
keywords: Constrictotermes cavifrons; Frontal gland; Inquilinism; Inquilinitermes inquilinus; Soldiers; Termitidae