| Immunomarking reveals food flow and feeding relationships in the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 17349131 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Trophallaxis and feeding relationships in the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), were examined using a novel marking technique, rabbit IgG protein coupled with an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect the marker. Transfer experiments in small dishes evaluated the trophallactic transfer of the marker from donor workers fed IgG-treated paper to recipient workers or larvae. Worker donors rapidly acquired the marker, and 100% of donors tested positive within 24 h. Trophallactic transfer from donors to recipients was relatively inefficient, and 51 +/- 2% of recipient workers and 31 +/- 2% of recipient larvae tested positive at 72 h. Based on the mean optical density counts, approximately 27% of marker ingested by the donors was passed on to the recipient workers in the first 24 h, 14% to recipient larvae, and 26% to recipient soldiers. The ability of soldiers to feed independently of workers was examined in dish assays. Soldiers showed no significant uptake of the marker when isolated from the workers, and uptake increased significantly when workers were present. The distribution of the marker was further studied in larger colony fragments composed of workers, soldiers, nymphs, and larvae. Marker acquisition by the different castes/developmental stages was highly variable, with workers and nymphs acquiring the marker at a faster rate than soldiers and larvae. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the foraging ecology and social behavior in R. flavipes. In addition, they may help design improved control programs for subterranean termites based on baits. |
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Authors:
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Grzegorz Buczkowski; Changlu Wang; Gary Bennett |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Environmental entomology Volume: 36 ISSN: 0046-225X ISO Abbreviation: Environ. Entomol. Publication Date: 2007 Feb |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2007-03-12 Completed Date: 2007-11-05 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7502320 Medline TA: Environ Entomol Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 173-82 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. gbuczkow@purdue.edu |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Feeding Behavior* Immunoglobulin G / analysis Isoptera / physiology* Larva / physiology Nymph / physiology Social Behavior* |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Immunoglobulin G |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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