"Conflict and conflict
resolution in termite societies"
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Research:
Communities of social
insects are the epitome of cooperation and altruism. However, more
recently investigations on social hymenopterans showed that often
conflicts occur between colony members and that coercion and
manipulation are major mechanisms for conflict suppression and
maintenance of cooperation.
In hymenopterans (ants, bees, wasps) many conflicts ascribe to their
haplodiploid mode of sex determination.
The aim of my project is to examine conflicts and mechanisms of conflict
resolution in diploid social organisms with lower termites as model
system. Termites and hymenopterans differ considerably in their
potentials for conflict: As termites lack relatedness asymmetries
leading to conflicts over sex ratio or male production in hymenopterans,
other conflicts can be expected due to different developmental options
of the distinct castes. The drywood termite Cryptotermes secundus
is particularly suited for such studies because intensive investigations
on this species made it a so far unique model-system for the evolution
of cooperation in termites. Whether both groups of social insects have
evolved similar principles for conflict resolution despite their
different potentials for conflicts and evolutionary ancestry is a
question yet to be answered.
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Mangroves in Darwin, Australia – Home of C. secundus
C.secundus
– Soldier |
Neotenic
reproductives |
C.secundus
– Worker |
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Classification of nymphal instars, modified
after Sewell & Watson 1981 |
Spectogram of GC |
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Publications: |
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