May 21, 2014 10:17 AM EDT
For the first time, scientists have sequenced the genome of a termite and discovered several similarities to other social insects.
According to LiveScience.com, termites have a strict "caste system," or a hierarchy similar to that of honeybees, ants and some wasps. Certain termites are deemed kings and queens and while they reproduce, others defend the colony and raise the young.
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The researchers published their study Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
"The analysis of the termite genome is crucial to improving our understanding of decisive steps in the evolution of insects, and also of the development of social insects," said Nicolas Terrapon, a study lead author and researcher at Aix-Marseille University in France, said in a press release. "Termites are, in contrast to bees and ants, quite original insects, and belong to the cockroaches. Our research will help us gain a better understanding of the evolution of insects in general."
The researchers found termites have developed a different order than Hymenoptera, used mainly by ants and bees. Unlike ants and bees, whose colonies are dominated by females, termite societies are evenly split. Ant males are also only meant to reproduce once and then die, another key difference with termites.
"Generally, ant males deliver sperm and then die. But sperm production goes on for life in the dampwood termite male," study co-author Dr. Ed Vargo, professor of entomology at North Carolina State University, said in a press release.
The main concern with termites is they feed on the wood in people's homes, causing someone to spend money on eliminating the insect and to fix the damage. The new study could aid termite control without destroying their colonies.
"The vast majority of termites are not pests," Vargo said. "They serve important functions in decomposition, for example. But we can use this sequence information to figure out ways of disrupting certain pathways which could have pest control implications for termites causing problems in homes."
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Source : http://www.universityherald.com/articles/9521/20140521/termite-genome-sequenced-for-first-time-how-their-caste-system-stacks-compares-to-ants-and-bees.htm
