Termite Feeding and the Protozoa + = Created by UH Termite Project

Symbiotic Relationship Association of two dissimilar organisms in a beneficial relationship Spirotrichonympha leidyi Koidzumi Holomastigotoides hartmanni Pseudotrichonympha grassii Protozoa (Kingdom Protista) Formosan Subterranean Termites (Kingdom Animalia) + Created by UH Termite Project

The Benefits of the Symbiotic Relationship The Protozoan receives: A home (shelter) by living in the termite gut. Cellulose (food) from wood that the termite eats The cellulose is digested and acetate, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane are produced and released. The Termites receives/absorbs: Acetate produced by the Protozoa. The termites use the acetate as their energy source to carry out daily bodily functions. Created by UH Termite Project

The Transfer of Protozoa in a NEW colony The queen and the king are responsible for feeding and passing on the protozoa to the offspring in the new colony. Created by UH Termite Project

The Transfer of Protozoa in an OLDER Colony The workers are responsible for feeding and transferring the protozoa in an older colony. Stomadeal Feeding Passing partially digested food with the mouth to another termite. Proctodeal Feeding Receiving food from the anus. Created by UH Termite Project

External Anatomy of a Termite Identification of Body Sections head thorax abdomen 1. Head = The eyes, antennae, and mouthparts are on the head. 2. Thorax = The 3 pairs of legs are attached to the thorax. 3. Abdomen = The abdomen holds all reproductive organs. Created by UH Termite Project

Internal Anatomy of a Termite How wood is digested 1. Pieces of wood enters the mouth. 2. Wood is ground in the crop. 3. Wood particles enters the hind gut and are consumed by the protozoans, who release acetate, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane. 4. Acetate release by protozoa is absorbed by the termite 5. Digested material passed out of the anus to feed others or build carton Created by UH Termite Project

Consumers/Hetertrophs Energy Source Created by UH Termite Project Omnivore Carnivore SOIL BACTERIA (decomposers) Carnivore Producers Herbivore Consumers/Hetertrophs Termites are essential organisms in the environment. They are the largest group of insects adapted to feed on wood and dry plant matter. Termites perform a very important ecological function by decomposing (breaking down) cellulose (main component in plant cell walls) materials in natural forest settings. Without decomposers, such as termites, dead plant materials would pile up and it would take much longer for needed nutrients to be recycled back into the soil for use by other living plants. Overtime, this would result in infertile soil unable to support a healthy plant community, and a healthy plant community is the backbone of a diverse forest ecosystem. Termites are also an important food source for many amphibians, reptiles and birds, who help to keep the termite population in control. Predators attack the termites during swarming when they are exposed and easy to catch. In some parts of the world they are the main food source for specialized mammals that use modified mouths to burrow into termite colonies. Producer