Termite observations reveal their sophisticated technique to prevent contamination in fungal crop

Some species of termites are known to cultivate their own fungi cultures within their nests, similar to the way humans keep farms to feed people. One of these species is the Obesus odontotaterms, which cultivates fungus termitomyces. The relationship between these termites and the fungus can be considered as a kind of symbiotic type. In this case, Termitomyces feeds termites and termites protect the fungus from an invasive fungus of the weed type called pseudoxylaria. Pseudoxylaria can quickly exceed the endings if it is left to its own devices.

A new study, published in ScienceLight on the methods that these insects use to protect their cultures, which was not clear. The research team studied these methods through a series of experiences in which pseudoxylaria was introduced in the Termitomyces Combs du Termitite harvest.

In the first part of the experience, only a small quantity of fungus of weeds was placed on a comb, and the termites’ responses were observed and compared to the response to an unanfacted comb. Then, a highly infected comb was introduced next to a healthy comb and the termites responses were observed. Finally, the team attached a healthy comb with an infected comb to discover how the termites responded. Then, the soil boluses, which were used by the termites to cover certain pieces of comb, were analyzed for the microbial content and the fungistatic properties using sequencing and inhibition tests.

The results were varied, but most termites had behaviors indicating targeted actions to reduce pseudoxylaria infection. They used a combination of behavior, including elimination, isolation and peardoxylaria with soil boluses to protect their cultivation.

In the first part of the experience, the most common response was to eliminate the pseudoxylaria tuft and cover it with soil boluses, then clean the comb. This occurred in 17 out of 57 dosage plates, or 29.82% of cases, and was effective in eliminating the infection 94.12% of the time. Other responses included either the withdrawal of the tuft and cleaning the comb, or simply removing the tuft and covering it. These were effective in most cases.

The team reported that the least frequent behavior had been found in 3 of the 57 plates (5.26%), where pseudoxylaria toffs were covered with soil bolus while being on the comb, which prevented pseudoxylaria 33.33% of the time. Meanwhile, no response was observed in 8 of the 57 (14.04%) of cases.

Termites have also demonstrated elimination and frame strategies with the highly infected comb piece, with some differences. The authors write: “Unlike the previous test, the termites have shown less but considerably different behavioral responses to these highly infected combs by annoying them exclusively with soil boluses, entirely or partially. Plates (31.68%; efficiency = 56.25%).”

When the researchers stuck infected and healthy pieces of comb, the termites were able to quickly identify the infected part.

“We have attached a fresh and not infected comb with an infected part using an adhesive based on resin and presented it to the termites. With a few exceptions, the termites separated the infected parts from the fresh comb parts, accompanied by a partial or complete understanding of infected bands, similar to the results of the second experience,” they say.

The use of soil bolus to collect infected pieces of comb was still a little mystery. The team has hypothesized that the physical act of frame could remove the infection with the lack of oxygen or that the termites could use the use of microbes which help to remove the pseudoxylaria fungus.

After comparing the soil bolus treated by the ground termites which had been sterilized, they found that the sterilized soil was not effective in removing the infection. This led the researchers to conclude that the termites soil boluses were fungal in nature – to keep pseudoxylaria away.

“Our tests show that termites have evolved an elegant solution to collect only the comb infested with weeds or infested with weeds with generic fungal soil boluses. This protects the harvest of the weed as well as the fungistatic effects of the soil bolus,” write the authors.

Information on fungal inhibition practices in the wild help scientists understand and assess other possible ways to reduce the contamination of fungi in human food sources, which can cause greener solutions for the challenges of human agriculture.

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