Scientists discover how termite colonies all female survive

An international team of scientists says the drywood female termite community from Japan is the result of random breeding. Their strong survival physique is threatening the global ecosystem.

According to research conducted by entomologist Nathan Lo from the University of Sydney in Australia, these female termites likely existed as far back as the last century, and are the result of a cross between two different species of termites. Scientists warn that they may soon dominate native populations and gradually invade many other areas of the world.

The female termite community is stronger than other non-hybrid versions.

'Australia already has a number of dangerous species. Through this research, my team wants to emphasize the importance of preventing foreign termites from having the opportunity to mate with toxic termites in Australia, or else a subspecies of termites worse than the original one. ', said Dr. Lo.

Research proves that the female termite community is stronger than other non-hybrid versions. They have the ability to reproduce without a male, so that the number of individuals increases very quickly compared to the sexually reproducing population. Through this study, we see that it is not always the male that is important to maintain a complex animal society.

The research team had the opportunity to come into contact with this female termite in 2018. They belong to the species Glyptotermes nakajimai, living mainly in the southern region of mainland Japan and on the southern islands.

Termites are known to reproduce sexually, but this hybrid from Japan is completely different, they do not need a male to maintain the species. Science places them in the category of virginity, a form of asexual reproduction in which an embryo emerges on its own in an unfertilized egg.

The scientists extended the project to dig deeper into the structure of drywood termites to determine the link between sexually reproducing and asexual reproduction, and to study male chromosomes. Another goal is to investigate the cause behind the formation of complete termite communities, whether due to crossbreeding between two subspecies. After determining the direction, they conducted a study of many drywood termite colonies on several Japanese islands.

Through field research, the scientific team determined that the interbreeding process between two subspecies with different chromosomes is the cause of the formation of an all-female termite community. The female termites of one island mate with the male termites of the other island, which they coincidentally met thanks to trade ships from all over the world.

Cross-breeding often produces bad mutants, individuals that are powerful but potentially problematic mutants. The evidence is that hybrid drywood termites are highly adaptable without the need for wet conditions to burrow, posing a huge threat to the ecosystem. Next, the team conducted a study on the male drywood termite chromosomes.

Photograph of strange chromosomes of male drywood termites

After conducting chromosome analysis, the scientists discovered that there was something strange about the male termites: they had 15 Y or 15 X chromosomes, instead of one Y or X. this could be an evolutionary response to inbreeding, which is common in termites.

'Instead of venturing out, the young can inherit the nest from their parents, then continue to dig deep into the wood and build their own nest. However, this leads to many inbreeding, where sister termites mate with brother termites, even with parents themselves,' Lo said.

Thus, by increasing the number of chromosomes, male termites pack a variety of genes, allowing close siblings to mate without dangerous genetic consequences. However, this diversity was not related to the presence of female termite communities. 'Our results indicate that asexual reproduction allows female termites to take the dominant role of male termites,' the team said.

While praising the miracles of this "matrilineal" community, entomologists and conservationists warn all nations to be on high alert for any danger posed by them.