Radiation in termites: the importance of recognition cues

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Although termites are one of the keystone species in tropical ecosystems, their biogeography, diversity and radiation are poorly understood. In contrast to their morphological uniformity, termites use a complex array of chemical substances to interact with nestmates and conspecifics, as well as other species, Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) play a key role in species and nestmate recognition. CHC show considerable variations within, as well as between, species. Hence differentiations in cuticular hydrocarbons may lead to reproductive isolation between populations and ultimately to speciation. We use the genus Macrotermes as well as the species Schedorhinotermes lamanianus (East Africa) as model systems to investigate the role of CHC during speciation and radiation of termites. We explore the possible role of CHC in these processes using a combination of a phylogenetically based analysis of CHC variation across species and populations taking into account the constraints by biosynthetic pathways, and the experimental analysis of the influence of CHC on the behaviour.