Exploring life-history and symbiotic strategy of social insect symbiont using X-ray CT

这项研究描述了一种实用的比较工作流程的开发，以使用非破坏性高分辨率显微CT来调查群居昆虫共生体的生活史和共生策略。我们选择了一组指标性状，并测试了它们的性能，以确定它们作为指标的意义。这项研究显示了有希望的结果，我们目前正在选择一套合适的指标来应用于广泛的稀有共生体分类群。这项研究旨在为研究人员提供宝贵的工具来研究群居昆虫共生体，填补其生态学方面的知识空白，并开发模拟模型来回答与其共生生态相关的特定问题。

This research describes the development of a practical comparative workflow to investigate the life-histories and symbiotic strategies of social insect symbionts using a non-destructive high-resolution micro-CT. We have selected a set of indicator traits and tested their performance for micro-CT imaging to determine their significance as indicators. This research indicates promising results, and we are currently in the process of selecting a set of suitable indicators to apply to a wide range of rare symbiont taxa. The study aims to provide researchers with valuable tools to investigate social insect symbionts, fill knowledge gaps in their ecology, and develop simulation models to answer specific questions related to their symbiotic ecology.