Radiation in termites: the importance of recognition cues

对白蚁属的辐射了解甚少。与白蚁形态上的统一性不同，白蚁使用多种多样的化学物质与同伴、竞争者或捕食者相互作用。特别是角质层的碳氢化合物被认为在物种和巢的识别中起着关键作用。碳氢化合物在物种内部和物种之间表现出相当大的差异，因此在物种形成过程中可能起重要作用。因此，它们可能导致生殖隔离。巨白蚁是东半球热带半干旱生态系统中一个重要的生态分类群。我们在此以东非的巨白蚁属作为模型来研究碳氢化合物对白蚁辐射的作用。结合基于烃类变异的系统发育分析和烃类行为调节剂的实验分析，我们希望探索烃类对巨白蚁属辐射的作用。

Radiations of termite genera are poorly understood. In contrast to the morphological uniformity of termites, termites use a considerable diversity of chemical substances to interact with nestmates, competitors, or predators. Especially cuticular hydrocarbons are postulated to play a key role in species and nestmate recognition. Hydrocarbons show considerable variations within as well as between species and thus may play an important role during speciation. Hence, they may lead to reproductive isolation. Macromtermes is an ecologically important taxon of semi-arid ecosystems in the Old World tropics. We here use the genus Macrotermes in East Africa as a model to investigate the role of hycrocarbons for radiations in termites. In a combination of phylogenetically based analysis of hydrocarbon variation and experimental analysis of behaviour modulates by hydrocarbons we wish to explore the role of hydrocarbons for the radiation of the genus Macrotermes.