Aug. 26, 2009 -- Australian researchers have found discovered how "small, wimpy" termites keep themselves safe from their aggressive cousins.
The study, published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows how two of Australia's wood-eating species can cohabit the same tree or building.
CSIRO entomologist Theodore Evans has found the drywood termite, Cryptotermes secundus can locate the deadly Coptotermes acinaciformis through the sound of the vibrations it makes while chewing.
Evans said once the drywood termite realizes Coptotermes is near they begin tunneling away.
He said the finding could lead to the development of chemical-free controls to stop termites attacking homes and buildings.
With the help of colleague Joseph Lai, at the Australian Defense Force Academy's school of engineering, Evans recorded the vibrations made when both species were chewing.
When given a choice of various pieces of wood, the drywood termite tunneled away from the sounds of the Coptotermes, but towards their own species.
Evans said this response was increased if the wood block was smaller in size, indicating the drywood termite could tell the Coptotermes was nearer and therefore they were at greater risk.
According to Evans there is a lot at stake for the drywood termite if it fails to detect Coptotermes.
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The "small and wimpy" Cryptotermes termite lives in wood in small colonies of about 200 members with just one or two soldier termites, he said.
The soldier's main form of defense is its head, which is shaped like a door for closing off tunnels if the colony is attacked.
The "fast, athletic" Cryptotermes termite, however, lives in the ground, building large mounds where a colony of up to a million members live, and tunneling up into trees.
About 10,000 of its population are soldiers that have razor-sharp mandibles for cutting off enemy legs and can secrete glue that sticks its opponent to the spot, said Evans.
In a battle it would be like the citizens of South Australia's capital Adelaide attacking the country population of the nearby wine-making region of Barossa Valley, he said.
"It would be an absolute landslide unless the valley citizens can be craftier," said Evans.
He said the drywood termite can live in the same tree as the Cryptotermes because it has learned to avoid them.
He said his finding further negates the idea of competition exclusion, which suggests the more aggressive, stronger termite should dominate resources due to superior competitiveness.
"It seems obvious that for nature … the biggest, strongest, fastest would win," said Evans.
"But in fact the opposite is true; there is more diversity than you actually need."
Evans said once a species dominates, the out-competed species find ways to get around their foe.
He points to the example of the ferocious Australian meat ants that are most active in the day.
Co-habiting ants species tend to be nocturnal and prefer cooler temperatures to avoid them.
Evans said it is yet unknown whether Cryptotermes has the same ability.
"Perhaps they do," said Evans, "but they have lower selective pressure to avoid competitors due to their greater competitive ability."
He said Cryptotermes is Australia's most important economic pest termite.
"If a house is being eaten by termites in two out of three cases it is likely to be the Cryptotermes," he said.
Evans said more research is needed on how the drywood termite sense and processes the vibrations and on how widespread the ability is in other species.
But he said in the long-term the research may lead to chemical-free pest control for termites.
"Maybe we can manipulate the vibrations [and] play the right termite song under your house to scare them away," he said.
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