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Trap response and genetic structure of eastern subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2012

Melissa Raffoul ,
Stephen J. Hecnar ,
Stephanie Prezioso ,
Darlene R. Hecnar  and
Graham J. Thompson
Melissa Raffoul
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
Stephen J. Hecnar
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada P7B 5E1
Stephanie Prezioso
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
Darlene R. Hecnar
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada P7B 5E1
Graham J. Thompson*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: graham.thompson@uwo.ca).
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Abstract

Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) is best known throughout southwestern counties of Ontario, Canada, as an urban pest. Little is known, however, of the presence of this termite in nonurban settings in Ontario. In this study, we confirmed the existence of a population of R. flavipes on the shores of Lake Erie within Point Pelee National Park. A systematic trap survey conducted along the park's semi-vegetated west beach revealed several zones of termite activity. An analysis of trap response at one location indicated an association between termite activity and smaller sized, moderately decayed woody debris. Further, microsatellite DNA analysis suggested the presence of at least three genetically distinct colonies, each likely headed by multiple inbred reproductives. Together these data suggest that termite activity is linked to food quality, and that single colonies are potentially long-lived through multiple generations of inbreeding. Assuming it is derived from a population reported from Point Pelee in 1929, the study population is the oldest known eastern subterranean termite population in Ontario.

Résumé

Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) est connue dans les comtés Sud-ouest de l'Ontario comme étant un ravageur urbain. Très peu d'information est disponible cependant sur sa présence naturelle dans des environnements non-urbains en Ontario. Dans cette étude, nous rapportons l'existence d'une population de R. flavipes sur les rives du lac Erié dans le parc national Point Pelee. Par un piégeage systématique mené le long de la plage ouest semi-végétale du parc, nous avons révélé plusieurs régions avec de l'activité de termites. Une analyse des résultats de piégeage à un endroit indique une association entre l'activité des termites et des petits débris de bois modérément pourris. De plus, une analyse des microsatellites de l'ADN suggère qu'il y a au moins trois colonies génétiquement distinctes, chacune d'elle fondée par plusieurs événements consanguins. Ensemble, ces données suggèrent que l'activité des termites est associée à la qualité de la nourriture présente, et que les colonies individuelles peuvent potentiellement vivre longtemps par le biais de plusieurs générations consanguines. En supposant que les termites situées à Point Pelee proviennent d'une population documentée dans la région en 1929, elle est la population connue de termite sous-terraine la plus âgée en Ontario.

Type
Biodiversity & Evolution
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 143 , Issue 3 , June 2011 , pp. 263 - 271
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2011

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