Banca de DEFESA: ALINE DO NASCIMENTO FILGUEIRA SILVA

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ALINE DO NASCIMENTO FILGUEIRA SILVA
DATE: 31/07/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Auditório PRPG
TITLE:

DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON'T: THE ROLE OF CHEMICAL CUES FROM ENEMIES ON RESOURCE SELECTION IN Nasutitermes corniger (TERMITIDAE: NASUTITERMITINAE)

 

KEY WORDS:

chemical communication, social information, soldiers, predator-prey, interaction.

PAGES: 70
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Zoologia
SUBÁREA: Comportamento Animal
SUMMARY:

During resource acquisition in the environment, termites must face dynamic risks and be strategic in their decisions. Despite being known for their incredible cohesion, a consequence of their chemical communication, little is known about how these insects respond to risk signals during resource selection. In addition, we understand a little about the role of soldiers in mediating these decisions. In this thesis, we sought to analyze whether groups of Nasutitermes corniger perceived and responded to chemical risk signals during food selection. To this end, we conducted behavioral experiments, offering food resources with variations in the chemical risk ranges and in the caste composition of the group. We initially tested whether isolated chemical signals from predators and competitors influenced collective foraging decisions. We then analyzed the presence and proportion of soldiers influencing collective decisions, through their sensitivity to risk and the ability to redirect the group in the face of chemical predation cues. The results indicate that N. corniger termites can differentiate the risk associated with the resource, adjusting their foraging behavior according to the origin of the risk. Furthermore, the presence of soldiers and a greater proportion of soldiers involved than the group risked exploiting threatened resources, showing that soldiers brought increased opportunities for resource exploitation. The results of this study are important for a better understanding of how termites use chemical cues to mitigate the costs involved during resource selection, as well as highlighting the importance of the defense caste in this decision-making.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externo à Instituição - JOSÉ WAGNER DA SILVA MELO - UFPE
Externa à Instituição - LARISSA FREITAS FERREIRA - UFRPE
Presidente - PAULO FELLIPE CRISTALDO
Externa à Instituição - ROBERTA RAMOS COELHO - UFRPE
Externo à Instituição - WENDEL JOSE TELES PONTES - UFPE