Banca de DEFESA: SARA YURI MEDEIROS WATANABE

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : SARA YURI MEDEIROS WATANABE
DATE: 25/02/2026
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Auditório PRPG
TITLE:

Social buffering against insecticide: behavioral and enzymatic tolerance mechanisms in a nasute termite species

KEY WORDS:

termite control, social behavior, detoxifying enzymes, Nasutitermes corniger, imidacloprid

PAGES: 99
BIG AREA: Ciências Agrárias
AREA: Agronomia
SUBÁREA: Fitossanidade
SPECIALTY: Entomologia Agrícola
SUMMARY:

Termite control strategies based on slow-acting, non-repellent insecticides rely on the principle of horizontal transfer within colonies. However, in practice, colonies often persist despite sustained exposure, suggesting that intrinsic biological mechanisms buffer the effects of chemical stress. This thesis investigates how social organization and caste-specific physiological processes interact to modulate tolerance to insecticides in the neotropical termite Nasutitermes corniger. Through a series of laboratory bioassays, we examined (i) how caste identity shapes behavioral interactions with intoxicated nestmates, (ii) whether soldiers mediate group-level behavioral responses that mitigate neonicotinoid stress, and (iii) how detoxification capacity is distributed among castes via esterase activity. Our results demonstrate that contact with intoxicated individuals triggers caste-dependent behavioral adjustments, with soldiers inducing behavioral cascades that reduce exposure and increase group survival under imidacloprid exposure. In contrast, workers were identified as the primary drivers of enzymatic detoxification, exhibiting higher esterase activity irrespective of soldier presence. Together, these results indicate a division of labor in which soldiers function as behavioral regulators that buffer social stress, while workers bear the physiological burden of detoxification. By integrating behavioral ecology and enzymatic mechanisms, this thesis advances the concept of social buffering against insecticides and provides a more realistic framework for understanding termite tolerance and the limitations of colony-level control strategies.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - PAULO FELLIPE CRISTALDO
Externa à Instituição - DEBORA BARBOSA DE LIMA MELO - UFPE
Externo à Instituição - ERALDO RODRIGUES DE LIMA - UFV
Externa à Instituição - FABIANA ELAINE CASARIN DOS SANTOS - UNESP
Externa à Instituição - NATALY DE LA PAVA SUAREZ