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1. Termite coprolites (Blattodea: Isoptera) from the Early Cretaceous of eastern Inner Mongolia, Northeast China

   https://doi.org/10.11646/palaeoentomology.5.1.2  

   DONG, CHONG; SHI, GONG-LE; WANG, ZI-XI; HUANG, DI-YING (January 2022, Palaeoentomology)

   Well-preserved coprolites (fossil faecal pellets) were found from lignite seams of the Lower Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation at the Huolinhe Basin in eastern Inner Mongolia, Northeast China. These coprolites provide a combination of following features: oval to cylindrical shaped with six longitudinal ridges, hexagonal to elliptical cross-sections, and one blunt end and the other pointed end. According to these distinct features and their size range, the producers of these coprolites are attributed to termites. Termites were estimated to have originated in the earliest Cretaceous with an evolutionary radiation in the Early Cretaceous. The presence of wood debris in the coprolites indicate that the Early Cretaceous termites from the Huolinhe Basin had wood-feeding habits; and anatomical features displaying on the wood debris further suggest their feeding preference was coniferous wood. Besides, the results of a k-means clustering analysis performed for these coprolites indicate that three clusters with different proportion were present, suggesting the division of labor in termites’ sociality existed as early as the Early Cretaceous. 

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2. Wood traits explain microbial but not termite‐driven decay in Australian tropical rainforest and savanna

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14090  

   Law, Stephanie; Flores‐Moreno, Habacuc; Cheesman, Alexander W.; Clement, Rebecca; Rosenfield, Marc; Yatsko, Abbey; Cernusak, Lucas A.; Dalling, James W.; Canam, Thomas; Iqsaysa, Isra Abo; et al (March 2023, Journal of Ecology)

   Abstract Variation in decay rates across woody species is a key uncertainty in predicting the fate of carbon stored in deadwood, especially in the tropics. Quantifying the relative contributions of biotic decay agents, particularly microbes and termites, under different climates and across species with diverse wood traits could help explain this variation.To fill this knowledge gap, we deployed woody stems from 16 plant species native to either rainforest (n = 10) or savanna (n = 6) in northeast Australia, with and without termite access. For comparison, we also deployed standardized, non‐native pine blocks at both sites. We hypothesized that termites would increase rates of deadwood decay under conditions that limit microbial activity. Specifically, termite contributions to wood decay should be greater under dry conditions and in wood species with traits that constrain microbial decomposers.Termite discovery of stems was surprisingly low with only 17.6% and 22.6% of accessible native stems discovered in the rainforest and savanna respectively. Contrary to our hypothesis, stems discovered by termites decomposed faster only in the rainforest. Termites discovered and decayed pine blocks at higher rates than native stems in both the rainforest and savanna.We found significant variation in termite discovery and microbial decay rates across native wood species within the same site. Although wood traits explained 85% of the variation in microbial decay, they did not explain termite‐driven decay. For stems undiscovered by termites, decay rates were greater in species with higher wood nutrient concentrations and syringyl:guiacyl lignin ratios but lower carbon concentrations and wood densities.Synthesis. Ecosystem‐scale predictions of deadwood turnover and carbon storage should account for the impact of wood traits on decomposer communities. In tropical Australia, termite‐driven decay was lower than expected for native wood on the ground. Even if termites are present, they may not always increase decomposition rates of fallen native wood in tropical forests. Our study shows how the drivers of wood decay differ between Australian tropical rainforest and savanna; further research should test whether such differences apply world‐wide. 

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3. Oxalate content of vegetation and termite frass in western South Africa

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70265  

   Nel, T.; Clarke, C_E; Francis, M_L; Babenko, D.; Breecker, D.; Cowan, D_A; Gallagher, T.; McAuliffe, J_R; Trindade, M. (May 2025, Ecosphere)

   Abstract Oxalate salts in organic matter are potential substrates for the oxalate‐carbonate pathway, which can sequester carbon in drylands. We compared calcium oxalate (CaOx) and water‐soluble oxalate (SOx) concentrations of samples of vegetation and termite excrement (frass) collected from termite mounds in sites across a regional rainfall gradient in western South Africa. We developed mid‐infrared (MIR) spectroscopic models to quantify oxalate components in vegetation extracts (n = 30) and frass samples (n = 39). The MIR spectroscopic method was more efficient than chemical analytical techniques of oxalate measurement. The median CaOx concentration of plants (0.311 mmol g⁻¹) was four times greater than frass (0.081 mmol g⁻¹), which may be explained by degradation of oxalates by microorganisms or selective harvesting of low‐oxalate vegetation by termites. The mean CaOx content of frass from sites in mesic regions (0.042 mmol g⁻¹) was lower relative to frass from sites in more arid regions (0.156 mmol g⁻¹), and lower in termite mounds (0.048 mmol g⁻¹) compared with off‐mound samples (0.131 mmol g⁻¹). Frass collected from sites with higher rainfall had a lower mean SOx content (0.006 mmol g⁻¹, respectively) compared with frass from sites with lower rainfall (0.013 mmol g⁻¹, respectively). This may be attributed to faster degradation of CaOx in soils with greater moisture content. Estimated annual inputs of carbon (17.6 kg mound⁻¹) and calcium (2.55 kg mound⁻¹, 20% of which occurs as CaOx) due to termite frass deposition may be instrumental in the formation of calcite via the oxalate‐carbonate pathway in soils of earthen mounds occupied by termites. This work is relevant to modeling carbon storage in drylands where termites are significant consumers of vegetation. 

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4. Termite Presence and Feeding on Loblolly Pine Wood Differs Among Four Root-Infecting Bluestain (ophiostomatoid) Fungal Species

   https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvab052  

   Clay, Natalie A; Siegert, Courtney; Tang, Juliet D; Little, Nathan S; Eckhardt, Lori G; Riggins, John J (June 2021, Environmental Entomology)

   Hajek, Ann (Ed.)

   Abstract Bark beetles and root weevils can impact forests through tree death on landscape scales. Recently, subterranean termites have been linked to these beetles via the presence of bluestain fungi (Ascomycota: Ophiostomataceae), which are vectored to trees by beetles. However, only a small subset of bluestain species have been examined. Here, we tested whether termite-bluestain association patterns in the field reflect termite feeding preference in laboratory choice trials. We documented the presence of four bluestain fungi (Leptographium procerum (W.B. Kendr.), L. terebrantis (Barras & Perry), Grosmannia huntii (Rob.-Jeffr.), and G. alacris (T.A. Duong, Z.W. de Beer & M.J. Wingf.) in the roots of 2,350 loblolly pine trees in the southeastern United States and whether termites were present or absent on these roots and paired this with laboratory choice feeding trials. Termites were found 2.5-fold on tree roots with at least one bluestain fungus present than tree roots without bluestain fungi. Although termites in this study and others were associated with L. procerum, L. terebrantis, and marginally G. huntii, termites only showed preferential feeding on wood inoculated with G. huntii in laboratory trials. This suggests that increased termite presence on wood with bluestain fungi may be driven by factors other than increased wood palatability. Termites could thus disproportionately affect wood turnover rates for specific pools (e.g., bark beetle and root weevil attacked trees) and in some cases (e.g., G. huntii) accelerate wood decomposition. This study supports the growing evidence that the association between subterranean termites and bluestain fungi is spatially and taxonomically widespread. 

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5. Protist symbionts of termites: diversity, distribution, and coevolution

   https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13038  

   Gile, Gillian H. (December 2023, Biological Reviews)

   ABSTRACT The symbiosis between termites and their hindgut protists is mutually obligate and vertically inherited. It was established by the late Jurassic in the cockroach ancestors of termites as they transitioned to wood feeding. Since then, protist symbionts have been transmitted from host generation to host generation by proctodeal trophallaxis (anal feeding). The protists belong to multiple lineages within the eukaryotic superphylum Metamonada. Most of these lineages have evolved large cells with complex morphology, unlike the non‐termite‐associated Metamonada. The species richness and taxonomic composition of symbiotic protist communities varies widely across termite lineages, especially within the deep‐branching clade Teletisoptera. In general, closely related termites tend to harbour closely related protists, and deep‐branching termites tend to harbour deep‐branching protists, reflecting their broad‐scale co‐diversification. A closer view, however, reveals a complex distribution of protist lineages across hosts. Some protist taxa are common, some are rare, some are widespread, and some are restricted to a single host family or genus. Some protist taxa can be found in only a few, distantly related, host species. Thus, the long history of co‐diversification in this symbiosis has been complicated by lineage‐specific loss of symbionts, transfer of symbionts from one host lineage to another, and by independent diversification of the symbionts relative to their hosts. This review aims to introduce the biology of this important symbiosis and serve as a gateway to the diversity and systematics literature for both termites and protists. A searchable database with all termite‐protist occurrence records and taxonomic references is provided as a supplementary file to encourage and facilitate new research in this field. 

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