Microbiology & Termites

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Why Do Microbiologists Study Termites? In nature, intimate relationships between organisms commonly occur, one of which is a mutually advantageous relationship for both the host and the hosted. This mutualistic symbiosis is best characterized in the role protozoans and fungi play in the digestion of cellulose in a termite’s (family termitidae) gut. Without this help, termites would not be able to break down the lignin-rich woody materials needed for growth and nutrition but with this help the symbionts i.e. protists and fungi, have their food delivered to them, thus conserving energy by not having to go far to feed. These protists also exhibit ectosymbionts; symbionts occurring on the outside of their bodies. These interconnected mutual beneficial relationships between the termites and their symbionts are cause for a most perfect example of mutual symbiosis in the animal kingdom. Termites Termites are colonial insects that belong to the taxonomic family Termitidae of the order Blattodea. This insect has a fossil record dating back as far as the Cretaceous period, 140 million years ago and have developed into approximately 2600 different species around the globe, most species inhabiting tropical rain forests and the savannas; fewer inhabiting more temperate climates. They are detrivores and are a very important part of any ecosystem, eating and breaking down dead plant and tree debris, wood and wood in soil, returning fertilized product back to the earth because of this process. Termites are divided mainly into two groups: either cellulose digestion in their gut using protozoans (lower order) or by cellulose digestion via the use of fungi (higher order). These relationships are called mutually symbiotic due to both the termite and the protozoan/fungi both benefitting from the role each other plays in this relationship. The four types
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