Extinct and extant termites reveal the fidelity of behavior fossilization in amber.

ABSTRACT: Fossils encompassing multiple individuals provide rare direct evidence of behavioral interactions among extinct organisms. However, the fossilization process can alter the spatial relationship between individuals and hinder behavioral reconstruction. Here, we report a Baltic amber inclusion preserving a female-male pair of the extinct termite species Electrotermes affinis. The head-to-abdomen contact in the fossilized pair resembles the tandem courtship behavior of extant termites, although their parallel body alignment differs from the linear alignment typical of tandem runs. To solve this inconsistency, we simulated the first stage of amber formation, the immobilization of captured organisms, by exposing living termite tandems to sticky surfaces. We found that the posture of the f

SUBMITTER: Mizumoto N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10963005 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature