Key physical wood properties in termite foraging decisions.

ABSTRACT: As eusocial and wood-dwelling insects, termites have been shown to use vibrations to assess their food, to eavesdrop on competitors and predators and to warn nest-mates. Bioassay choice experiments used to determine food preferences in animals often consider single factors only but foraging decisions can be influenced by multiple factors such as the quantity and quality of the food and the wood as a medium for communication. A statistical analysis framework is developed here to design a single bioassay experiment to study multifactorial foraging choice ( Pinus radiata) in the basal Australian termite species Coptotermes ( C.) acinaciformis (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). By employing a correlation analysis, 17 measured physical properties of 1417 Pinus radiata veneer discs were reduced to fiv

SUBMITTER: Oberst S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6303793 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature