ECOLOGICAL STUDIES ON TILE SYMBIOSIS OF TER ITOMYCES ...

It can be seen
(Table 5-2e2) that the foodstore extends
approximately halfway down the hives It sits above and covering a
laroe part of the fungus comb. It is therefore well situated to
absorb water lost from the fungus combs by respiration and metabolic
activity of Tormitomycesq and also water lost by the termites In the
combo This, together with the fungus combt probably acts as a
reservoir of water helping to maintain the humidity within the nest
(see Chapter 7)-
The sizes of the zones of the fungus comb (Table 5.24) indicate
that the middle zone Is the largestq occupying almost half the total
areas with the fresh zone being very much smaller than the other two*
TemitýMces mycotaten can thus be seen to be prosent on almost halt
of the comb area. The red-brown patches present In the older zone of
the comb were only superficiall, and were the colour of the moil. They
way be due to the termites plastering soil on the comb. One of the
effects of this may be the Inhibition of the growth of other fungi
(see incubation exWriments, Inhibition experiments Chapter 5)9 or
they may be the products of the decomposition of the fungus c=b by
TermitomLces
(see
analysess Chapter 7)-
The mean number of mycotOtes In the middle zone of the cmb was
142 =-2, Petch (1906) obtained a value of up to I'M cd-2 for
Odontotermes rademinni.
185.