ECOLOGICAL STUDIES ON TILE SYMBIOSIS OF TER ITOMYCES ...

Dizcufý. Asion
The results show that acne tomito species% such as Hacroterues
bellicosup and, all Plerptermes speciez inypatigatedt carry a bolus of
TermiLmqces conidia with them when they leave the pants which in shown
both by e=Ination of the cropcontents
(Table 692909 And by the
culturing of-Term-itomXSes from the gut (T4ble 6*2*2)*, Other speý: ies
Such as, KAcrotemos subliyallnus, t Ancistroteme3 cavitharax =n4
Odontotermes smeathmani do. not, carry a bolus of'TermitoUcas with
them on leaving the neste
Tho n=bors of TomiLcM. Cces cultures obtained (Table 6.2.2) are
lwar than tho number. of termites carrying boll of Termit2=es (Table
6,2*1) due tq Vie fact that, although the selective modiumareatly
reduces the t=ber of other fungL obtainedg some such, as Asper illus
vloinceous, CumipjLhamelln spog Curvular-la ap. and ThInjavia sp. still
gr4ow in some casent vith,, bacterial GrOvth Wng a probleM.
In the case of Macrotermes bellicagus the Inoc I
ulum of Termit2=eq
in given to the termites only In the final Instarj the penultimate
Instar having a c=plctely mpty crop (Table-6,2.1).
The results also show differences between the sexes in the species
carrying Termit=e% The male Is the principal carrier
M. bellicosuml whereas the female carries the Inoculum In all the
Hicrotermen species investigated, OccasionAlly the llwron6l' isex carried
Termlte=. ces
(Table 64*2)e
The carring4i. of spores Is associated with, the ability of founding
pairs to establish viable funmw comb In unfed laboratory cultures In
in
292a
sterile zoLl (Table 6. '. 1*3)9 wherean, aame species (the non-carriers) are
consistently unable, to establish a vlaýle tungus comb In laboratory
culturese
.