2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A study of the biological interaction among social insects on the rainforest canopy in Southeast Asia
| Project/Area Number |
16405009
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
Ecology/Environment
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| Research Institution | Yamaguchi University |
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Principal Investigator |
TAKEMATSU Yoko Yamaguchi University, Faculty of Agriculture, Associate Professor (30335773)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
YAMAOKA Ryohei Kyoto Institute of Technology, Faculty of Textile Science, Professor (00111948)
INUI Yoko Osaka Kyoiku University, Faculty of Education, Assistnt (10343261)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2007
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| Keywords | social insects / biological interaction / rainforest cane / ants / termites / cockroaches |
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| Research Abstract |
In this project, 3 major interactions on the rainforest canopy were investigated to clarify the maintenance and mechanism of there biological interactions.
1. Termites-termites interactions
Assessment of termites and their ecological function on the forest floor, the rainforest canopy and intermediate area were carried out in dipterocarp forest. Material transportation ability of termites was also investigated. All these results show that there are considerable amount of termites exist also in the canopy and termites of each area have its own assemblage pattern. Certain termite species have wide range of vertical distribution and transportation ability from the ground level to the canopy.
2. Plant-ants and myrmecophilious cockroaches interactions
Two epiphytic ferns, Platycerium and Lecanopteris, Crematogaster difformis ant, and Pseudoanaplectinia yumotoi cockroache were investigated in dipterocarp forest canopy in Borneo. The behavioral experiments and chemical analysis of ants and cockroaches were also carried out. From the behavioral experiments, it suggests that P. yumotoi is the only and prominent myrmecophile on C. difformis colonies. We analyzed CHCs of P yumotoi and C. difformis using GC and GC-MS. These results suggest that P yumotoi has succeeded to penetrate host ant colony in a unique and unknown manner, and the ant C. difformis also have a unique way to recognize the other ant individuals.
3. Termites-ants interactions
Under the field observation of huge processing of the termite, We found some clear evidences that the soldiers stand aside completely control the stream of processing workers. Chemical analysis of the soldier head extract and field and laboratory bioassay was conducted to reproduce the behavior of the workers, some sesquiterpen compounds was found to be the candidate or the enclosure pheromone.
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