Behaviours of termite workers of Odontotermes obesus that maintain their crop of Termitomyces

Abstract

This work is an inquiry into the nature of the obligate symbiosis that exists between fungus-growing termites and white-rot fungi—which is their crop. Some of these experiments were to look at how and what termites perceive, while other experiments were to see what their response is to certain stimuli. Other than this behavioural aspect, there was an attempt to test for a microbial candidate to see if it works to protect the fungal crop. Taken together, what was gathered from the experiments was that there are more than one ways in which termite workers fight invasive weeds and also that more than one senses are used to detect threats. It was noted that termite workers can bury an invasive weed, disintegrate it or even leave it be. And it was learned when can and cannot the termite workers control infection to their crops.