Tuesday 31 July 2012

Termites' crystal backpacks help them go out with bang


A species of termite has been found to inflict more damage on its enemies as it ages.
When defending their colony, some termites "explode", releasing chemicals that injure intruders.
A previously unknown crystal structure has been discovered that raises the toxicity of their chemical weapons.
As worker termites grow older, they become less able to perform their duties.
Yet this newly discovered structure allows ageing workers to better defend their colony. The research was published today in Science.
When faced with a threat, many termite species employ a type of altruistic suicide known as "autothysis" in order to deter attackers.
n a few species, workers join "soldier" termites in the defence of their colony and perform these acts of suicidal defence.
However, a twist to this system has been discovered in a species from French Guiana.
"My PhD student, Thomas Bourguignon, was studying termite community ecology and collecting species when, casually, he found something really special," Prof Yves Roisin from the Free University of Brussels told BBC News.
By rupturing their bodies, Neocapritermes taracua release a toxic chemical that sticks to intruders, holding them fast and corroding their bodies.
"[Autothysis] is usually a one component system. The defensive secretions are stored in salivary glands, but in these species there is a 'backpack' with two crystals carried outside the body. When the termite bursts, the two mix together, producing the more toxic compounds," Prof Roisin explained.
The "backpacks" are formed from pouches on the outside of the body.

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