Symbiotic Plant Biomass Decomposition in Fungus-Growing Termites
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- Symbiotic Plant Biomass Decomposition in Fungus-Growing Termites
Final published version, 1.11 MB, PDF document
Termites are among the most successful animal groups, accomplishing nutrient acquisition through long-term associations and enzyme provisioning from microbial symbionts. Fungus farming has evolved only once in a single termite sub-family: Macrotermitinae. This sub-family has become a dominant decomposer in the Old World; through enzymatic contributions from insects, fungi, and bacteria, managed in an intricate decomposition pathway, the termites obtain near-complete utilisation of essentially any plant substrate. Here we review recent insights into our understanding of the process of plant biomass decomposition in fungus-growing termites. To this end, we outline research avenues that we believe can help shed light on how evolution has shaped the optimisation of plant-biomass decomposition in this complex multipartite symbiosis.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 87 |
Journal | Insects |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 4 |
Number of pages | 15 |
ISSN | 2075-4450 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2019 |
- Blattodea, Carbohydrate-active enzymes, Macrotermitinae, Microbiota, Social insects, Termitomyces
Research areas
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