ARS | Publication request: EMPIRICAL GENETIC DATA USED TO TEST THEORETICAL GENETIC MODEL OF TERMITE COLONY STRUCTURE

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: July 1, 2003
Publication Date: October 26, 2003
Citation: Jenkins, T.M., Zhanbang, C., Wang, M.L., Basten, C., Forscheler, B. 2003. Empirical genetic data used to test theoretical genetic model of termite colony structure. Entomological Society of America Proceedings. ESA Annual Meeting, Cincinnati, OH, Nov 2003.

Technical Abstract: Herein we report the first of our genetic baseline studies of incipient laboratory colonies. Reticulitermites flavipes alates collected from separate sites and with unique site-specific matrilines, AB and BH respectively, were sampled from two buildings on the Athens campus of the University of Georgia. An incipient colony was established with a male and female from each site. After ten months, genetic analyses of the colony revealed that only the male and female from matriline AB survived. All the worker pogency carried only the AB haplotype and the genetic distance and genetic identifty analyses showed that the colony was highly inbred. We compared the empiracle genetic data with a computer simulation model designed to predict population genetic variation over time from known progenitors.