Explosive Backpacks in Old Termite Workers

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This publication doesn't include Faculty of Economics and Administration. It includes Central European Institute of Technology. Official publication website can be found on muni.cz.
Authors

ŠOBOTNÍK Jan BOURGUIGNON Thomas HANUS Robert DEMIANOVA Z. PYTELKOVA J. MARES M. FOLTYNOVÁ Pavla PREISLER Jan CVACKA Josef KRASULOVÁ Jana ROISIN Y.

Year of publication 2012
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Science
MU Faculty or unit

Central European Institute of Technology

Citation
Web http://www.sciencemag.org/content/337/6093/436
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1219129
Field Analytic chemistry
Keywords termite; SALD ICP MS; copper
Description By nature, defensive behavior is risky. In social insects, such behavior is more likely to occur in individuals whose potential for other tasks is diminished. We show that workers of the termite Neocapritermes taracua develop an exceptional two-component suicidal apparatus consisting of copper-containing protein crystals, stored in external pouches, and internal salivary glands. During aggressive encounters, their bodies rupture, and the crystals react with the salivary gland secretion to produce a toxic droplet. Both the amount of defensive substances and the readiness to explode increase with workers’ age, as their food-collecting ability declines.
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