Environment & Energy

hatrack

(59,592 posts) Thu Mar 26, 2015, 08:10 AM Mar 2015

What Doesn't Drown Will Crumble - S. Florida Termite Species Cross, Double Reproductive Speed

(Reuters) - Two of the most destructive termites species in the world are mating in South Florida, producing hybrid colonies that are growing at twice the normal rate of other termites, scientists reported on Wednesday.

Asian and Formosan termites together are responsible for much of the estimated $40 billion in annual termite damage worldwide, and their hybrid offspring could increase the loss significantly, said Nan-Yao Su, the University of Florida entomology professor who led the study.

"It's not good news," said Su, whose research was published on Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE. "It means within a shorter period of time homeowners will see the damage."

Su attributes the development to climate change, noting that Asian and Formosan termites used to live in separate territories and swarm at different times. By 2013, both the territory and swarming season of each species had grown to overlap, he said.

Ed. - Emphasis added.

The research found that Asian male termites prefer Formosan females, and that their colonies within one year contain about 160 individuals compared to 60 in a single-species colony.

EDIT

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/26/usa-florida-termites-idUSL2N0WS01120150326

2 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

What Doesn't Drown Will Crumble - S. Florida Termite Species Cross, Double Reproductive Speed (Original Post) hatrack Mar 2015 OP

Kick + clarification ... Nihil Mar 2015 #1

"Hybrid Vigor" and all that . . . . but we'll see hatrack Mar 2015 #2

Nihil

(13,508 posts)

1. Kick + clarification ...

Reply to hatrack (Original post)

Thu Mar 26, 2015, 09:16 AM

Mar 2015

... for any non-biologists (like me) who was confused by the use of "species" in the above context of
cross-breeding and reproductive rates.

I was used to this definition

Biology. the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species.

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/species)

A better explanation (which I will attempt to remember!) is

If two lineages of oak look quite different, but occasionally form hybrids with each other, should we count them as different species? There are lots of other places where the boundary of a species is blurred. It’s not so surprising that these blurry places exist—after all, the idea of a species is something that we humans invented for our own convenience!

(http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/VADefiningSpecies.shtml)

That ties back into the OP article:
>> It will not be known whether the hybrid offspring are fertile or sterile until the colonies reach
>> about five years of age, when new kings and queens typically begin to reproduce, Su said.
>> If they can reproduce, the hybrid termites could take on the invasive qualities of their parent
>> species and spread beyond Florida, researchers said.

Hey Floridans? You have five years of praying to do on this subject too!

hatrack

(59,592 posts)

2. "Hybrid Vigor" and all that . . . . but we'll see

Reply to Nihil (Reply #1)

Thu Mar 26, 2015, 09:22 AM

Mar 2015

The Formosans are bad enough.

Reply to this discussion