Since 2019, entomologists from the University of Sydney have reported on all-female, forest-dwelling drywood termite colonies in Japan. And their work recently uncovered how these termite queendoms evolved.
The research team, comprising postdoctoral fellow Toshihisa Yashiro, Dr Yi-Kai Tea, Cara Van Der Wal and Professor Nathan Lo, found that humans actually assisted a process of termite hybridisation during the last century, when one particular lineage moved from a small island to mainland Japan – probably by hitching a ride on a boat.
Females from this lineage proceeded to mate with males from another, creating more genetically diverse and robust offspring. And perhaps most alarmingly of all, the resultant all-female colonies developed the ability to clone themselves!
That’s right – these independent female termites don’t require their male counterparts to procreate.
Since drywood termites are commonly moved around the world through import and export channels, it’s vitally important that strong biosecurity measures are in place in Australia to protect our shores from this particular type of termite – and that homeowners remain aware.
“Our study highlights the importance of making sure termites from overseas are not permitted to establish themselves. If they were to hybridise with our local termites, it might lead to even nastier lineages of termites for homeowners to deal with,” Professor Lo said.
Once a termite infestation occurs, it can be difficult to eradicate. Agriculture.gov.au acknowledges that termites can “pose a risk to plantation forests, landscape and endemic trees in Australia.” So, while we may be impressed with the ingenuity of these particular matriarchal termite colonies, if they made it to Australia, they would definitely be considered unwelcome guests.
