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Research
Functional morphology
What's the advantage in developing some structures? How do these traits interact with different tasks displayed by insects? Although I work on termites, I'd like to extend these questions to other insect taxa. I've investigated some termite traits and related their morphology/chemical profiles to ecological habits and social interactions. The age-dependent changes in insect body and its function also interest me.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2019.103622, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-021-03469-w and https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micron.2017.07.008
Reproductive strategies in termites
Usually, termite colonies are founded and headed by a single pair of reproductives. However, many species develop secondary reproductives, also referred to as supplementary or replacement reproductives. These individuals develop from different castes after the death of the king and/or queen. The occurrence of dozens or even hundreds of these reproductives in the same nest is common, and their impact on intra- and intercolonial genetic diversity has been subject of study.
During my Master's degree, I studied the ergatoid queens (breeders differentiated from workers) in the Neotropical species Nasutitermes aquilinus and evaluated the impact of their relatedness in the genetic diversity of the colony as a whole. For more information: https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.12727
Development and morphology of the reproductive apparatus
The reproductive traits of termites go through several morphophysiological changes as alates mature into functional breeders. In males, such changes include the development of testes and increasing secretory activity of the seminal vesicles, aiming to provide a suitable environment for the stored spermatozoa. The main compounds secreted by these organs are proteins and polysaccharides, which are suggested to provide energy and nourishment during spermatozoa storage and transfer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-019-01417-8
Mechanisms underlying suicidal defense in termites
Termites have about 18 exocrine glands. Some of them such as the salivary glands are omnipresent among termite lineages and castes. Recently, I've had the opportunity to contribute with different studies regarding the use of salivary glands and other structures (i.e., dehiscent organs) as suicidal weapons by termites workers. Using several morphological approaches, together with behavioral bioassays and chemical analyses, we could understand how the suicidal behavior is triggered in these species and which compounds (toxins, alarm communication signals, defensins, etc.) are related to this altruistic behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-019-01098-w, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1431927620001646 and https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2019.103622
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