Summary
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1.
Hodotermes workers conduct both day and night harvesting expeditions in the open air.
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2.
The harvesting direction taken from the foraging hole is determined at the beginning of the foraging period.
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3.
Two systems of aboveground orientation can be employed: optical menotaxis and pheromonal (chemical) orientation.
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4.
Optical orientation is more precise than pheromonal orientation. If both parameters are experimentally set in competition, optical cues dominate over pheromonal cues when ever they can be utilized.
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5.
Pheromonal orientation is crucial in “diffuse-light” or “no-light” conditions. It is always essential in the close vicinity of the foraging hole.
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6.
The pheromonal source is the sternal gland. A field of pheromonal marks is built up along the main foraging direction. Pheromonal orientation is performed by klinotactic motion along the chemical field.
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7.
Termites going out from the nest tend to use pheromonal orientation more readily than those returning.
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8.
In addition to directional orientation, individual memory for the distance between the foraging hole and feeding place has been demonstrated in homing termites.
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Leuthold, R.H., Bruinsma, O. & van Huis, A. Optical and pheromonal orientation and memory for homing distance in the harvester termite Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 1, 127–139 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299194
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299194