The effects of natural preconditioning (source wood), wood species, and previous
exposure of wood to two types of fungi on the feeding rates and protozoa survival in the
Pacific dampwood termite Zootermopsis angusticollis (Isoptera: Termospidae) were
examined under laboratory conditions. Termites were exposed to four wood species that
had been treated previously with a non-wood decay fungus or a wood decay fungus for
various lengths of time, or were untreated. Termite feeding was measured in forced
feeding and choice feeding tests, after which two types of gut protozoa (Trichomitopsis
spp. and Trichonympha spp.) were counted.
Wood species and previous fungal exposure both affected consumption rates and
protozoa numbers in Z. angusticollis. The results indicated that pre-conditioning did not
affect the amount of wood consumed or protozoa numbers in forced feeding tests, but
sometimes affected protozoa numbers in choice feeding tests. Exposure of various conifer
woods to an early colonizing white rot fungus, Stereum sanguinolentum, affected how
much wood of a particular species was consumed by dampwood termites in both forced
and choice feeding tests. Exposure of these woods to a non-wood decay fungus,
Trichoderma viride, had little effect on wood consumption but did affect the numbers of
one type of gut protozoan, Trichoniitopsis, in choice testing. / Graduation date: 1993
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/37194 |
| Date | 19 August 1992 |
| Creators | Mankowski, Mark Edward |
| Contributors | Schowalter, Timothy D. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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