Macrotermes michaelseni, an abundant termite species in semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Africa, e... more Macrotermes michaelseni, an abundant termite species in semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Africa, exhibits considerable fluctuations in the proportion of polygynous colonies across years (between 5 and 50 %). We found a negative correlation between rainfall and the proportion of polygynous colonies with a time lag of two years. A decrease in the percentage of polygynous colonies was particularly obvious in 1999 and 2000, two years after an El Niño-event. Rainfall and subsequent primary production seem to influence the degree of polygyny. Variation in the proportion of polygynous colonies could be due to several mutually nonexclusive factors, including better survival of polygynous colonies during years with low resource availability and increased aggression between nestmate queens with decreasing resource availability. Evaluating several lines of circumstantial evidence we suggest that the degree of polygyny depends on ecological factors.
The termite alates of Allodontermes tenax are eaten as a substitute dietary element in Kenya. Art... more The termite alates of Allodontermes tenax are eaten as a substitute dietary element in Kenya. Artificial inducement of the alates was evaluated based on a traditional method that has been used for decades. The idea is to imitate the natural weather conditions required by swarming alates. In natural situations, the most conducive weather is when rain is accompanied by thunderstorms and then stops for at least 2hours with intervals of clear and sunny skies. Such weather conditions stimulate the emergence of alates during day time or in the evening at dusk. In artificial situation, producing the sound of rain and by pouring water down the emergence holes to strengthen the impression of rain was found to work with Allodontermes species. Through field manipulation of weather conditions, the alates of Allodontermes tenax responded to external changes and were harvested for consumption by local community. The following weather conditions were found necessary in stimulating nest activities ...
Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 1994
Page 1. SYSTEMATICS Species Delimitation in Macrotermes (Isoptera: Macrotermitidae): Evidence fro... more Page 1. SYSTEMATICS Species Delimitation in Macrotermes (Isoptera: Macrotermitidae): Evidence from Epicuticular Hydrocarbons, Morphology, and Ecology RICHARD KN BAGINE,1 ROLAND BRANDL,2 AND MANFRED KAIB3 Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. ...
Venoms were collected from two scorpion species: Parabuthus leiosoma and Parabuthus pallidus from... more Venoms were collected from two scorpion species: Parabuthus leiosoma and Parabuthus pallidus from Kenya. Subcutaneous injection and oral toxicity tests of crude and pure fractions of scorpion venoms were done in Mus musculus (mice), Chilo partellus and Busseola fusca. The highest activity against C. partellus was found in P. leiosoma venom (LC 50 0.689 mg/50 mg body weight). Bioassay-guided purification by a combination of cation-exchange (CE) and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) led to the isolation of three toxic peptides. A lepidopteran-selective toxin (P. leiosoma insect toxin, Plit) was isolated, and the partial N-terminal amino acid sequence (-KDGYPVDNANCK-YE-) plus the molecular weight (6688.5 Da) determined. A peptide with significant insect toxicity coupled with mild effects on mice (P. leiosoma toxin, Plt) was isolated, and the partial N-terminal amino acid sequence (-LCEKFKVQRL-VELNCVD-) plus the molecular weight (6742.5 Da) was determined. Another toxin with anti-mammalian activity (P. leisoma mammal-selective toxin, Plmt), and N-terminal partial amino acid sequence of ADVPGNYPLDKNGNRYYplus a molecular weight of 7145.5 Da was also isolated. Comparison of the partial N-terminal amino acid sequences with other toxins revealed that Plit shows high homology to other known insect toxins. Similarly, Plmt shows high homology with several birtoxin-like anti-mammalian toxins. Plt does not exhibit homology with any known scorpion toxin with combined anti-insect and anti-mammalian activity.
Fragmentation in Semi-Arid and Arid Landscapes, 2008
... Robin S. Reid1, Helen Gichohi2, Mohammed Y. Said1, David Nkedianye1, Joseph O. Ogutu1, Mriges... more ... Robin S. Reid1, Helen Gichohi2, Mohammed Y. Said1, David Nkedianye1, Joseph O. Ogutu1, Mrigesh Kshatriya1, Patti Kristjanson1, Shem C. Kifugo1, Jasphat L. Agatsiva3, Samuel A. Adanje4, and Richard Bagine4 1International Livestock Research Institute, PO Box 30709 ...
they become arrested and eventually assemble near the fecal deposits of their conspecifics. It be... more they become arrested and eventually assemble near the fecal deposits of their conspecifics. It became evident that populat ions of flour mites coexist in a biocoenotic relationship with certain saprophytic Ascomycetes (Fig. 3). The joint action of the fungal kairomone ammonia and the acarid pheromone guanine results in attraction and subsequent aggregation of flour mites on a substrate which provides an adequate diet for both A. siro and Ascomycetes. Flour mites rarely consume wheat endosperm unless it is moldy [1]; they have a marked nutrit ional preference for certain seedborne fungi [11, 12] and thus contribute to the dissemination of conidia and ascospores.
The evolution of fungus-growing termites is supposed to have started in the African rain forests ... more The evolution of fungus-growing termites is supposed to have started in the African rain forests with multiple invasions of semi-arid habitats as well as multiple invasions of the Oriental region. We used sequences of the mitochondrial COII gene and Bayesian dating to investigate the time frame of the evolution of Macrotermes, an important genus of fungus-growing termites. We found that the genus Macrotermes consists of at least 6 distantly related clades. Furthermore, the COII sequences suggested some cryptic diversity within the analysed African Macrotermes species. The dates calculated with the COII data using a fossilized termite mound to calibrate the clock were in good agreement with dates calculated with COI sequences using the split between Locusta and Chortippus as calibration point which supports the consistency of the calibration points. The clades from the Oriental region dated back to the early Tertiary. These estimates of divergence times suggested that Macrotermes invaded Asia during periods with humid climates. For Africa, many speciation events predated the Pleistocene and fall in range of 6-23 million years ago. These estimates suggest that savannah-adapted African clades radiated with the spread of the semi-arid ecosystems during the Miocene. Apparently, events during the Pleistocene were of little importance for speciation within the genus Macrotermes. However, further investigations are necessary to increase the number of taxa for phylogenetic analysis.
homozygote genotype in the population could also indicate a possible selection effect. To test th... more homozygote genotype in the population could also indicate a possible selection effect. To test the wider application of these primers, DNA from 11 species belonging to the Helicidae family was amplified (Table 2). Bands were scored on a 3% agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide. Two primer sets corresponding to the loci Hita2 and Hita5 amplified DNA in all tested species, yielding PCR products similar in size to H. itala. The loci Hita3 and Hita4 only successfully amplified in three and four species, respectively, whereas loci Hita1 and Hita6 seemed to be species-specific and failed to amplify reliable PCR products for all species (except Hita6 in Helicella obvia).
... Acknowledgement The authors are grateful to late Julius Muli and to Daniel Karanja who helped... more ... Acknowledgement The authors are grateful to late Julius Muli and to Daniel Karanja who helped us in the field to excavate the termite reproductives. This research has been supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft. References ...
Macrotermes michaelseni, an abundant termite species in semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Africa, e... more Macrotermes michaelseni, an abundant termite species in semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Africa, exhibits considerable fluctuations in the proportion of polygynous colonies across years (between 5 and 50 %). We found a negative correlation between rainfall and the proportion of polygynous colonies with a time lag of two years. A decrease in the percentage of polygynous colonies was particularly obvious in 1999 and 2000, two years after an El Niño-event. Rainfall and subsequent primary production seem to influence the degree of polygyny. Variation in the proportion of polygynous colonies could be due to several mutually nonexclusive factors, including better survival of polygynous colonies during years with low resource availability and increased aggression between nestmate queens with decreasing resource availability. Evaluating several lines of circumstantial evidence we suggest that the degree of polygyny depends on ecological factors.
is now the only surviving rainforest in Kenya. It is the eastern-most fragment of the Guineo-Cong... more is now the only surviving rainforest in Kenya. It is the eastern-most fragment of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest, which once stretched from Kenya across Uganda, East and Central Africa to the West African coast. Situated in western Kenya, 35 km from Lake Victoria, Kakamega Forest provides a unique sanctuary for a remarkable diversity of endemic insects, plants and birds not found anywhere else. Between 10 to 20% of the animal species in the forest are unique to this forest. It is also an important watershed for some of the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria. The forest is invaluable to the people living around it, as a source of timber, fuelwood, herbal medicines, building materials, food, income and new land for agriculture and settlement. Kakamega Forest is highly threatened, however, largely due to economic and population pressure. The exploitation of the forest has taken place in a haphazard, wasteful and uncontrollable way such that not only is the forest resource steadily diminishing, but its capacity to recover is also being destroyed. In a survey of 15,000 forest-adjacent households, 84% were found to use the forest to provide at least one basic commodity, with grazing and fuelwood collection being the most prevalent activities. The disintegration of the forest has resulted in the breakup of the main forest block into smaller separate forest islands. Only 19,000 ha remain, and there is a real danger that Kakamega Forest could disappear in the next decade at the present levels of exploitation. This situation is illustrative of the fact that forests in Kenya have shrunk to cover less than 2".¡. of the total land area, against an international standard of 10% for ecological sustainability. The Integrated Project on Conservation of Kakamega Forest, which began in 2000, is a consortium of several organisations, NGOs and CBOs headed by ICIPE. The project aims to contribute to the
Giraffe were historically free-ranging across most of sub-Saharan Africa but are now most often c... more Giraffe were historically free-ranging across most of sub-Saharan Africa but are now most often confined to national parks, conservation areas, or private ranches. Five viable populations of Rothschild's giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) remain in protected areas in Kenya and Uganda. The viable population in Uganda is Murchison Falls National Park and the four populations in Kenya are Lake Nakuru National Park (LNNP), Ruma National Park, Giraffe Manor, and Mwea Natural Reserve. The Kenya Wildlife Service queried a rapid decline in LNNP giraffe numbers falling from 153 individuals (1995) to 62 individuals (2002) and the failure of that population to recruit young in those years. Significantly reduced browse options, inbreeding depression and preferential lion predation were considered as potential reasons for this trend. Population genetic parameter estimates derived from multilocus genotype analyses suggest that the LNNP population was in good genetic health with respect to the likelihood of inbreeding depression. The population decline coincided with the drought attributed to the 1994 El Niñ o. Possible dietary complications from highly concentrated tannin levels because of forced over consumption of the park's declining acacia trees may have compromised young giraffe, making them easy and opportunistic prey for the park's lion population.
Relatedness increases the likelihood of cooperation within colonies of social insects. Polygyny, ... more Relatedness increases the likelihood of cooperation within colonies of social insects. Polygyny, the coexistence of numerous reproductive females (queens) in a colony, is common in mature colonies of the termite Macrotermes michaelseni. In this species, polygyny results from pleometrosis and from several female alates that jointly found a new colony. To explain this phenomenon, it was suggested that only related females cooperate and survive during maturation of colonies. Using multilocus fingerprints as well as microsatellites, we showed that nestmate queens in mature colonies are unrelated. Furthermore, we found that all nestmate queens contributed to the production of steriles. Even in mature colonies, several matrilines of steriles coexist within a colony. Although genetic diversity within colonies may increase the likelihood of conflicts, high genetic diversity may be important for foraging, colony growth, and resistance to disease and parasites.
Macrotermes michaelseni, an abundant termite species in semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Africa, e... more Macrotermes michaelseni, an abundant termite species in semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Africa, exhibits considerable fluctuations in the proportion of polygynous colonies across years (between 5 and 50 %). We found a negative correlation between rainfall and the proportion of polygynous colonies with a time lag of two years. A decrease in the percentage of polygynous colonies was particularly obvious in 1999 and 2000, two years after an El Niño-event. Rainfall and subsequent primary production seem to influence the degree of polygyny. Variation in the proportion of polygynous colonies could be due to several mutually nonexclusive factors, including better survival of polygynous colonies during years with low resource availability and increased aggression between nestmate queens with decreasing resource availability. Evaluating several lines of circumstantial evidence we suggest that the degree of polygyny depends on ecological factors.
The termite alates of Allodontermes tenax are eaten as a substitute dietary element in Kenya. Art... more The termite alates of Allodontermes tenax are eaten as a substitute dietary element in Kenya. Artificial inducement of the alates was evaluated based on a traditional method that has been used for decades. The idea is to imitate the natural weather conditions required by swarming alates. In natural situations, the most conducive weather is when rain is accompanied by thunderstorms and then stops for at least 2hours with intervals of clear and sunny skies. Such weather conditions stimulate the emergence of alates during day time or in the evening at dusk. In artificial situation, producing the sound of rain and by pouring water down the emergence holes to strengthen the impression of rain was found to work with Allodontermes species. Through field manipulation of weather conditions, the alates of Allodontermes tenax responded to external changes and were harvested for consumption by local community. The following weather conditions were found necessary in stimulating nest activities ...
Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 1994
Page 1. SYSTEMATICS Species Delimitation in Macrotermes (Isoptera: Macrotermitidae): Evidence fro... more Page 1. SYSTEMATICS Species Delimitation in Macrotermes (Isoptera: Macrotermitidae): Evidence from Epicuticular Hydrocarbons, Morphology, and Ecology RICHARD KN BAGINE,1 ROLAND BRANDL,2 AND MANFRED KAIB3 Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. ...
Venoms were collected from two scorpion species: Parabuthus leiosoma and Parabuthus pallidus from... more Venoms were collected from two scorpion species: Parabuthus leiosoma and Parabuthus pallidus from Kenya. Subcutaneous injection and oral toxicity tests of crude and pure fractions of scorpion venoms were done in Mus musculus (mice), Chilo partellus and Busseola fusca. The highest activity against C. partellus was found in P. leiosoma venom (LC 50 0.689 mg/50 mg body weight). Bioassay-guided purification by a combination of cation-exchange (CE) and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) led to the isolation of three toxic peptides. A lepidopteran-selective toxin (P. leiosoma insect toxin, Plit) was isolated, and the partial N-terminal amino acid sequence (-KDGYPVDNANCK-YE-) plus the molecular weight (6688.5 Da) determined. A peptide with significant insect toxicity coupled with mild effects on mice (P. leiosoma toxin, Plt) was isolated, and the partial N-terminal amino acid sequence (-LCEKFKVQRL-VELNCVD-) plus the molecular weight (6742.5 Da) was determined. Another toxin with anti-mammalian activity (P. leisoma mammal-selective toxin, Plmt), and N-terminal partial amino acid sequence of ADVPGNYPLDKNGNRYYplus a molecular weight of 7145.5 Da was also isolated. Comparison of the partial N-terminal amino acid sequences with other toxins revealed that Plit shows high homology to other known insect toxins. Similarly, Plmt shows high homology with several birtoxin-like anti-mammalian toxins. Plt does not exhibit homology with any known scorpion toxin with combined anti-insect and anti-mammalian activity.
Fragmentation in Semi-Arid and Arid Landscapes, 2008
... Robin S. Reid1, Helen Gichohi2, Mohammed Y. Said1, David Nkedianye1, Joseph O. Ogutu1, Mriges... more ... Robin S. Reid1, Helen Gichohi2, Mohammed Y. Said1, David Nkedianye1, Joseph O. Ogutu1, Mrigesh Kshatriya1, Patti Kristjanson1, Shem C. Kifugo1, Jasphat L. Agatsiva3, Samuel A. Adanje4, and Richard Bagine4 1International Livestock Research Institute, PO Box 30709 ...
they become arrested and eventually assemble near the fecal deposits of their conspecifics. It be... more they become arrested and eventually assemble near the fecal deposits of their conspecifics. It became evident that populat ions of flour mites coexist in a biocoenotic relationship with certain saprophytic Ascomycetes (Fig. 3). The joint action of the fungal kairomone ammonia and the acarid pheromone guanine results in attraction and subsequent aggregation of flour mites on a substrate which provides an adequate diet for both A. siro and Ascomycetes. Flour mites rarely consume wheat endosperm unless it is moldy [1]; they have a marked nutrit ional preference for certain seedborne fungi [11, 12] and thus contribute to the dissemination of conidia and ascospores.
The evolution of fungus-growing termites is supposed to have started in the African rain forests ... more The evolution of fungus-growing termites is supposed to have started in the African rain forests with multiple invasions of semi-arid habitats as well as multiple invasions of the Oriental region. We used sequences of the mitochondrial COII gene and Bayesian dating to investigate the time frame of the evolution of Macrotermes, an important genus of fungus-growing termites. We found that the genus Macrotermes consists of at least 6 distantly related clades. Furthermore, the COII sequences suggested some cryptic diversity within the analysed African Macrotermes species. The dates calculated with the COII data using a fossilized termite mound to calibrate the clock were in good agreement with dates calculated with COI sequences using the split between Locusta and Chortippus as calibration point which supports the consistency of the calibration points. The clades from the Oriental region dated back to the early Tertiary. These estimates of divergence times suggested that Macrotermes invaded Asia during periods with humid climates. For Africa, many speciation events predated the Pleistocene and fall in range of 6-23 million years ago. These estimates suggest that savannah-adapted African clades radiated with the spread of the semi-arid ecosystems during the Miocene. Apparently, events during the Pleistocene were of little importance for speciation within the genus Macrotermes. However, further investigations are necessary to increase the number of taxa for phylogenetic analysis.
homozygote genotype in the population could also indicate a possible selection effect. To test th... more homozygote genotype in the population could also indicate a possible selection effect. To test the wider application of these primers, DNA from 11 species belonging to the Helicidae family was amplified (Table 2). Bands were scored on a 3% agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide. Two primer sets corresponding to the loci Hita2 and Hita5 amplified DNA in all tested species, yielding PCR products similar in size to H. itala. The loci Hita3 and Hita4 only successfully amplified in three and four species, respectively, whereas loci Hita1 and Hita6 seemed to be species-specific and failed to amplify reliable PCR products for all species (except Hita6 in Helicella obvia).
... Acknowledgement The authors are grateful to late Julius Muli and to Daniel Karanja who helped... more ... Acknowledgement The authors are grateful to late Julius Muli and to Daniel Karanja who helped us in the field to excavate the termite reproductives. This research has been supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft. References ...
Macrotermes michaelseni, an abundant termite species in semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Africa, e... more Macrotermes michaelseni, an abundant termite species in semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Africa, exhibits considerable fluctuations in the proportion of polygynous colonies across years (between 5 and 50 %). We found a negative correlation between rainfall and the proportion of polygynous colonies with a time lag of two years. A decrease in the percentage of polygynous colonies was particularly obvious in 1999 and 2000, two years after an El Niño-event. Rainfall and subsequent primary production seem to influence the degree of polygyny. Variation in the proportion of polygynous colonies could be due to several mutually nonexclusive factors, including better survival of polygynous colonies during years with low resource availability and increased aggression between nestmate queens with decreasing resource availability. Evaluating several lines of circumstantial evidence we suggest that the degree of polygyny depends on ecological factors.
is now the only surviving rainforest in Kenya. It is the eastern-most fragment of the Guineo-Cong... more is now the only surviving rainforest in Kenya. It is the eastern-most fragment of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest, which once stretched from Kenya across Uganda, East and Central Africa to the West African coast. Situated in western Kenya, 35 km from Lake Victoria, Kakamega Forest provides a unique sanctuary for a remarkable diversity of endemic insects, plants and birds not found anywhere else. Between 10 to 20% of the animal species in the forest are unique to this forest. It is also an important watershed for some of the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria. The forest is invaluable to the people living around it, as a source of timber, fuelwood, herbal medicines, building materials, food, income and new land for agriculture and settlement. Kakamega Forest is highly threatened, however, largely due to economic and population pressure. The exploitation of the forest has taken place in a haphazard, wasteful and uncontrollable way such that not only is the forest resource steadily diminishing, but its capacity to recover is also being destroyed. In a survey of 15,000 forest-adjacent households, 84% were found to use the forest to provide at least one basic commodity, with grazing and fuelwood collection being the most prevalent activities. The disintegration of the forest has resulted in the breakup of the main forest block into smaller separate forest islands. Only 19,000 ha remain, and there is a real danger that Kakamega Forest could disappear in the next decade at the present levels of exploitation. This situation is illustrative of the fact that forests in Kenya have shrunk to cover less than 2".¡. of the total land area, against an international standard of 10% for ecological sustainability. The Integrated Project on Conservation of Kakamega Forest, which began in 2000, is a consortium of several organisations, NGOs and CBOs headed by ICIPE. The project aims to contribute to the
Giraffe were historically free-ranging across most of sub-Saharan Africa but are now most often c... more Giraffe were historically free-ranging across most of sub-Saharan Africa but are now most often confined to national parks, conservation areas, or private ranches. Five viable populations of Rothschild's giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) remain in protected areas in Kenya and Uganda. The viable population in Uganda is Murchison Falls National Park and the four populations in Kenya are Lake Nakuru National Park (LNNP), Ruma National Park, Giraffe Manor, and Mwea Natural Reserve. The Kenya Wildlife Service queried a rapid decline in LNNP giraffe numbers falling from 153 individuals (1995) to 62 individuals (2002) and the failure of that population to recruit young in those years. Significantly reduced browse options, inbreeding depression and preferential lion predation were considered as potential reasons for this trend. Population genetic parameter estimates derived from multilocus genotype analyses suggest that the LNNP population was in good genetic health with respect to the likelihood of inbreeding depression. The population decline coincided with the drought attributed to the 1994 El Niñ o. Possible dietary complications from highly concentrated tannin levels because of forced over consumption of the park's declining acacia trees may have compromised young giraffe, making them easy and opportunistic prey for the park's lion population.
Relatedness increases the likelihood of cooperation within colonies of social insects. Polygyny, ... more Relatedness increases the likelihood of cooperation within colonies of social insects. Polygyny, the coexistence of numerous reproductive females (queens) in a colony, is common in mature colonies of the termite Macrotermes michaelseni. In this species, polygyny results from pleometrosis and from several female alates that jointly found a new colony. To explain this phenomenon, it was suggested that only related females cooperate and survive during maturation of colonies. Using multilocus fingerprints as well as microsatellites, we showed that nestmate queens in mature colonies are unrelated. Furthermore, we found that all nestmate queens contributed to the production of steriles. Even in mature colonies, several matrilines of steriles coexist within a colony. Although genetic diversity within colonies may increase the likelihood of conflicts, high genetic diversity may be important for foraging, colony growth, and resistance to disease and parasites.
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