How Did Termites Evolve?
WouterTermites are among the most successful insect groups. They reproduce at incredible rates and have developed a series of adaptive traits, including communal feeding behaviors. But how did termites evolve? The answer isn’t entirely clear. Some scientists believe that they are the descendants of a primitive wood-eating insect, while others think they are the result of a series of evolutionary innovations.
The evolution of termites from cockroaches to modern species is thought to have started around 200 million years ago. It is unclear how much of the ancestral wood-feeding insect survived. It is possible that the most primitive species lived alone. A single, small colony might have avoided predators and been more resistant to attempts to set up independent colonies.
The first fossil of a Termitidae-like insect is about 50 Ma old. This species may have originated in Africa or Asia. It was also likely dispersed over oceans in floating logs.
The fossil record suggests a late Jurassic divergence. This means that the most recent common ancestor of modern termites was 149 Ma (95% CI). During the early Cretaceous, conifers evolved. This likely contributed to the increase in diversity of termite species.
The termite family was well diversified during the Late Jurassic. It may have been dispersed to Neotropics between 29 and 34 Ma. They also diversified in South America, where they are widespread today.
Recent discoveries suggest that early termite species were probably eusocial. They had king and queen founding pairs. These king and queen colonies would have produced hundreds of offspring at a time. These offspring would have had a better chance of becoming reproductive termites.
