Termites Have a Symbiotic Relationship With Protists in Which Phylum
WouterTermites are prokaryotes that have a symbiotic relationship with a variety of other organisms. These symbionts produce enzymes that are required for decomposition of wood. They also take nitrogen from the atmosphere and transform the byproducts of the protist’s breakdown of cellulose into energy.
Termite colonies are composed of hundreds of thousands of microbes. These include bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. Many of these organisms have a symbiotic relationship, which occurs when one of the members benefits from the relationship. Other members may be relatively unaffected by the symbiosis.
Bacteroidales are bacteria that live in the gut of termites. They provide nutrients for the protozoa, which benefit from a constant source of food. They also protect the algae, which have a fungus structure that makes the nutrients in the atmosphere more available to the algae.
The symbionts’ relationship with the host protists is called cospeciation. The symbionts’ association with their host termite differs depending on the attachment mode and the host protist cell shape.
There are at least five species of bacteria that are hosted by termites. These include Trichomonadida, Oxymonadida, Mastigella sp., and Pseudotrichonympha. They are responsible for efficient decomposition of lignocellulose. They produce cellulase, which is needed by the protozoa for digestion of cellulose.
The diversity of the termite gut bacterial community depends on the host’s phylogenetic relationships. The higher the termite, the more diverse the bacterial community. This might be a surrogate for functional diversity.
In addition, the study reveals new species of termite and 14 additional encysted protist stages. These findings could help establish evolutionary pathways.
