Termites: Evolution, Sociality, Symbioses, Ecology

Front Matter....Pages i-xxii
Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Termites....Pages 1-23
Global Patterns of Termite Diversity....Pages 25-51
Characterizing the Ancestors: Paedomorphosis and Termite Evolution....Pages 53-75
Early Fossil History of the Termites....Pages 77-93
Diversity and Evolution of Caste Patterns....Pages 95-119
Termite Nests: Architecture, Regulation and Defence....Pages 121-139
Behavior and Ecology of Foraging in Termites....Pages 141-168
Theories on the Sociality of Termites....Pages 169-187
Introduction to Symbiosis....Pages 189-208
Ecology of Prokaryotic Microbes in the Guts of Wood- and Litter-Feeding Termites....Pages 209-231
Soil-Feeding Termites: Biology, Microbial Associations and Digestive Mechanisms....Pages 233-259
Intracellular Symbiosis in Termites....Pages 261-273
Symbiotic Associations with Protists....Pages 275-288
Symbiosis With Fungi....Pages 289-306
Energy Metabolism in the Termite and Its Gut Microbiota....Pages 307-332
Population Dynamics of Termites....Pages 333-361
Termites in Ecosystems....Pages 363-387
Termites and Soil Properties....Pages 389-407
Global Impact of Termites on the Carbon Cycle and Atmospheric Trace Gases....Pages 409-435
Termites as Pests of Buildings....Pages 437-453
Back Matter....Pages 455-466