Extinct and extant termites reveal the fidelity of behavior fossilization in amber
Rattachement africain : jp, us, cz. Niveau de preuve : code pays fourni par la source.
Le résumé fourni par la source
Fossils encompassing multiple individuals provide rare direct evidence of behavioral interactions among extinct organisms. However, the fossilization process can alter the spatial relationship between individuals and hinder behavioral reconstruction. Here, we report a Baltic amber inclusion preserving a female–male pair of the extinct termite species Electrotermes affinis . The head-to-abdomen contact in the fossilized pair resembles the tandem courtship behavior of extant termites, although their parallel body alignment differs from the linear alignment typical of tandem runs. To solve this inconsistency, we simulated the first stage of amber formation, the immobilization of captured organisms, by exposing living termite tandems to sticky surfaces. We found that the posture of the fossilized pair matches trapped tandems and differs from untrapped tandems. Thus, the fossilized pair likely is a tandem running pair, representing the direct evidence of the mating behavior of extinct termites. Furthermore, by comparing the postures of partners on a sticky surface and in the amber inclusion, we estimated that the male likely performed the leader role in the fossilized tandem. Our results demonstrate that past behavioral interactions can be reconstructed despite the spatial distortion of body poses during fossilization. Our taphonomic approach demonstrates how certain behaviors can be inferred from fossil occurrences.
Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.
Le contrôle bibliographique ouvert
DOI retrouvé dans Crossref DOI retrouvé ; titre concordant.
- Titre Crossref
- Extinct and extant termites reveal the fidelity of behavior fossilization in amber
- Date Crossref
- 05/03/2024
- Éditeur
- National Academy of Sciences
- Type
- journal-article
Ce recoupement confirme des métadonnées liées au DOI. Il ne confirme ni la méthode ni les conclusions de l’étude, et il ne compte pas comme une seconde source scientifique indépendante.
Où se fait cette recherche
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Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University Computational Neuroethology Unit pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Auburn University Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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American Museum of Natural History pays non établi dans la noticeInstitution
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Czech Academy of Sciences pays non établi dans la noticeOrganisme public
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Institute of Entomology pays non établi dans la noticeStructure de recherche
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Division of Invertebrate Zoology pays non établi dans la noticeInstitution
Computational Neuroethology Unit — Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology — Auburn University et American Museum of Natural History, avec 3 autres affiliations.
Une affiliation ne permet pas de déduire la nationalité d’un auteur.