(2nd Place) Preliminary evidence of intermolt polyethism in Coptotermes gestroi

Subterranean termites are eusocial insects that display age polyethism, as older instar workers perform riskier tasks, i.e., foraging away from the safety of the central nest. However, termite mandibles lose sharpness throughout their intermolt, and periodical molting restores the mandibles to their former sharpness. This physiological change over this period begs the question: Do termites display an additional layer of age polyethism within the intermolt period? Recently molted Coptotermes gestroi termites were collected, marked, and observed within the context of a portion of their respective colonies every other day for 45 days. The observations counted instances of 4 types of behavior: allogrooming, trophallaxis, wood-feeding, and nest maintenance. The changes in their relative prevalence were analyzed over time in order to determine if behavioral shifts occur throughout the intermolt of workers. Results confirmed temporal patterns for allogrooming, nest maintenance, and wood-feeding behaviors, demonstrating degrees of intermolt polyethism in C. gestroi. Therefore, as mandible sharpness decreases in termite workers during an intermolt, an individual may change their behavior accordingly to maintain task efficiency.