IT SOUNDS like a low-budget B-movie, but the two most destructive termite species have interbred to form a super-race.
The Formosan and Asian subterranean termites, native to east Asia, are now widespread invasive species, causing billions of dollars of damage annually. Their ranges rarely overlap, and where they do – such as in southern Florida – they have bred at different times of year.
But Thomas Chouvenc at the University of Florida in Fort Lauderdale noticed that breeding swarms had begun to form at the same time, with many cross-species pairs. What's more, these mixed pairs founded viable colonies in the lab – and churned out offspring twice as fast as the parent species (PLOS One, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120745).
"If it grows that fast, it can make damage that much faster, too," says Chouvenc.
This article appeared in print under the headline "Turbo termites threaten Florida"
- New Scientist
- Not just a website!
- Subscribe to New Scientist and get:
- New Scientist magazine delivered every week
- Unlimited online access to articles from over 500 back issues
- Subscribe Now and Save
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.
