Ethology reveals how animals adapt their behavior in response to environmental and social cues, including interactions with other species. Central to ethology are stimulus-response relationships and behavioral mechanisms, such as the innate release mechanism, a neural process that triggers specific behaviors in response to environmental cues. Such mechanisms may explain shifts in behavior following disturbances. Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) and C. formosanus Shiraki are two introduced termite species that overlap in southeastern Florida. While both species display agonism towards one another, agonism is not observed between colonies of the same species. This study examined whether agonism towards previously non-aggressive lab-reared colonies could be induced in C. gestroi following disturbance by C. formosanus. The experiment had four phases, all using Nile Blue-stained C. gestroi A: (1) CgA vs. CgB, (2) CgA vs. Cf, (3) CgA vs. same-colony CgA, and (4) CgA vs. CgB from Phase I. Each termite group, consisting of 40 workers and 10 soldiers, was placed in a petri dish with a moist filter paper and recorded for 5 minutes to observe aggressive behaviors (mandible flare, insertion, and clamp). Initially, C. gestroi showed no agonism toward conspecifics. After disturbance by C. formosanus, agonism increased significantly between C. gestroi groups. No agonism was observed within the same-colony groups. These findings suggest that disturbance triggers an innate release mechanism in C. gestroi, leading to heightened agonism. This study expands our understanding of agonistic behaviors in termites and indicates that the innate release mechanism may play a role in C. gestroi's behavioral responses.
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