A mathematical model for the territorial competition of the subterranean termites Coptotermes formosanus and Reticulitermes flavipes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Applied Entomology and Zoology - Tập 49 - Trang 579-590 - 2014
Wonju Jeon1, Sang-Hee Lee1,2
1Division of Fusion and Convergence of Mathematical Sciences, National Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Daejeon, South Korea
2Division of Mathematical Models, National Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Daejeon, South Korea

Tóm tắt

The foraging territories of two subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), were simulated using a two-dimensional model to explore how territorial competition changes according to two variables characterizing territory formation: the total number of territories, and the blocking probability. Meanwhile, the blocking probability quantitatively describes the likelihood that a tunnel will be terminated when another tunnel is encountered. In our previous study, we introduced an interference coefficient γ to characterize territorial competition, and obtained γ as a function of the total number of territories and the blocking probability for a single termite species by model simulation. In the field, the territorial competition of more than two termite species is frequently observed. Here, we extended the γ function to be able to explain the competition between the two species by applying statistical regression to the simulation data. Further, we statistically checked the extended γ function by comparing the γ function for a single species. We also discuss another approach to mathematically derive the extended γ function, which can be easily generalized for use in cases of territorial competition involving more than two termite species.

Tài liệu tham khảo

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