The symbiosis between termites and their hindgut protists is mutually obligate and vertically
inherited. It was established by the late Jurassic in the cockroach ancestors of termites as …

Background Termites primarily feed on lignocellulose or soil in association with specific gut
microbes. The functioning of the termite gut microbiota is partly understood in a handful of …

Metabarcoding of microbial eukaryotes (collectively known as protists) has developed
tremendously in the last decade, almost solely relying on the 18S rRNA gene. As microbial …

Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) in the form of agricultural, forestry, and agro-industrial wastes
is globally generated in large volumes every year. The chemical components of LCB render …

Virophages are small dsDNA viruses that hijack the machinery of giant viruses during the co-
infection of a protist (ie, microeukaryotic) host and represent an exceptional case of …

In eusocial organisms, cooperative brood care within a colony represents a situation where
the ancestral parental care duties have shifted away from the reproductive parent (s) …

Sustaining beneficial gut symbioses presents a major challenge for animals, including
holometabolous insects. Social insects may meet such challenges through partner fidelity …

Simple Summary The lower termite Coptotermes gestroi is widely distributed in Northern
Vietnam and is an important urban pest that destroys wooden constructions such as …

The ecological success of insects often depends on their association with beneficial
microbes. However, insect development involves repeated moults, which can have dramatic …

Mutualistic coevolution can be mediated by vertical transmission of symbionts between host
generations. Termites host complex gut bacterial communities with evolutionary histories …