A Family of Termites Has Been Traversing the World's Oceans for Millions of Years
Published:30 May2022 Source:Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University
Termites are a type of cockroach that split from other cockroaches around 150 million years ago and evolved to live socially in colonies. Today, there are many different kinds of termites. Some form large colonies with millions of individuals, which tend to live in connected tunnels in the soil. Others, including most species known as drywood termites, form much smaller colonies of less than 5000 individuals, and live primarily in wood.
Researchers from the Evolutionary Genomics Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), alongside a network of collaborators from across the world, have mapped out the natural history of drywood termites -- the second largest family of termites -- and revealed a number of oceanic voyages that accelerated the evolution of their diversity.