1990/05/01 by Jan Šobotník, Thomas Bourguignon, Robert Hanus +9 · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · Neuroscience · Social Sciences · #Chemistry #Computer science #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation #Explosive material #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Insect and Pesticide Research #Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research #Plant and animal studies
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1219129
openalex publication_date 1990/05/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/04/28
By nature, defensive behavior is risky. In social insects, such behavior is more likely to occur in individuals whose potential for other tasks is diminished. We show that workers of the termite Neocapritermes taracua develop an exceptional two-component suicidal apparatus consisting of copper-containing protein crystals, stored in external pouches, and internal salivary glands. During aggressive encounters, their bodies rupture, and the crystals react with the salivary gland secretion to produce a toxic droplet. Both the amount of defensive substances and the readiness to explode increase with workers' age, as their food-collecting ability declines.