Changes in the cuticular profile but not aggression of termites along a tropical elevation gradient
Description
Supplementary Material from the original research article entitled: “Changes in the cuticular profile but not aggression of Nasutitermes coxipoensis along a tropical elevation gradient”. Authors: Flavio Camarota, Arleu Barbosa Viana-Junior, Diogo M. Vidal, Frederico de Siqueira Neves. ARTICLE INFORMATION: This study investigates the role of elevation on the abundance and composition of CHCs in the termite species Nasutitermes coxipoensis, a widespread termite species in Brazil, as well as its influence on partner recognition and aggressive behaviors. We found an effect of elevation in the chemical profile of CHCs in N. coxipoensis, with an increased abundance of n-alkanes and dimethyl-alkanes with increasing elevation. When evaluating the effect of elevation on the dissimilarity of CHC compounds, we observed that n-alkanes and dimethyl-alkanes were affected differently, but in general, compounds increased their dissimilarity with elevational distance. Finally, changes in CHC profiles did not affect aggression between neighboring colonies along the elevational gradient. Our results indicate that environmental factors play a limited role in shaping the chemical profiles of termites along a tropical elevational gradient, with no influence on aggression between neighboring colonies from distinct elevations.