Diversity and Ecology of Termites

Dear Colleagues,

Termites (Blattodea: Isoptera) are eusocial insects comprising over 3,000 species distributed mainly in the tropical regions. These insects live in colonies consisting of hundreds to millions of individuals. Their colonies are organized into castes that have specific tasks such as nest building, foraging, reproduction, brood care, and colony defense. Their symbiotic association with microorganisms allows termites to digest lignocellulose, making them the major terrestrial decomposers. Termites are classified as eusocial cockroaches, and are receiving increasing attention in evolutionary studies to understand the evolution of eusociality.

Termite provide benefits associated with their crucial role in ecosystem functioning by contributing to waste decomposition, soil formation, nutrient cycling, and pedoturbation, which helps maintain soils. In this context, the protection of these insects should be a priority. Termitology has made great strides in research over the last few decades, as reflected in the growing number of published articles, and this interest in termite research calls for a collection dedicated to these fascinating insects.

This Special Issue is an excellent opportunity to gather the latest advances in termite diversity and ecology, covering a wide range of research areas such as evolutionary biology, genomics, systematics, microbiology, and ethology. We invite contributions from a wide range of scientists, including termitologists, ecologists, evolutionary biologists, microbiologists, and geneticists. All organizational levels, from colonies to ecosystems, are considered.

Dr. Alberto Arab
Dr. Robin Casalla Daza
Dr. Olga P. Pinzón
Dr. Ervin Humprey Duran-Bautista
Guest Editors

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