关键词: 白蚁, 社会性昆虫, 采食行为, 食物信息, 信息交流, 踪迹信息素

Abstract: The systematic searching for food in termite society depends on the multiple communication mechanisms among the foraging individuals, including trail-following, alerting, exchanging of food information, nest-mate recognition, phago-stimulation, etc. Basic communication signals include volatile or semi-volatile chemicals and mechanical vibrations. Alarm pheromones (soldier derived terpenes), cuticular hydrocarbons (C21-C35), trail pheromones (dodecenols and terpenes secreted by sternal gland), phagostimulating pheromone, mechanical vibration signals with certain frequency spectrum and power level, etc., are important information carriers in foraging behavior of termite society. Food information including directions, quality and quantity was somewhat shown to be carried by trail pheromones, and as recently discovered mechanic vibrations made by foragers could also transfer food information. Ways to express food quality and quantity information should be clearly understood. Cooperation in foraging was realized through the integration of nest-mate recognition based on the cuticular hydrocarbons and phago-stimulants secreted by the salivary glands, or even the gnawing vibrations as recently discovered in some wood-dwelling termites. Alarm of the foraging process was conducted by alarm pheromones and some special mechanic vibrations made by the stirred foraging individuals. Interactions between food information were seldom known and still need to be further understood. More attention should be paid to the biophysical factors in the termite foraging behavior. With termite foraging behavior as clue, this article reviewed the research works on foraging behavior related to communication mechanisms of termite society such as food information communication, nest-mate recognition and collaboration. Then, some unsolved problems and trends of these research works were put forward.

Key words: Termite, social insect, foraging behaviour, food information, information communication, trail pheromones