Termite nest repairs are considered a defensive conduct as they reduce the colony’s exposure to the external environment. Repair activities are carried out by worker castes that can be polymorphic, representing a relationship between polymorphism and divisions of functions that can enhance task completion. Repairs are influenced by the extent of damage, nest volume, and the population dynamics of the building species, which regulate the recruitment of individuals for this activity. Our objective was to verify the performances (recruitment for repair) of dimorphic workers of Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Silvestri, 1901) during the damage repair activities performed on the external walls of termite nests of different sizes. We found a significant difference in the presence of dimorphic workers that performed repairs, with greater recruitment of the small morphotype, and observed an alternation of morphotypes between initial and final repair activities, with no influence of morphotype on the replacement pattern. Our results also showed that the total number of recruited workers decreased with increasing nest volume. These results help to better understand the social organization of a Nasutitermitinae termite species and the strategies adopted to protect its colonies.

中文翻译：

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缢白蚁（蜚蠊目：白蚁科）巢穴修复过程中二态性工蚁的动态

白蚁巢修复被认为是一种防御行为，因为它们减少了蚁群与外部环境的接触。维修活动是由可以是多态的工人种姓进行的，代表多态性和可以提高任务完成度的功能分工之间的关系。修复受到损坏程度、巢穴体积和建筑物种种群动态的影响，这些动态调节了此项活动的个体招募。我们的目的是验证Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Silvestri, 1901)的二态性工蚁在不同大小的白蚁巢外壁进行损伤修复活动时的表现（招募修复）。我们发现进行修复的二态性工蚁的存在存在显着差异，小形态型的招募量更大，并观察到初始和最终修复活动之间形态型的交替，而形态型对替换模式没有影响。我们的结果还表明，随着巢穴体积的增加，招募的工蚁总数减少。这些结果有助于更好地了解 Nasutitermitinae 白蚁物种的社会组织以及为保护其蚁群而采取的策略。