Drywood Termites Traveled at Least 40 Oceanic Journeys in the Last 50 Million Years According to DNA Sequencing

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University have created a comprehensive family tree of drywood termites based on DNA sequencing. The study shows that these persistent termites have made at least 40 oceanic journeys over the last 50 million years to reach far-flung landmasses.

What are Drywood Termites?

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Contrary to popular belief, termites are a type of cockroach. Roughly 150 million years ago, these insects split from other cockroaches and evolved to live socially in colonies, similar to ants. Today, there are several kinds of termites. Some form large colonies with over a million individuals tend to live in interconnecting tunnels below ground. While others, including the most well-known species, drywood termites, form smaller colonies of less than 5,000 individuals.

According to PestWorld, this termite species is well known for thriving in hard, dry wood inside homes. Including structural timbers, furniture, banisters, and even picture frames. Unlike other termite species, they do not make colonies under the soil; they make their way into the wood and can extract water from the wood they ingest.

Drywood termites are common on the West Coast, Hawaii, and Florida and can also be seen in Texas and the Carolinas.

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50 Million Year Journey of Drywood Termites Across Oceans

Researchers from the OIST Evolutionary Genoms Unit, in collaboration with various researchers from across the globe, have been able to map out the natural history of the drywood termites, the second-largest termite family, revealing a surprising number of oceanic voyages that contributed to the acceleration of their diversity.

The study published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, titled "Molecular Phylogeny Reveals the Past Transoceanic Voyages of Drywood Termites (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae)," has shone a light on where these termites originated and how they eventually spread across the world. The study also confirms that in recent centuries, some species hitched a ride with humans to reach far-off lands.

The study's lead author, Dr. Ales Bucek, explains that drywood termites, or Kalotermitidae, are often believed to be primitive since they split from other species of termites early, roughly 100 milli8on years ago, also because they appear in smaller colonies. However, he adds that there is very little known about this termite family, reports ScienceDaily.

Before the study was conducted, little molecular data on the drywood termite family was available, and little understanding of their relationship with other species was known, mostly based solely on their appearance.

Researchers compared genetic sequences from various species, which resulted in constructing an extensive family tree for the drywood termites. The team found that these termites have made numerous oceanic voyages, more than other termite families, and have crossed oceans no less than 40 times in the past 50 million years, which resulted in the diversification of new drywood termite species in newly colonized places.

Likewise, researchers also discovered that most of the genera originally came from southern America, which later dispersed from there.