Isoptera (Termite) Colony

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Isoptera, the order of insects commonly known as Termites, are a group of cellulose eating insects with a highly advanced social system. Isoptera are considered to be of great economic impact due to their crucial ecological role of breaking down dead organic materials. In some tropical ecosystems, termites are responsible for the consumption of 50%–100% of all dead biomass(Engel). However, termites can cause a lot of damage to homes and other properties constructed from lumber. Termites exhibit eusociality, a high-level social organization in which labor is divided between reproductive and non-productive groups known as castes. For Isoptera, the non-reproductive castes are workers and soldiers, while the reproductive castes are the king and queen, along with alates, which are winged reproductives that will eventually become kings or queens. The morphology of Isoptera belonging to each of these castes can vary significantly, yet they all develop from identical