Coordination of movement via complementary interactions of leaders and followers in termite mating pairs

Abstract

Leadership of animal group movements depends on social feedback, hence leaders signals and followers responses should be attuned to each other. However, leader and follower roles are difficult to disentangle in species with high levels of coordination. To overcome this challenge, we investigated a simple case of movement coordination: termite pairs in which a female leads a male as they search for a nest site. To tease apart leader and follower roles, we created conspecific and heterospecific pairs of Coptotermes gestroi and C. formosanus, which share a pairing pheromone so that males follow females of either species. Conspecific pairs were stable for both species, even though C. gestroi females produce less pheromone than C. formosanus. Heterospecific pairs with C. gestroi males were also stable, but not those with C. formosanus males. We attributed this difference to the C. gestroi males unique capacity to follow females that release small amounts of pheromone; C. formosanus males cannot follow or reject C. gestroi females as unsuitable. This conclusion was supported by an information-theoretic analysis that detected information flow from C. formosanus females to C. gestroi males as in conspecific pairs, but not from C. gestroi females to C. formosanus males. Despite their following ability, C. gestroi males lost to C. formosanus males in competitions to follow C. formosanus females. Thus, partner selection has shaped the species-specific association of mating pairs. Our results demonstrate that a similar level of coordination can emerge from distinct sets of complementary sender-receiver interactions.