Ongoing human-mediated spread and hybridization of two major invasive termite species
Data files
Apr 16, 2025 version files 38.41 KB
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1-Chouvenc_et_al_2025_PRSB_hybrid_termite_alate_data.csv
4.02 KB
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2-Chouvenc_et_al_2025_PRSB_Hybrid_termite_growth_data.csv
5.34 KB
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3-Chouvenc_et_al_2025_PRSB_Termite_Hybrid_molecular_ID_alates_output.csv
7.90 KB
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4-_Chouvenc_et_al_2025_PRSB_Termite_Hybrid_molecular_ID_colonies_output.csv
14.42 KB
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README.md
6.73 KB
Abstract
Human-mediated biological invasions can lead to introgressive hybridization events between lineages that have evolved independently, with potential for evolutionary, ecological, economic, and social impacts. This study provides evidence for the ongoing spread and hybridization between two major invasive and destructive termite pest species, Coptotermes gestroi and C. formosanus, in Florida. Heterospecific courtship behavior between alates (winged reproductive caste) of the two species has led to the establishment of F1 hybrid colonies in the field, which have matured and produced F1 hybrid alates. Laboratory backcross attempts confirmed the possibility for F1 hybrid female alates to establish viable F2 colonies with males of either parental species. With the recent documentation of introgressive hybridization between the two species in Taiwan, the current study confirms its independent occurrence in Florida, demonstrating that both Coptotermes species can hybridize in areas where their distributions overlap. In Florida, the proximity of field-established hybrid colonies to the large leisure boat industry implies that Florida populations of C. gestroi, C. formosanus, and their hybrids will continue to serve as a bridgehead source of propagules for further dispersal beyond their current distribution, with a potential for F1 Hybrids to spread outside of Florida.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.mcvdnckb4
Description of the data and file structure
Data for:
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: 10.1098/rsp.2025-0413
Ongoing human-mediated spread and hybridization of two major invasive termite species
Thomas Chouvenc, Ericka E. Helmick, Alvin Brown, Joseph F. Velenovsky IV, Sang-Bin Lee, Johnalyn M. Gordon, Brian W. Bahder, Nan-Yao Su, and Hou-Feng Li.
File 1: 1-Chouvenc et al 2025 PRSB hybrid termite alate data
This data represents the average number of alates collected over 3 years (2022-2024). The first column represents the day of the year, the second column represents the species type, and the fourth column represents the average number of alates collected per day.
File 2: 2-Chouvenc et al 2025 PRSB Hybrid termite growth data
This data represents the colony growth in laboratory conditions of different mating combinations after 1 year and after 2 years. The census is represented by the number of workers in each viable colony. This includes the two parental colonies, the two hybrid mating combinations, and the viable F2 colonies of different mating combinations. genetic info in file 4.
File 3: 3-Chouvenc et al 2025 PRSB Termite Hybrid molecular ID alates output
Structure output from alates using 3 microsatellite markers and COII markers. See supplementary materials for HRMA protocol. This demonstrates the genetic diagnosis of alates.
File 4: 4- Chouvenc et al 2025 PRSB Termite Hybrid molecular ID colonies output
Structure output from workers from lab F1 and F2 mating combination, and also includes 5 individuals collected from the field. Using 3 microsatellite markers and COII markers. See supplementary materials for HRMA protocol. This demonstrates the genetic diagnostics of workers in the lab and in the field.
Files and variables
File: 1-Chouvenc_et_al_2025_PRSB_hybrid_termite_alate_data.csv
Description: This data represents the average number of alates collected over a 3-year period (2022-2024) in South Florida in a single location with a light trap.
Variables
- date of a given year. This is a proxy date variable that combines all three years’ data to summarize the actual day the alates were collected. 2022 is used as a base value, which can be ignored, but the mm/dd values are valid as actual dates from early February to mid-June.
- Species: alates for which the species were collected on each of the days, which includes C. gestroi, C. formosanus, and either of the Hybrid combinations.
- Average number of alates collected over 3 years of trapping (2022-2024): for any given day, this is the average number of alates collected for a given species, over the 3 years of monitoring.
File: 2-Chouvenc_et_al_2025_PRSB_Hybrid_termite_growth_data.csv
Description: This data represents the colony growth in laboratory conditions of different mating combinations after 1 year and after 2 years. With parental species, the F1 and F2 generations.
Variables
- Mating combination: This variable indicates the mating combination between C. gestoi and C. formosanus, with F1Hyb G representing C. gestroi x C. formosanus and F1Hyb F representing C. formosanus x C. gestroi
- Census: indicating if the recording was made 1 or 2 years after the colony’s foundation
- Number of workers: number of workers recorded in each colony of origin at year 1 and year 2 after colony foundations
File: 3-Chouvenc_et_al_2025_PRSB_Termite_Hybrid_molecular_ID_alates_output.csv
Description: Structure output from alates using 3 microsatellite markers and COII markers. See supplementary materials for HRMA protocol.
Variables
- year collected: When was the alate sample collected
- individual: type of sample (here all alates)
- source: If collected in the field (in this case, all )
- sample: ID assigned for the molecular analysis
- Ancestry assigned to C. gestroi (3 microsat): output from STRUCTURE, using 3 microsatellites identified from the HRMA approach, with the model output assigning the ratio of genes being assigned to C. gestroi
- Ancestry assigned to C. formosanus (3 microsat): output from STRUCTURE, using 3 microsatellites identified from the HRMA approach, with the model output assigning the ratio of genes being assigned to C. formosanus
- CoII ID: CoII gene identified from the HRMA approach to determine maternal ancestry
- type Diagnostics: Confirmation of the type of individuals from both mitochondrial and nuclear data, to molecularly ID any of the samples as one of the parental species, a F1 hybrid
File: 4-_Chouvenc_et_al_2025_PRSB_Termite_Hybrid_molecular_ID_colonies_output.csv
Description: Structure output from workers from lab F1 and F2 mating combination, and also includes 5 individuals collected from the field. Male and female species/type indicate the source individuals used as kings and queens for each of the colonies
Variables
- male: Either C. gestroi, C. formosanus, or F1 Hybrid individuals (King), female: Either C. gestroi, C. formosanus or F1 Hybrid individuals (Queen)
- Source: Lab colony with known ancestry or field colony with unknown ancestry
- Colony of origin: ID of colony for each number used. All samples below belong to one of the colonies with a numeric ID.
- sample: Sample # assigned to each worker used for molecular ID confirmation
- Ancestry assigned to C. gestroi (3 microsat): output from STRUCTURE, using 3 microsatellites identified from the HRMA approach, with the model output assigning the ratio of genes being assigned to C. gestroi
- Ancestry assigned to C. formosanus (3 microsat): output from STRUCTURE, using 3 microsatellites identified from the HRMA approach, with the model output assigning the ratio of genes being assigned to C. formosanus
- CoII ID: CoII gene identified from the HRMA approach to determine maternal ancestry
- Mating type diagnostic: type Diagnostics: Confirmation of the type of individuals from both mitochondrial and nuclear data, to molecularly ID any of the sample as one of the parental species, a F1 hybrid, or a F2 hybrid.
Code/software
Allele identification from HRM profiles was converted as discrete variables for STRUCTURE (version 2.3.4), which was used to determine the probability of assignment of ancestry for each individual, with k = 2 reflecting the two parental species of origin, 10,000 burn-in steps, and 100,000 data collection steps. An admixture model with correlated allele frequencies was used.
Access information
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