Genetic diversity and breeding systems of European termites (Blattodea, Termitoidae)

Termitoidae is an epifamily of the order Blattodea comprising hemimetabolous eusocial insects commonly known as termites. My PhD research project focused on the analysis of the genetic diversity and breeding systems in native European termite species belonging to Reticulitermes and Kalotermes genera. Investigations were performed at the intrageneric level with comparisons also at the intergeneric one in order to highlight new insights on the evolution of eusociality. My surveys, performed through genetic and morphological approaches, had the following main goals: i) a deep phylogeographic investigation of Balkan, Italian, and French colonies of R. urbis in order to clarify the invasive status of this species and to identify the native source population(s); ii) a more detailed picture of Kalotermes biogeography and evolution in Europe, quantifying, in addition, the real extent of colony mixing in these termites; iii) a microsatellite survey of the French R. grassei, R. flavipes and Italian R. lucifugus populations in order to verify, providing genetic evidences, the reproductive strategies of the former two species and to describe new insights of the AQS strategy in Italian colonies of R. lucifugus; iiii) a preliminary molecular investigation, using the bacterial FtsZ marker, on Reticulitermes and Kalotermes termite species in order to identify Wolbachia infection and to characterize the relevant strains, paying particular attention to the AQS species R. lucifugus and to mixed colonies of the Kalotermes genus to verify whether Wolbachia presence can be related to particular breeding systems.