I \TEsMXAL PROTOZOA OF TERMITES. 2IQ 



on for it has undoubtedly been established a very Ion? time. 

 The ability of animals to live indefinitely with a sterile intes- 

 tine is still a live, debatable, question. Osborn and Mendel 

 i'( 14-'' have -hown that microorganisms are of value to higher 

 animal- elaborators of protein from non-protein stbstances 

 1. Armsby IMII showed that non-protein Mibstances 

 an- .1 source "t protein to herbivorous animals, probably due to 

 tin- formation of due-table bacterial protein in the digestive 

 tract. Then- i- < . rtainly a very small amount of protein in wood, 

 and it may be th.it termite protozoa aid their hoM in >. -me Mich 

 fa-hion ,i- int. -~iin.il b,i. t.-ria aid their host. Kiankin ' MI; re- 

 opened t!ii~ question by a review of all the literature. The 

 tesl quantity of microorganisms in the ca-c of mammal- 

 and other vertebrat - located in the nondi^e-tive portion-; 

 of the alimci tial. Al-o the increasing number of animals 



which may I- .lly indicates that an a-eptic exist- 



ence m.iv I -I- po~-ible in the majority of cases. Bacteria carry 

 de. oin 1 1. 1~ it ion to a lower level, yielding unassimilable -nl>M.i; 

 Mich as methane, carbon dioxide, indol, skatol, phenol. 



IVrhap- the chief beneficial role of the intestinal flora i-, the 

 -\nthetic |K. \\er- of the microorganisms. 



Cut the relation of many insects to microorgani-m- i- a differ- 

 ent qncMion, and at lea-t from one viewpoint, if from no ..ther, 

 a more inti-re-t ini; one and also one which may be Mudied mon- 

 -ati~fact<.iil\ . HaumlH-r^er (1919) has shown "that Hrosophila 

 living in fermenting fruit are dependent for their fo"<l >ii].pl; 

 the synthetic and ab-orptive powers of yeast cell-." In a similar 

 m. inner hi- -tiidv of " the relation of Mtisca don:' to manure, 



..f Desmometopa to decaying meat, and of Scia-cn and Tyroglyphus 

 to deca\iiu \\oo.l shows clearly that these arthn>])oils .ilso feed 



Aiu-tlirr i>.i-iljiluy. .iii.l jxiluips a more plausible om-. is that th..- tern. 



with protozoa, probably iVd on humus. Some v 



vnu - cd along with the liumus. The protozoa \vi-rc 



uik.-u in and f..iin.l thu .-nvironment suitable. Rapid multiplication and few <! 

 in t: tnent. soon filled the termites with them. The 



,\\K lial'it nt" the termites gradually increased. At present every conceivable 

 ii,. in noii-v. iinR termites to strict wood '.ell illustrated in 







Hut what hapjx n. .1 tn the ancestors of prc-tcrmite protozoa the organisms 

 which lived in the s..il . >r in wood? They have probably evolved along another line, 

 in an i .dividiials who became inhabitants ot" termites. 



15 



