Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Extracting DNA from the Gut Microbes of the Termite Zootermopsis Angusticollis and Visualizing Gut Microbes
Published on: May 28, 2007
Nitrogen fixation by intact colonies of the termite Nasutitermes corniger
G D Prestwich1,2, B L Bentley1
1La Selva Field Station of the Organization for Tropical Studies, Heredia Province, Costa Rica.
Abstract:
Whole colonies of the arboreal termite Nasutitermes corniger (lsoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae) from a Costa Rican rainforest were assayed for nitrogen fixation by the acetylene reduction method, using a 21-1 test chamber. Nitrogenase activity was positively correlated with termite biomass for the nexts examined, providing the experiment was performed within 2 h of removal of the colony from the field. Total colony fixation rates of 0.25-1.0 mg N per colony per hour indicate a nitrogen doubling time of 200-600 days, thereby making possible complete replacement of the nest population 1-2 times per year.
More Related Videos
17:36Testing Protozoacidal Activity of Ligand-lytic Peptides Against Termite Gut Protozoa in vitro Protozoa Culture and in vivo Microinjection into Termite Hindgut
Published on: December 29, 2010
07:17Culturing and Genetically Manipulating Entomopathogenic Nematodes
Published on: March 31, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
The Nitrogen Cycle
Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
Carbon-dioxide Fixation