Odorant Classical Conditioning in the Termite Zootermopsis angusticollis

Classical conditioning has been well studied in social Hymenoptera, exploring how members of a colony gain foraging benefits from learning to associate various stimuli. While some of this work has been extended into Blattodea, learning in eusocial termite societies has not been well documented. Termites mainly rely on chemical cues for feeding; thus, they would be predicted to associate odor with food. In this study, we tested the ability of species Zootermopsis angusticollis to learn via classical conditioning. We used a natural odorant in conjunction with sugar water to attempt to elicit a feeding response. Termites were individually exposed to our unconditioned and conditioned stimuli through a series of trials, after which the response to the conditioned stimulus alone was recorded and compared to controls. We found that those trained exhibited a significantly greater frequency of feeding responses to the conditioned stimulus. Thus, Z. angusticollis can associate a novel odor with food.