• 한국토양동물학회지
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.51-57
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• 1998

A new rod-shaped endospore-forming bacterium isolated from the hindgut flora of the termite, Reticulitermes speratus kyushuenesis Morimoto is described. The isolate stained Gram positive, but the KOH test and the test for L-alanine aminopeptidase were negative. The length of a single cell varies from 2.5-9.0 $\mu $m, and the cell is about 0.5-0.7$\mu $m thick. The isolate had a high cellulolytic ability and was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

• 한국토양동물학회지
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.19-24
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• 1998

The importance of the gut microorganism in the termite, Reticulitermes Speratus kyushuenesis Morimoto, was estimated by feeding with several antibiotics. Antibiotics which killed the bacterium, but not the fungi (Ampicillin, Kanamycin, Erythromycin), or killed both the microorganismw (Cephaloridine, Tetracycline) reduced the life span of the termite from 245 days to about 15 days. On the other hand, some antibiotics, penicillin and pimaricin, did not greatly reduce the life span of the termite.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.163-169
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• 1994

흰개미는 해충이기도 하지만 생태계내에서 식물이 필요로 하는 유기물질을 분해하는 분해자로 서 중요한 역할을 담당하고 토양내 함유 영양물질의 양에도 직접적인 영향을 주고 있다. 이러한 흰개미의 직접, 간접적인 영향으로 인해 세계 각국에서는 흰개미에 대한 다방면의 연구가 활발히 진행되어 왔으나, 국내에서는 전혀 이루어지지 않고 있으며, 심지어 분류 및 분포조사 조차 미흡한 상태이다. 따라서, 본 총설에서는 국내에서 생소한 곤충인 흰개미에 대한 현재까지의 조사, 연구된 외국의 문헌들을 생물학적 특징을 중심으로 정리하였다.

• 보존과학회지
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.77-83
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• 2010

국내에 서식하는 지중흰개미는 목재 내부에 공동화 현상이 발생되어 붕괴가 일어나기 직전까지도 외관상 특별한 변화가 발견되지 않는다. 이러한 흰개미의 활성을 비파괴적으로 측정하는 기술은 현재 국내에 적용된 사례가 없었다. 따라서 본 연구는 극초단파 탐지 장비(Termatrac, Australia)를 이용하여 목조 문화재의 비파괴 진단 기술을 정립하고자 한다. 연구 결과, 소나무의 경우 16cm(민감도 5, 6), 느티나무와 Douglas fir의 경우 17cm(민감도 5, 6)까지 측정이 가능하여 국내 대부분의 목조 건축물에 적용이 가능할 것으로 판단되었다. 현장조사 결과 전국 목조건축물 231동 중 33.8%가 흰개미에 의한 손상을 입었으며, 7.8%인 총 18개 건물에서 흰개미 가해가 진행 중인 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 이와 같은 결과를 통해 목조 문화재의 비파괴 분석법으로서 적용이 가능할 것이라 예상된다.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제48권3호
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• pp.315-325
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• 2020

Boron compound had many advantages as wood preservative, but it was prone to leaching. Improving boron preservation was required to extend the service life of fast growing and low durability red jabon (Antochephalus macrophyllus) hardwood. This study aimed to evaluate the dimensional stability, color change and durability of modified red jabon wood by double impregnation with boron and methyl methacrylate (MMA) and heat treatment. Impregnation I used boric acid or borax, and impregnation II used MMA, while heat treatment used temperatures of 90 ℃ or 180 ℃ for 4 hours. The dimensional stability, leachability, water absorption, color change and decay resistance of modified red jabon wood were tested. The results showed that MMA impregnation increased the dimensional stability of red jabon wood, while the leaching and water absorption in the wood significantly reduced. Heating at 180 ℃ caused less water absorption and higher dimensional stability of the wood than that of heating at 90 ℃. Impregnation with boric acid and MMA followed by heating at 90 ℃ resulted in the highest wood ASE, 89.9%. The color change (∆E^*) of wood increased significantly after MMA impregnation and heating at 180 ℃. Boric acid impregnation caused more resistant wood than borax impregnation against decay fungi and termites. Impregnation with boric acid and MMA followed with heating at 180 ℃ increased significantly the wood resistance against decay fungi and termites.

• Mycobiology
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• 제48권2호
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• pp.95-103
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• 2020

The genus Termitomyces (Lyophyllaceae, Basidiomycota) is often associated with fungus-feeding termites (Macrotermitinae) due to their strong symbiotic relationships. The genus is widely found exclusively in certain regions of Africa and Asia. They are recognized as edible mushroom within Southeast Asia as well. But it is often misidentified based on morphology by the local communities especially in Malaysia for Chlorophyllum molybdites which is a highly poisonous mushroom. Thus, it is necessary to study the genus for Malaysia with the synergy of using both morphological and molecular identification. In this study, we aim to describe another new species as an addition to the genus Termitomyces found within Sabah, Malaysia. We generated two new sequences (nrLSU and mtSSU) for the new species and a total of 28 nrLSU and mtSSU sequences were retrieved from GenBank for the phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences. We identified that the new collection from Sabah province is a new species and named as Termitomyces gilvus based on the termites found in the mound. A phylogeny tree made from the concatenated genes of LSU and mtSSU suggests that T. gilvus is closely related to T. bulborhizus from China. According to our results, the combination of molecular and morphology proved to be a robust approach to re-evaluate the taxonomic status of Termitomyces species in Malaysia. Additional surveys are needed to verify the species diversity and clarify their geographic distribution.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제38권5호
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• pp.449-460
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• 2022

This study was performed to reveal phenotypic characters and identity of symbiont bacteria of Nasutitermes as well as investigate their potential as antagonist of plant pathogenic fungi. Isolation of the symbiont bacteria was carried out from inside the heads and the bodies of soldier and worker termite which were collected from 3 locations of nests. Identification was performed using phenotypic test and sequence of 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA). Antagonistic capability was investigated in the laboratory against 3 phytopathogenic fungi i.e., Phytophthora capsici, Ganoderma boninense, and Rigidoporus microporus. Totally, 39 bacterial isolates were obtained from inside the heads and the bodies of Nasutitermes. All the isolates showed capability to inhibit growth of P. capsici, however, 34 isolates showed capability to inhibit growth of G. boninense and 32 isolates showed capability to inhibit growth of R. microporus. Two bacterial strains (IK3.1P and 1B1.2P) which showed the highest percentage of inhibition were further identified based on their sequence of 16S rDNA. The result showed that 1K3.1P strain was placed in the group of type strain and reference strains of Lysinibacillus fusiformis meanwhile 1B1.2P strain was grouped within type strain and reference strains Paenibacillus alvei. The result of this study supply valuable information on the role of symbiont bacteria of Nasutitermes, which may support the development of the control method of the three above-mentioned phytopathogenic fungi.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제52권1호
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• pp.70-86
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• 2024

Termites are a serious threat to wood-based products in Indonesia. This study investigated the termite resistant property of glulam made from polystyrene-modified wood. Three tropical fast-growing wood species, namely mangium (Acacia mangium), manii (Maesopsis eminii), and rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis), were prepared for flat-sawn laminae. After getting air-dried condition, the laminae were impregnated with polystyrene using potassium peroxydisulphate as a catalyst followed by polymerization at 80℃. Polystyrene-impregnated and control glued-laminated lumbers (glulams) were manufactured, and solid wood was provided. Three wood species and three wood products with six replicates were exposed in a field in Bogor, Indonesia, for four months, and before the tests, their density and moisture content were measured. At the end of the field tests, the weight loss and protection levels of each test sample were determined. A completely randomized factorial design was used for data analysis. The weight percentage gains for mangium, manii, and rubberwood were 22.30%, 18.22%, and 10.44%, respectively. The results showed that manii belonged to low-density wood, whereas the other two woods were medium-density wood, and the moisture content was the ambient moisture content, typical of the Bogor area. Regarding weight loss and protection level, mangium was the most durable against subterranean termite attacks, followed by rubberwood and manii. Among the wood products, the polystyrene-impregnated glulam presented the highest durability, followed by the control glulam and solid wood. Therefore, mangium and rubberwood polystyrene-impregnated glulams are recommended for future product development.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.97-105
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• 2008

Subsocial behavior of the genus Cryptocercus cockroaches has been believed as primitive traits of termite eusociality. Thus, it has been believed that understanding Cryptocercus subsociality is a pre-requisite stage to infer evolutionary route of the eusociality in termites. Woodroaches of Cryptocercus are also well known because of its peculiar characteristics including adults living monogamously in pairs, semelparous reproduction, xylophagy, obligatory association between adults and their offspring, slow development, and anal trophallaxis by adults. Based on the previously accumulated data, we try to understand two major components of Cryptocercus life history, development and reproduction. We hypothesize that harsh winter and length of winter might be one of the main causes driving the appearance of the delayed development and semelparous reproduction in Cryptocercus life history.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.135-139
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• 2010

Reticulitermes speratus is commonly found in Asia, including Korea and Japan. We recently analyzed the 5' region of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I to perform a phylogenetic analysis of R. speratus KMT1, isolated in Seoul, Korea. Our results, using COXI, suggest that the taxonomy of R. speratus should be reconsidered with regard to the subgenus group. A similar phylogenetic analysis by COXI and COXII demonstrated the reliability of COXI genetic information in a molecular phylogenetic analysis of termites.