This post Nitro-Nosh: Why Termites’ Molted Exoskeletons Never Go to Waste appeared first on Entomology Today – Brought to you by the Entomological Society of America.
Termites’ wood-heavy diet offers little nitrogen, a critical nutrient for growth and reproduction. But their exoskeletons are nitrogen rich, and new research shows that eating shed exoskeletons after molting is a core strategy for recycling nitrogen throughout the termite colony and boosting the queen’s egg-laying.
The post Nitro-Nosh: Why Termites’ Molted Exoskeletons Never Go to Waste appeared first on Entomology Today.
