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Sol-gel synthesis was used to prepare nanoparticles of MgF2 and CaF2. These nanoparticles were tested for their application in wood protection. In comparison to control samples, wood specimens treated with MgF2 and CaF2 showed lower mass loss under exposure to termites and fungi. Samples treated with MgF2 performed better at protecting wood from cellulose degradation when exposed to termites. Conversely, in the presence of fungi, mass loss in treated samples was similar irrespective of the chemical composition (MgF2 and CaF2) of the treatment. A possible explanation for this difference in results between termites and fungi could be their different mechanism of cellulose hydrolysis. Thus, future wood preservatives would need to be customized according to their specific application.
Results suggest a reduction in immune gene repertoires in termites and possible complementary expression between termite castes. With comparative genomics we will investigate the evolution of gene families related to immunity, try to understand where reductions and expansions take place and relate these changes to shifts in sociality and ecology. The role of TEs in expansions and contractions of immune gene families will be investigated. For these analyses, we propose to generate high quality, highly contiguous genomes of species from different levels of sociality, covering all major termite families. With comparative transcriptomics we will investigate the expression of immune genes in different castes. Via network analyses we will identify pathways indicated in differential immunity between castes and between species of different sociality levels. We will investigate how these pathways have been rewired along the transitions to higher levels of sociality and how, intra-specifically, they change between castes.