Table 1.
Pool sizes of major metabolites, fresh weight, and microbial cell counts for different gut sections of Nasutitermes cornigera
| Section | Pool size (nmol) |
Fresh wt (mg) | Cell count (106 section−1) | Cell density (109 g−1)b | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acetate | Propionate | Butyrate | Succinate | Lactate | Formate | ||||
| Crop | 0.7 ± 0.1 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | —c | 0.4 ± 0.1 | — | 0.3 ± 0.1 | 0.7 ± 0.2 | 0.15 ± 0.03 | 0.21 ± 0.07 |
| Midgut | 0.9 ± 0.0 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | — | 2.0 ± 1.0 | — | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.6 ± 0.1 | 0.08 ± 0.02 | 0.13 ± 0.04 |
| ms/P1 | 1.4 ± 0.2 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | — | 1.1 ± 0.7 | — | 0.7 ± 0.1 | 0.8 ± 0.2 | 0.10 ± 0.04 | 0.13 ± 0.06 |
| P3 | 8.6 ± 1.8 | 0.7 ± 0.4 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 1.0 ± 0.8 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.5 ± 0.1 | 1.4 ± 0.3 | 15.2 ± 3.1 | 10.9 ± 3.2 |
| P4 | 2.1 ± 1.0 | 0.6 ± 0.2 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.3 ± 0.1 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.7 ± 0.1 | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0.08 ± 0.01 | 0.20 ± 0.10 |
| P5 | 1.9 ± 1.2 | 0.4 ± 0.2 | — | 0.3 ± 0.2 | 0.7 ± 0.7 | 0.6 ± 0.2 | 0.6 ± 0.5 | 0.04 ± 0.01 | 0.07 ± 0.06 |
| Total gutd | 15.6 ± 2.4 | 2.2 ± 0.5 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | 5.1 ± 1.5 | 0.9 ± 0.7 | 2.9 ± 0.3 | 4.5 ± 0.7 | 15.6 ± 3.1 | 3.47 ± 0.87 |
a
Values are averages (± mean deviation) for two homogenates of 40 gut sections each.
b
Based on fresh weight, using error propagation.
c
—, below detection limit (ca. 0.02 nmol).
d
Calculated from the amount in each compartment.