Termites are ecologically significant in positive and negative ways; their role in breaking down debris greatly benefits forest environments, but this activity renders them a pest in domestic environments. This study examines the effect of nutrition on the feeding preference of termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Among 11 nutrition options tested, dipotassium phosphate (DKP) most significantly increased feeding consumption in the multiple feeding choice test. The mean feeding amount of the DKP-treated sample was 2.5-fold higher than that of the deionized water-treated control. This result suggests that termite colonies are deficient in phosphorus, and an additional supply of phosphate can promote feeding. The result of a no-choice feeding test using DKP shows that DKP does not promote feeding in a small number of termites. The results obtained in this study suggest that phosphorus is needed in termite colonies, making DKP especially effective. DKP will help to improve bait technology, because it is inexpensive and safe for both humans and the environment.

中文翻译：

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用磷酸盐增加白蚁白蚁的摄食量

白蚁具有积极和消极的生态意义。它们在分解垃圾中的作用极大地有益于森林环境，但是这种活动使它们成为家庭环境中的有害生物。这项研究检查了营养对白蚁白蚁白蚁白蚁摄食偏好的影响。在测试的11种营养选择中，磷酸氢二钾（DKP）在多项喂养选择测试中显着增加了饲料消耗。DKP处理的样品的平均进料量是去离子水处理的对照组的2.5倍。该结果表明白蚁菌落缺乏磷，而额外的磷酸盐供应可以促进觅食。使用DKP进行无选择喂养测试的结果表明，DKP不会促进少量白蚁的喂养。在这项研究中获得的结果表明，白蚁菌落中需要磷，这使得DKP特别有效。DKP将对诱饵技术有所帮助，因为它对人类和环境都是廉价且安全的。