ABUNDANCE OF CULTIVABLE MICROORGANISMS IN VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE GUT OF WORKER TERMITES ANACANTHOTERMES AHNGERIANUS

The abundance and spatial distribution of cultivable physiological groups of microorganisms were investigated in the foregut, midgut, and hindgut of worker termites Anacanthotermes ahngerianus collected in the Beruniy District of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. The populations of cultivable bacteria, Clostridium species, micromycetes, and aerobic and anaerobic cellulose-degrading microorganisms were determined using appropriate culture media. Significant differences in the quantitative distribution of the studied groups were observed across the different gut segments. The abundance of cultivable bacteria was 4.5×10³ CFU/termite in the foregut, 3.0×10² CFU/termite in the midgut, and 6.0×10³ CFU/termite in the hindgut. Clostridium counts reached 1.5×10² CFU/termite in the foregut and 6.0×10² CFU/termite in the hindgut, while no growth was detected in the midgut. The abundance of micromycetes ranged from 1.5×10¹ to 4.5×10¹ CFU/termite, with the highest value recorded in the midgut. The highest abundance of aerobic cellulose-degrading microorganisms was found in the hindgut (1.1×105 CFU/termite), which was approximately 157 times greater than the count in the foregut. In the midgut, anaerobic cellulose-degrading microorganisms predominated, with an abundance of 2.5×10³ CFU/termite-approximately 1.9 times higher than the number of aerobic microorganisms within this same functional group. The results obtained indicate spatial heterogeneity within the cultured gut microbial community of A. ahngerianus, as well as differences in the distribution of its physiological groups.