Nurmastini Sufina Bujang UF/IFAS/FLREC (Dr. Nan Yao Su's Group)

Research Background
Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer and the ability of termites to digest cellulose as their food source is a characteristic shared by very few other organisms in the food chain. Lower termites digest cellulose using independent dual cellulose-digesting systems consisting of endogenous (termite-derived) and exogenous (protozoan-derived) factors. However, the system(s) within higher termites remains debatable because instead of protozoans, they harbor bacteria in their hindgut and these bacterias role in cellulolysis is still unclear. My current research interest is the phylogenetic diversity of cellulase genes in higher termites and to separate them into termite-derived or bacteria-derived genes. Ultimately, I am interested to compare these genes across nutritionally diverse (xylophagous, fungus-growing and humivorous) higher termites.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Cellulose
• termites
• digest