In contrast, the fungal species obtain plant material and optimal conditions for growth.

The primary reproductive caste or royal pair is made up of a king and a queen.

Sterile castes do not possess any reproductive capacity and include workers and soldiers, both major and minor.

Later, young workers defecate this blended plant material, along with fungal spores, somewhere in the colony nest.

The Termitomyces fungi use the nutrients from the comb and complete their life cycle with fruiting bodies or fungal nodules.