How Termites Help Forests in Times of Drought

Termites help forests by becoming great allies against climate change

These insects have a bad reputation, due to the fact that they cause damage to furniture, books and other disturbances in people’s homes, but what many do not know is that the overwhelming majority of this species is far away from the urban environment. There are more than 2,800 species already catalogued, in Brazil there are 320 of these. Termites help forests and are one of the biggest contributors to the carbon cycle on our planet.

Your role

Inside the termite mounds there is a colony, which obeys a caste, and each one of them is responsible for a function. These termites help in the decomposition of the organic matter of the system where they are found, feeding mainly on the cellulose, they help to decompose dead wood, they also collaborate to aerate and drain the land, which directly contributes to the fertility of the land.

the importance that termites play in maintaining the balance of natural ecosystems is undeniable, but it is still unclear what role these insects actually played, since there are other microorganisms that perform similar functions, such as ants, microbes of the soil, earthworms, etc.

Search

In a study published in the journal Science, a very interesting discovery was reported. It was found that termites help forests to withstand the drought, keeping them intact and healthy.

In the research it was observed that the areas where termites were present, even in a dry period the soil remained intact, and even better and more fertile thanks to these insects. The soil remained moist, the seeds germinated and the entire system in which the termites thrived, even with severe climate change. Which did not occur where they did not dwell.

Conclusion

According to Professor Corina Tarnita, co-author of the study: “Even when you see the beginning of desertification among termite mounds, the vegetation on or around them maintains itself well”. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve these great allies of our ecosystem. It has been proven through these incredible insects that it is possible to prevent soil degradation and prosper vegetation, going against climate change in a natural way.