What is the ecological importance of termites?
They burrow tirelessly and aerate the soil, allowing rainwater to trickle in and enable the mixing of nutrients. This also ensures that the ground stays healthy and fertile. Termites feed on the cellulose found in all kinds of dead plants, and their sticky excretions hold the soil together, preventing soil erosion.
Are all termites economically important?
Economic Importance Termites are an important part of the community of decomposers. They are abundant in tropical and subtropical environments where they help break down and recycle up to one third of the annual production of dead wood.
Why are termites important to humans?
Termites play a major role in recycling wood and plant material. They tunnel the soil, making it porous, aerated and enrich it with minerals and nutrients. Some species of termite practice fungiculture. They maintain a “garden” of specialised fungi of the genus Termitomyces which are eaten [3].
What is the purpose of a termite?
Myth: Termites serve no purpose, they simply exist to destroy. Fact: While termites are known to destroy homes, they serve a great purpose in nature. Termites serve as a natural recycling system, helping to break down fallen trees and dead wood into nutrient-rich soil that helps other plants to grow.
Is termite useful or harmful?
As discussed above termites are harmful to humans and cause severe damage to the structure of the house.
Do termites benefit trees?
That termite-induced boost in near-surface soil moisture was beneficial to plants during the drought, the researchers report today in Science : Seedlings of climbing vines transplanted into areas where termites remained active were 51% more likely to survive than those in areas without the wood-eating insects.
How are termites used in medicine?
It should be emphasized that, from a utilitarian perspective, termites are commonly used insects in traditional popular medicine [6,14-16]. They are used in the treatment of various diseases that affect humans, such as influenza, asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough, sinusitis, tonsillitis and hoarseness [17,18].
Is termite a useful farm insect?
Farm insects like termites feed on wood, causing them to decay thereby increasing the nutrient of the soil.
What would happen if all termites went extinct?
Since termites are ecologically essential insects, it could be said that they work to provide the animal kingdom with food sources. Without termites, much of the earth's soil would not be fertile enough to sprout the plant life that many animals feed upon in order to survive.
How do termites help the world?
But they play a key role in many natural ecosystems. Scientists have known for years that in tropical forests, termites chew up fallen leaves and dead wood, keeping the fallen material under control and shepherding nutrients from the dead material back into the system to be used by other plants, insects, and animals.
What would happen if we didn't have termites?
Crop yields would be smaller, and less food would be available for export. Can you imagine having to live with thousands of roaches spreading bacteria and feces all over your home because you didn't have any way to eliminate them? With no termite control, your home's structural integrity is never safe.
Are termites beneficial insects?
Some termites feed on living plant materials and can become serious crop pests. Termites are also extremely beneficial in that they help to convert plant cellulose into substances that can be recycled into the ecosystem to support new growth.
Abstract
Shelter comes to mind for staying alive. However the well-decorated buildings lose their beauty when termites feed on the wood members of the house. While they destroy the wood members of our shelters, they contribute also to human developments.
Notes
Our profound gratitude goes to the government of Ghana for providing us with the book and research allowance which helped us in the fieldwork. We are also grateful to any other person (s) that reviewed the chapter and assisted in the fieldwork; we say thank you.
About this chapter
Arhin E., Captain-Esoah M., Berdie B.S. (2018) Economic Importance of Termites and Termitaria in Mineral Exploration. In: Khan M., Ahmad W. (eds) Termites and Sustainable Management. Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72110-1_12
What are termites used for?
Various ecosystem services provided by termites – their importance as a food resource for humans, wildlife and domestic animals – are discussed, along with the use of these insects in scientific research and in folk and traditional medicine. Some insufficiently studied properties of termites ...
Is termite a pest?
This article reviews the activities of termites as pests of agriculture and forestry, including crops that are most affected, and termites as structural pests (e.g. wooden structures, household furniture, books and museum collections).
What is Cryptotermes Brevis?
The West Indian drywood termite Cryptotermes brevis (Walker) (Blattodea, Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) is a voracious urban pest with great invasive potential and worldwide distribution that feeds on wooden structures, household furniture, books, and museum collections, causing economic and patrimonial losses. The associated costs resulting from infestations of this species are high (Guerreiro et al., 2014), and with serious ecological impacts on a local scale (e.g., biodiversity losses) (Govorushko, 2019). Termites exhibit a suite of behavioral traits, including individual activities (e.g., walking, chewing, and auto-grooming) to coordinated group activities (nestbuilding, utilization of defensive alarms, etc.), which make them an interesting experimental model for communication studies. ...
How do ants affect soil?
1. Ants provide multiple ecosystem services, including nutrient cycling. Although most studies on nests effects on soil fertility and plant performance include species with large nests, species with less apparent nests may have a relevant effect, especially if they are widespread, abundant, and/or inhabit nutrient‐poor soils. 2. We studied the effects of nests of three abundant and widespread ant species in the Patagonian steppe (the generalist Dorymyrmex tener , and the seed harvesters Pogonomyrmex carbonarius and Pheidole spininodis ) on soil properties, plant growth of two native species, and seedling recruitment. Our main hypothesis was that, despite their non‐apparent nests, these species have a positive effect on soils and enhance plant growth. 3. Nest soils showed higher soil conductivity, %K and %Mg than non‐nest soils. In a greenhouse experiment, individuals of the biennial forb Oenothera odorata grew bigger in nest soils of P. carbonarius and D. tener than in non‐nest soils. Individuals of the perennial tussock grass Pappostipa speciosa grew taller and had more tillers in nest versus non‐nest soils. Seedling abundance and richness were the highest in P. carbonarius nest soils and the general trends were similar to those observed in the plant growth experiment. 4. Our results show that ant species with non‐apparent nests in an arid area enhance soil properties, favouring plant growth (nests of P. carbonarius and D. tener ) and seedling abundance (nests of P. carbonarius ). Due to their high abundance and widespread distribution, these two species could have a relevant role in ecosystem recovery after disturbance.
What are social insects?
Social insects, i.e. ants, bees, wasps and termites, are key components of ecological communities, and are important ecosystem services (ESs) providers. Here, we review the literature in order to (i) analyse the particular traits of social insects that make them good suppliers of ESs; (ii) compile and assess management strategies that improve the services provided by social insects; and (iii) detect gaps in our knowledge about the services that social insects provide. Social insects provide at least 10 ESs; however, many of them are poorly understood or valued. Relevant traits of social insects include high biomass and numerical abundance, a diversity of mutualistic associations, the ability to build important biogenic structures, versatile production of chemical defences, the simultaneous delivery of several ESs, the presence of castes and division of labour, efficient communication and cooperation, the capacity to store food, and a long lifespan. All these characteristics enhance social insects as ES providers, highlighting their potential, constancy and efficiency as suppliers of these services. In turn, many of these traits make social insects stress tolerant and easy to manage, so increasing the ESs they provide. We emphasise the need for a conservation approach to the management of the services, as well as the potential use of social insects to help restore habitats degraded by human activities. In addition, we stress the need to evaluate both services and disservices in an integrated way, because some species of social insects are among the most problematic invasive species and native pests. Finally, we propose two areas of research that will lead to a greater and more efficient use of social insects as ES providers, and to a greater appreciation of them by producers and decision‐makers.
How do termites affect agriculture?
However, some species of termites are becoming a threat to the farming community as they are causing major losses to the agricultural system directly and indirectly. It is estimated that termites cost the global economy more than 40 billion USD annually, and considerable research has been done on its management. In this review, we present the available information related to sustainable and integrated termite management practices (ITM). Furthermore, we insisted that the better management of this menace can be possible through; (i) improving traditional methods to keep termite away from crops, (ii) improving agricultural practices to maintain plants more vigor and less susceptible to termite attack, and (iii) integration of available techniques to reduce termite infestation in crops and surroundings. The application of an effective combination of traditional practices with recently developed approaches is the best option for agricultural growers. Moreover, keeping in mind the beneficial nature of this pest, more innovative efforts for its management, particularly using rapidly emerging technology (e.g. RNA Interference), are needed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
What is citizen science?
Citizen science (CS) contributes to the knowledge about species distributions , which is a critical foundation in the studies of invasive species, biological conservation, and response to climatic change. In this study, we assessed the value of CS for termites worldwide. First, we compared the abundance and species diversity of geo-tagged termite records in iNaturalist to that of the University of Florida termite collection (UFTC) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Second, we quantified how the combination of these data sources affected the number of genera that satisfy data requirements for ecological niche modeling. Third, we assessed the taxonomic correctness of iNaturalist termite records in the Americas at the genus and family level through expert review based on photo identification. Results showed that iNaturalist records were less abundant than those in the UFTC and in GBIF, although they complemented the latter two in selected world regions. A combination of GBIF and the UFTC led to a significant increase in the number of termite genera satisfying the abundance criterion for niche modeling compared to either of those two sources alone, whereas adding iNaturalist observations as a third source only had a moderate effect on the number of termite genera satisfying that criterion. Although research grade observations in iNaturalist require a community-supported and agreed upon identification (ID) below the family taxonomic rank, our results indicated that iNaturalist data do not exhibit a higher taxonomic classification accuracy when they are designated research grade. This means that non-research grade observations can be used to more completely map the presence of termite locations in certain geographic locations without significantly jeopardizing data quality. We concluded that CS termite observation records can, to some extent, complement expert termite collections in terms of geographic coverage and species diversity. Based on recent data contribution patterns in CS data, the role of CS termite contributions is expected to grow significantly in the near future.
Where did termites originate?
Termites are estimated to originate in the Late Jurassic with an evolutionary radiation in the Early Cretaceous. This rapidly evolved eusocial group, having close associations with the ecological communities and surrounding environments, established delicate microecosystems in the Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems. Cretaceous amber with well-preserved clues of natural history provide a “time portal” for paleoentomologists to study the ecosystems in this geological age. Herein, we review the termites and related inclusions reported from Cretaceous amber. Studies on fossil termites have been active in the last two decades with the discoveries of diverse taxa, early eusociality, feeding habits, termitophiles, etc. Termite interactions have been demonstrated by either co-embedded specimens or specialized morphologies known from the extant evidence. The termites and associated communities in Cretaceous amber are significant for us to understand the termites’ early evolution, ecology and eusociality that had complicated interactions in their nests.
What are termites in soil?
Termites also help mix organic and inorganic particles of the soil and this helps prevent soil erosion.
Why are termite mounds important?
According to the researchers at Princeton University termite mounds do the job of oases in deserts. They help the plants around them to sustain on a fraction of the rainfall they normally require. So, in a way, these mounds help prevent desertification of dry land.
What to do if you see mud tubes around your house?
Mud tubes: If you see small mud tubes around the house, be sure to call pest control for termite removal.
Why are termites important to the forest?
Termites are considered equally important for plant life in forests. They feed on the dead and fallen trees and leave behind a number of different nutrients that refurbish the soil and help new plants grow again. Without them forests will be clogged with dead trees.
Why are termites called silent destroyers?
Termites have been very aptly named `Silent destroyers’ thanks to their ability to damage foundations, flooring and even wallpaper without getting detected. Often, by the time the homeowners become aware of their presence in their homes, thousands worth of damage is already done. Each year termites cause damage worth $5 Billion in the United States. But termites are good for the ecosystem?
What kind of treatment is used for subterranean termites?
This kind of treatment is used for Subterranean termites. In this treatment, the surrounding soil is treated to act as a barrier to further infestation. The soil around the foundation is dug and then treated with termiticides.
Is termite control good for the ecosystem?
Yes, termites are good for the ecosystem, but still call Queens County Pest Control immediately if you suspect you have termites. They offer customized pest control NYC treatment and prevention plans to keep your home safe.
