Termites are small insects known to causes destruction to any structure made of wood. These insects belong to the class Isoptera; iso meaning “equal”, and ptera meaning “wings.” They play an important role in the formation of landscape and soil, and dominate the guild of “ecosystem engineers” (Jouquet, 2011, p. 215) as a controlling factor in the ecosystems that they dwell in. This is especially true in countries located in the tropics and subtropics (Africa and Australia). Termites that build their nests from the soil have an impact on soil properties and structure. This is most obvious among mound builders.
To get a better understanding of what a termite mound is, we first look at the following image. Five different sections of the mound are visible. Section one shows the top of the mound. This part can rise up to twenty-five feet or higher above ground (Planetseed, 2013). These mounds are made up of soil, feces and saliva. To build this kind of structure, termites fill their mouth and mandibles with the soil, allowing it to become mixed with their saliva. They then position the soil and knead it with their head and mandibles. This part of the mound is extremely porous, allowing air to enter it.
Section two contains the chimney and tunnels. These tunnels allow air to travel through them and up into the chimney. When the outside air comes in contact with the warm air inside, the cooler air is pushed into section three. This allows oxygen to reach lower areas and prevents overheating.
Section three is the nest. This is where termites spend a majority of their time. The nest is made up of many chambers. Because termites eat a lot of food, they have separate chambers used for storing wood. This is the primary food source for ...
... middle of paper ...
... to a mound. This means that the productivity of these areas is greater than if the termite mounds are randomly constructed.
Termites, although thought of as pests are very beneficial to our ecosystem. They provide an increase in plant and animal diversity. Termites also allow for greater water infiltration into the soil through tunnel digging, allowing for plant growth. Through their feces, secretions of saliva and the bodies of predators and other termites, they add organic matter into the soil. This helps increase the fertility of the soil in and around the mounds. An increase in soil fertility can help struggling countries increase their crop production, especially helpful in countries that don’t have the financial means to buy fertilizers. Throughout the rest of our lives, termites will be a key “engineer” to our ecosystem as we continue to degrade our soils.
Prairie voles make shallow underground burrows and runways through surface vegetation. In winter, they tunnel underneath the snow. Their runways are
In terms of numerical abundance, size and species richness, ants are a prominent group in many terrestrial ecosystems. Ants also occupy higher tropic levels and often used specialized niches; suggest that they may be good bio-indicator of various environmental parameters (Majer, 1983).
crevices, it also buries itself in the ocean floor. Their small size and not having a skeleton l...
The antlion got its name from early European scholars who likened the insect to, a small creature, extremely hostile to ants. Antlion larvae are carnivorous predators that feed mainly on small mobile arthropods such as ants, as well as the occasional spider, beetle, fly, caterpillar, wasp, and mite that falls into its pit. Our research was conducted on the species Myrmeleon crudalis, which is from the order Neuoptera. This species lives preferably in sheltered, sandy regions and builds shallow, cone-shaped pits in the surrounding substrate. The larvae use these pits to capture their prey. The insect falls into the pit and is unable to climb up the loose sand on the sides of the pit. The antlion lies buried at the bottom of the pit and catches its prey with its strong, piercing mandibles. The larvae secrete digestive enzymes through the mandibu...
Humans interact with the ecosystem in every way imaginable. We humans have a huge impact on the Earth’s biodiversity, whether it’s positively or negatively.
Although they are similar in appearance, it’s important to know what is the difference between ants and termites to know how to control each and prevent damage to your property.
In the animal kingdom, many types of insects work together to build their homes. For example, termites work together to create impressive mounds. Ants also work together to make their homes, known as nests.
Nest predation in fragmented forest has been found to affect nests that are built above the ground more than nests that are built on the ground (Yahner & Scott, 1988). Nests that can be detected from a distance have also been found to be more preyed upon than those that cannot be (Angelstam, 1986), hence suggesting that nests located in low density vegetation areas are more at risk at predation than nests in high density vegetation.
Once they find an entryway through a window, vent or foundation crack, they will move to the most moisture-rich place in your home. Crawlspaces are an ideal habitat for millipedes because they love feeding on the dead leaves that are found within them.
With the world having so many people on it we use a lot of pesticides and fertilizers. If it was not for the help of these we would not have gotten to the place we are now. Pesticides and fertilizers do a lot more than just help grow and safe from pests. “Nearly 50% of the world labor is employed in agriculture and they significant risk”
Lindahl, Karen, and Susie Balser. "Tardigrade Facts." Tardigrade Facts. Illinois Wesleyan University, 2 Oct. 1999. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
...o pressure. Eddies have created rooms large enough for several people to stand in. On the walls of the cave you can see different layers of of the sedimentary limestone with a wavy patterns. Within some of the layers there are some fossils to be seen. The roof and the walls of the cave slowly leach water. This water carries particles of calcium carbonate, when the water drips this calcium carbonate is left behind and slowly as these particles build up creating icicle like features called stalactites. The inside of the cave is not a very good habitat for most animals without the man made lights it is dark and cold however bats who prefer dark places have taken up residence in the caves. There numbers however, are not what they once were when the caves were first explored by Tom Woodward in 1955 (figure 23)
However once a body is buried, the local flora and fauna can also impact the condition in which the remains are found. Roots of plants may modify bone surface by leaving their imprints, known as etching on the bone. This etching is the result of humic acid, which is produced from either fungus on decaying roots or the roots themselves (Lyman, 1994:375). Plant roots are also capable of destroying bone by increasing the porosity or even splitting them apart (Denys, 2002:478). Some plants in particular thistles, have long extensive roots, which have been observed causing skeletal remains to fragment (Littleton, et al., 2012:3368). Small animals have the ability to burrow, disturb, remove, and even destroy bone. When bone is gnawed upon, it becomes more vulnerable to degradation (Brain, 1980:108-109; Denys, 2002:478; Hamre, 2013:3; Lyman, 1994:193-194). When these particular taphonomic processes are realized, inferences of a burial site may alter.
Some are used for storage of ant eggs. There are rooms for tiered ants to rest. There are even rooms for socializing! When its cold, the ant colony moves down to the deepest rooms of the nest where it is warmer. The reason we find ants under stones is also for warmth.
Agriculture also leads to soil erosion, both through rainfall and wind. This soil can damage the aquatic ecosystems it ends up in, an...