Dave Taylor's African Safari: Trophic Level II - The Herbivores - Termites

Dave Taylor's African Safari: Trophic Level II - The Herbivores - Termites - Page 3

Trophic Level II - The Herbivores
Termites
Page 3

When the environment of the plains is examined, it quickly becomes clear that termites are everywhere. Earthen stacks, some with towering chimneys, others looking just like heaps of earth, dot the plains and woodlands. These are termite mounds. Termites are an essential part of the ecosystem. Worldwide, there are over 2,000 species of termites and they all feed on dead material.

Termites are not "white ants". They are not ants at all and are more closely related to cockroaches. Young termites hatch directly from an egg into the nymph stage. They bypass the larval stage that most insects go through. The termite nymph is a miniature replica of the adult stage. Termites spend their entire lives in darkness since they have no eyes. Nor do they have any color. They are white. Their skin is so soft and thin that they will dry out and die in direct sunshine.

A termite colony that is big and solid enough to stop and even damage a safari vehicle, begins forming after a rainstorm at night. The soil must be damp and moist. If conditions are right, thousands upon thousands of sexually mature, winged, adult males and females emerge from the ground and take flight. Many will die. Nightjars and mongooses, along with other predators, feed on most of them.

The Birth of a Colony

A small percentage of termites will find a mate and fall to the ground to begin a new colony. The wings are shed and the pair burrow into the soil. She will become the queen of the new colony. The rest of her life will be spent manufacturing eggs to build up the population.

Some termites actually eat wood with the help of micro-organisms in their gut. These organisms produce chemicals which break down the tough woody fibers and allow the termites to digest them.

Other species become "farmers" and grow their food. They make hanging gardens of half-digested regurgitated wood fiber. Spores of a particular species of fungi are "seeded" into the garden. They flourish in the dark underground farms and provide the food for the termites.

The termite colony is a remarkable city beneath the soil. Some of the nymphs produced by the female feed her. She becomes too big to move and resides in her own chamber deep within the colony.

Workers and Soldiers, United

Others become workers. The workers of some species will chew earth and mix it with their saliva in order to build their nests. These nests will be as hard as concrete and are called mounds. The construction of these is nothing short of an engineering marvel. The direction of sunlight is taken into account so that the mound receives neither too much nor too little sunlight. Chimneys are constructed to bring in cool air and to expel hot air. Air conditioning is critical to the survival of the colony. If it is too damp, the fungus rots. If it is too hot, the fungus dies.

Termites are virtually living nuggets of protein. Many species like to feed on them. If a colony is attacked by ants or aardvarks, special members of the termite colony respond. These are the soldiers. Their mouths have become giant pinchers that inflict nasty bites on the predator. In fact, their mouths are so big that they can no longer feed themselves and must rely on other termites to feed them.

Somehow, the queen, who is mother to all of these groups, knows when a particular division is running low. If many soldiers die repelling the enemy, she will produce more of them. If the colony needs more workers, she makes more of them.

How important are termites to the African ecology? They are critical. They return more nutrients to the soil than do the huge herds of ungulates. When grass and trees die, it is the termites that recycle them to the soil. Without their work, the grassland would die.

In one South African study it was calculated that 3,000 termite mounds found in the territory of an aardwolf housed 165 million termites!

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