How Do Termites Help the Water Cycle?
Termites help the water cycle by carrying water from the ground into the nest. They also build mounds that contain water for the drylands. This helps slow desertification and preserve plant life.
According to Princeton University researchers, the presence of termite mounds in the drylands can protect them from the effects of desertification. They found that the vegetation grows at a faster rate at the site of a mound.
The termites are a social insect, so they depend on each other to survive. They communicate through pheromones. They use the pheromones to guide other workers. They can also use fungi to grow in their nest. The fungi can also dampen the humidity in the nest.
The termites have special gut organisms that break down woody cellulose into sugars. These gut organisms are passed from termite to termite during grooming sessions. Several species of termites eat grass, and others feed on fungi.
During the first two weeks of life, the larvae are fed regurgitated food. This helps them develop into nymphs, which eventually develop into workers. The worker termites are not fully developed physically, but they perform a large number of jobs for the colony. They take care of baby termites, gather food, and clean the eggs.
The nymphs, or worker termites, communicate through pheromones. When they are ready to reproduce, they begin to mate with a new queen. The new queen lays about six to twelve eggs in a few days.