How Much Methane Do Termites Emit?

Wouter

Termites are a major source of methane, one of the greenhouse gases, which traps 34-times more heat than carbon dioxide over a century. In recent years, the contribution of termites to the global methane budget has increased significantly. However, we do not know how much methane termites emit, and the long-term implications for the global warming are uncertain. Until now, most studies have used invasive methods to detect and measure methane.

A new study aims to determine how much methane termites produce. Researchers have developed an instrument that can measure the amount of methane that is produced in a termite mound. The results will help scientists to better understand the role of termites in the world’s methane budget.

The instrument measured methane production in termite mounds using gas chromatography. The method was tested on 29 mounds from three species of termite. The results showed that half of the methane injected into the mound was intercepted by bacteria that live inside the mound.

These findings suggest that microbial CH4 oxidation occurs in termite mounds. This may be due to elevated hydrogen partial pressures in the hindgut of some species. These high hindgut hydrogen partial pressures were documented in Cubitermes orthognathus and Reticulitermes flavipes.

The results show that microbial CH4 oxidation is a widespread process in termite mounds. The result also suggests that termite methane emissions are lower than previously believed.

The results show that termite methane emissions are mainly consumed by methanotrophs, bacteria that live in the soil and eat methane as their primary energy source. The findings also show that the amount of methane released by termites varies between species.

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