TERMITES
- ENVIRONMENT
News:
Termites emit methane.
But the extent of their risk to global warming is uncertain; here is why
What's
in the news?
●
Termites are counted among natural sources
of methane like wetlands, wild animals, livestock and geological features like
volcanoes and are estimated to account for 1-3
percent of methane emissions globally.
Key
takeaways:
●
The bacteria present in the termites
digestive system release methane.
●
However, termites mound will contain the
methane emission.
BIO-INDICATORS:
●
Indicator species are very sensitive.
●
Even a small change in their habitat
influence their presence or absence, or abundance or decline.
●
Ecosystem's health can be assessed by the
indicator species.
Termites
and Bio-indicators:
●
Termites are an indicator of soil health.
●
Termites movement in soil will lead to soil aeration.
●
Termites' salivary secretion leads to soil nutrition enrichment.
●
Termites are Bio-Indicators of Soil
fertility.
●
Termite mounds are called ‘hotspots of fertility’ or ‘nutrient
patches’ and they increase plant and animal diversity in the ecosystem.
Go
back to basics:
Termites:
●
Termites are known to wreak havoc on
agriculture, forests and construction, due to their affinity for plants and
wood.
●
However, only 10-15 percent of 3,000
termite species identified globally are categorised as pests.
●
In natural ecosystems, they feed on and
recycle the nutrients present in dead and decaying plant and animal matter. It
is this cellulose-rich diet that causes their emissions.
○
Methanogenic
microorganisms that live in the gut of termites break
down the cellulose entering the body and release methane.