A vast 4,000-year-old spatial pattern of termite mounds
Stephen J Martin1, Roy R Funch2, Paul R Hanson3
1School of Environment and Life Sciences, The University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT, UK.
Current Biology : CB
|November 21, 2018
Summary
Termites (Syntermes dirus) created millions of ancient soil mounds in Brazil, forming a massive 230,000 km² pattern. These mounds, not nests, resulted from extensive tunnel networks and waste soil deposition over 4000 years.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Soil Science
- Entomology
Background:
- The origin of large-scale biogenic earthen structures is often debated due to the extinction of their builders.
- Regular, self-organized vegetation patterns can be particularly enigmatic.
Discussion:
- This study investigates 4000-year-old soil mounds created by termites (Syntermes dirus) in Brazil, covering 230,000 km².
- These mounds are byproducts of extensive subterranean tunnel networks, not termite nests.
- The excavation and deposition of approximately 10 km³ of soil have resulted in 200 million conical mounds.
Key Insights:
- Syntermes dirus termites exhibit large-scale intra-specific aggression, influencing mound distribution.
- The mounds form an over-dispersed spatial pattern, a result of optimized waste soil removal from tunnel networks.
- Tunnel networks likely evolved to access episodic leaf-fall, driving mound formation.
Outlook:
- Further research can explore the long-term ecological impacts of these termite-generated landscapes.
- Understanding these ancient structures provides insights into ecosystem engineering by social insects.
- Investigating the role of climate stability in the persistence of these biogenic structures.
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