Economic and ecological importance of termites: A global review

Abstract

In this review article, the positive and negative impacts of termites on ecosystems and human activities are examined. Various ecosystem services provided by termites – their importance as a food resource for humans, wildlife and domestic animals – are discussed, along with the use of these insects in scientific research and in folk and traditional medicine. Some insufficiently studied properties of termites (their ability to perceive the radiation of radioactive substances, electric fields and magnetic fields), as well as the use of termites in bionics, are described. Special attention is paid to the use of termite mounds for different purposes (e.g. in mineral deposit searches, in medical applications, as furnaces for copper smelting, for storage of some nuts, as burial sites, for gathering of edible mushrooms of the genus Termitomyces and as fertilizer). Examples of such use in different countries are given. This article reviews the activities of termites as pests of agriculture and forestry, including crops that are most affected, and termites as structural pests (e.g. wooden structures, household furniture, books and museum collections). Examples of termites’ malicious activities in different parts of the world are provided. Information on the invasions of termites is given, and the main areas of expansion of their habitat are described. The economic loss caused by termites in some countries and the world as a whole are presented. The article also lists the most economically important termite species in the world.

Surprising chiral composition changes over the Amazon rainforest with height, time and season

“…These chiral measurements show that insects are an understudied and underestimated source of VOC. Termites are essential for plant turnover in tropical forests as they can recycle globally up to 1/3 of all existing biomass 53 . Their population depends mostly on desiccation in modified forests 54 , increases with deforestation 55 and works to mitigate drought 56 , therefore we can expect the population to increase significantly in Amazonia with continued deforestation and climate warming.…”

Physical assessments of termites (Termitidae) under 2.45 GHz microwave irradiation

“…In this study, the objective was to determine the impact of 2.45 GHz microwaves on the termite body using a subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, one of the most destructive insects of houses and wood structures worldwide [30][31][32] . Transduction of electromagnetic energy to heat in termite bodies was evaluated for standing waves generated by resonance conditions and for traveling waves.…”

Evaluating the data quality of iNaturalist termite records

“…The role of experts becomes especially important for termites that are cryptic and hard to identify. Ants, for example, are, like termites, eusocial insects that show a comparable sociality which involves a caste system [36], and that have a comparable ecological dominance as termites [37,38]. Ants are also found worldwide (though termites cannot establish colonies in some temperate or subarctic regions compared to ants), and cause comparable economic damage as termites, which, as an example, for the imported fire ants Solenopsis invicta, Solenopsis richteri, and their hybrid, in the US is estimated to be $6.3 billion for 2006 alone [39].…”