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Termites can be significant agricultural pests, especially in East Africa and North Asia, where harvest losses can be severe (3100 percent in harvest reduction in Africa).216 Counterbalancing that is the greatly improved water infiltration where termite tunnels in the dirt allow rainwater to soak in deeply, which will help reduce runoff and consequent soil erosion through bioturbation.217 In South America, cultivated plants like eucalyptus, upland rice and sugarcane can be seriously damaged by termite infestations, with attacks on leaves, roots and sterile tissue.

Termites and ants can re-colonise untilled land which contains crop stubble, which colonies use for nourishment when they establish their nests. The presence of nests in areas enables larger amounts of rainwater to soak into the ground and increases the amount of nitrogen in the soil, both essential for the development of plants.218.

The termite gut has inspired many research efforts targeted at replacing fossil fuels with cleanerrenewable energy sources.219 Termites are efficient bioreactors, capable of producing two litres of hydrogen from a single sheet of newspaper.220 Approximately 200 species of germs live inside the termite hindgut, releasing the hydrogen that has been trapped inside wood and plants that they digest.219221 Throughout the action of unidentified enzymes in the termite gut, lignocellulose polymers are broken down into sugars and are transformed into hydrogen.

The development of autonomous robots capable of constructing intricate structures with no human assistance has been inspired by the complex mounds that termites build.222 These robots operate independently and can proceed independently on a monitored grid, capable of climbing and lifting up bricks. Such robots could possibly be handy for future projects on Mars, or for building levees to prevent flooding.223.

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Termites utilize sophisticated means to control the temperatures of the mounds. As mentioned above, the shape and orientation of the mounds of the Australian compass termite stabilises their internal temperatures during the day. As the towers heating up, the solar chimney impact (stack effect) creates an updraft of air within the mound.224 Wind blowing across the tops of the towers enhances the circulation of air through the mounds, which also include side vents in their construction.

Especially in Africa, the pile why not check here effect has turned into a popular means to achieve natural ventilation and passive cooling in modern buildings.224.

The Eastgate Centre is a shopping centre and office block in central Harare, Zimbabwe, whose architect, Mick Pearce, utilized passive cooling inspired by that used by the local termites.226 It was the first significant building exploiting termite-inspired cooling techniques to draw international attention. Other these buildings include the Learning Resource Center in the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and the Council House 2 building in Melbourne, Australia.224.

Few zoos hold termites, due to the problem in keeping them captive and into the reluctance of authorities to permit potential pests. One of those few who do, the Zoo Basel in Switzerland, has two thriving Macrotermes bellicosus populations  resulting try here in an event quite rare in captivity: the mass migrations of young flying termites.

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African tribes in many countries have termites as totems, and for this reason tribe members are forbidden to consume the reproductive alates.228 Termites are frequently used in traditional popular medicine; they act as treatments for diseases and other conditions like asthma, bronchitis, hoarseness, influenza, sinusitis, tonsillitis and whooping cough.208 In Nigeria, Macrotermes nigeriensis is used for religious protection and to cure wounds and ill pregnant women.

In Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, termite mounds are commonly worshiped among the populace.229 Abandoned mounds are seen as constructions made by spirits, believing a neighborhood guardian dwells within the mound; that is known as Keramat and Datok Kong. In urban areas, neighborhood residents construct red-painted shrines over mounds which have been abandoned, in which they pray for good health, protection and fortune.229.

It is unknown whether the termite was female or male. If it was a female, the entire body length would be far more than 25 millimetres when mature.

a b Cranshaw, W. (2013). "11". Bugs Rule! : An Introduction to the World of Insects. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-691-12495-7.

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Lobeck, A. Kohl (1939). Geomorphology; an Introduction to the Study of Landscapes (1st ed.) . University of California: McGraw Hill Book Company, Incorporated. pp. 431432. ASIN B002P5O9SC.

Cleveland, L.R.; Hall, S.K.; Sanders, E.P.; Collier, J. (1934). "The Wood-Feeding Roach Cryptocercus, its protozoa, and the symbiosis between protozoa and roach". Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 17 (2): 185382. doi:10.1093/aesa/28.2.216.

McKittrick, F.A. (1965). "A contribution to the understanding of cockroach-termite affinities". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 58 (1): 1822. doi:10.1093/aesa/58.1.18. PMID 5834489.