The 12 Crucial Connections Between Termites and Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem Balance

4. Carbon Storage Contributors

Advertisement

In tropical forest carbon cycle and storage, termites play a major but sometimes disregarded part. Although their digestive activities are known to generate methane, their relative contribution to soil carbon storage usually exceeds these emissions. Termites assist to absorb organic carbon deep into the soil, where it can be stored for long times, by their eating and nest-building activities. Their changed soil structures produce stable carbon pools that withstand breakdown, therefore helping to sequesters carbon over extended times. These sites are also significant carbon sources in the forest ecology since the improved plant growth around termite colonies results in higher carbon fixation by photosynthesis. Especially remarkable is the capacity for carbon storage of termite-modified soils. Studies have revealed that soils linked to termite activity may have up to 40% more carbon than their surrounds. Several elements contribute to this higher carbon content: partially digested plant material, carbon-rich saliva and faeces, and stable soil aggregates created by which organic matter is shielded from fast breakdown. Furthermore, faster plant development brought about by better soil structure and nutrient availability in termite-modified environments increases above-ground carbon storage in plants. Termite mounds' long-term stability—which might last decades or even centuries—adds even more to their function as carbon stores. Termites in tropical woods become more crucial as climate change worries rise since they highlight their part in global carbon cycle and control of temperature.