University of Miami tropical biologist Amy Zanne conducted an international research study to investigate the finding and decay of wood by termites and microbes.
Most people think of termites as a wood-consuming nuisance in homes and businesses. But these termites represent less than 4% of all termite species in the world.
Termites are essential in natural ecosystems, especially in the tropics, as they help recycle dead wood from trees. Without these rots, the world would be filled with dead plants and animals.
But these fuelwood-consuming insects could soon move to the North and South Poles as global temperatures warm due to climate change, according to new research.
In an international study led by Amy Zanne, professor of biology at the University of Miami, researchers found that termites play a vital role in the decomposition of wood, thereby contributing to the earth’s carbon cycle. They also learned that termites are very sensitive to temperature and rainfall. Thus, as temperatures warm, the insect’s role in wood decay will likely extend beyond the tropics.
“With warming temperatures, the impact of termites on the planet could be enormous,” said Zanne, Aresty Chair of Tropical Ecology in the Department of Biology at the College of Arts and Sciences.
For the study, published in the journal Science, Zanne, along with more than 100 collaborators, studied places around the world where bacteria and fungi (germs) and termites eat dead wood. They also studied the impact of temperature and precipitation on wood discovery and decay using the same experimental setup installed at more than 130 sites in a variety of habitats on six continents. Their results suggest that areas with high termite activity should increase as the land becomes warmer and drier.
“Termites had their greatest effects in places like tropical savannas, seasonal forests, and subtropical deserts,” Zanne noted. “These systems are often underestimated in terms of their contributions to the global carbon budget.”
Amy Austin, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Buenos Aires and a collaborator with Zanne, said the global study has helped scientists better understand wood decomposition.
“The inclusion of hot, arid bioregions, particularly in the southern hemisphere, where termites are often abundant and active, has provided insight into their role in carbon turnover,” Austin said. “As ecologists, we may need to expand our examination of woody ecosystems beyond a closed-canopy forest and recognize that woody carbon stores in drier ecosystems are an important component of the global carbon cycle. .”
Although both microbes and termites break down dead wood, there are important differences between them. While microbes need water to grow and consume wood, termites can function at relatively low humidity levels. In fact, termites can seek out their next meal even if it’s dry and bring whatever they want back to their mounds, or even move their colony into the wood they consume.
“Microbes are globally important when it comes to wood decay, but we have largely overlooked the role of termites in this process. This means that we are not taking into account the massive effect these insects could have on the future carbon cycle and interactions with climate change,” Zanne explained.
Like little cows, termites release carbon from wood in the form of methane and carbon dioxide, which are two of the most important greenhouse gases. Therefore, noted Zanne, termites may increasingly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions with climate change.
“I’m fascinated by how microbial and termite decomposition of wood affects how carbon is returned to the environment,” said the researcher, who has been studying wood-based carbon release reactions for more than a decade. ‘a decade.
Zanne began her termite research in 2008, connecting with other wood decay experts while participating in a working group in Sydney, Australia. This led to an extensive research project funded by the National Science Foundation and the Natural Environment Research Council in Queensland, Australia, which even included a collaboration with artist Donna Davis to depict termites, microbes and wood in decomposition.
She expanded the study globally through social media and word of mouth, including researchers across career stages and locations, everyone conducting the same experiment using locally sourced materials. .
André M. D’Angioli, a Brazilian biologist, collaborated on the project as part of his doctoral thesis at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas.
“Being involved in the Global Timber Project was a major milestone for my research,” he said. “It was fascinating to see how the regional-scale data I collected in Brazil related to the global patterns found in this article.”
Zanne said the opportunity to lead a global search business was extremely rewarding.
“It’s one of the most amazing projects I’ve worked on,” she said. “It was a real international collaboration. Our ability to better understand wood decomposition and parts of the carbon cycle on a global scale is now stronger thanks to this research.
The study, “Termite temperature sensitivity affects global wood decay rates,” was published in the Sept. 23 edition of Science and is also available online.
