IN VIRTUALLY every tropical forest, grassland or warm, humid and wooded area around the world, one can see porous castles, 2-5 m tall and made of soil, water and saliva of their habitants, termites. These small insects, who live in the mounds as colonies of 60,000-200,000, are not just skilled architects and engineers but also a surprising source of methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide.
Termites are counted among natural sources of methane like wetlands, wild animals, livestock and geological features like volcanoes, and are estimated to account for 1-3 per cent of emissions globally. In 2008-17, the world emitted 576 Tg (1 Tg or teragram is equal to 1012 g) of methane per year, of which termites contributed 9 Tg, says the Global Carbon Project, in its “Global Methane Budget” published in 2020. Other estimates put the emissions at 2-15 Tg per year.
However, scientists say actual emissions could be greater or lesser than these estimates. To establish certainty, there is a need to understand the relationship between termite colonies and methane.
Termites are known to wreak havoc on agriculture, forests and construction, due to their affinity for plants and wood. However, only 10-15 per cent of 3,000 termite species identified globally are categorised as pests. In natural ecosystems, they feed on and recycle the nutrients present in dead and decaying plant and animal matter. It is this cellulose-rich diet that causes their emissions. Methanogenic microorganisms that live in the gut of termites break down the cellulose entering the body and release methane.
ãã®èšäºã¯ Down To Earth ã® May 01, 2023 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã8,500 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Down To Earth ã® May 01, 2023 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã8,500 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
THE ALCHEMY OF EMOTIONS - SL'OTH
As with all personality traits, laziness is a combination of genes and environment
THE AL'CHEMY OF EMOTIONS - WRATH
Anger is an emotional programme, a part of natural selection that helps us bargain for better treatment
THE AL'CHEMY OF EMOTIONS - GLUTTONY
We have been captured by food and it is driving us to do something that is arguably not good for us
THE AL'CHEMY OF EMOTIONS - ENVY
Envy gives people a fundamental desire for a higher social rank
THE AL'CHEMY OF EMOTIONS-L'UST
Love, lust, attachments are basic brain circuits. They are too primitive a system and will never change
THE AL'CHEMY OF EMOTIONS - GREED
Evolutionary biology sees greed as a way to increase your chances of survival
THE AL'CHEMY OF EMOTIONS
I felt for the tormented whirlwinds Damned for their carnal sins Committed when they let their passions rule their reason
INVISIBLE THREAT
Significant presence of microplastics in Puducherryâs agricultural soil raises concerns for soil and crop health
Feeding off each other
VEGETARIAN MOVEMENTS IN SOUTH ASIA AND THE WEST GREW WITH MUTUAL SUPPORT AND VALIDATION
India's unhealthy patent amendments
Despite strong pleas, the Modi regime has changed the rules to impose a cost on those who challenge faulty patents