Mound-building termites

In order to get good ventilation, the termites will construct several shafts leading down to the cellar located beneath the nest.

[1] The extensive system of tunnels and conduits have long been considered to help control climate inside the mound.

[3] The tall chimneys are exposed to higher wind velocities compared to openings at ground level due to surface boundary condition.

The complex interaction between the mound and kinetic energy of turbulent winds are the driving forces for the colony’s gas exchange.

Improved reliability of the sensor suggests that wind plays a secondary role relative to the dominant thermal mechanism in ventilation.

They also dig tunnels, locate food and water, maintain colony atmospheric homeostasis, and build and repair the nest.

When the large soldiers attack they emit a drop of brown, corrosive salivary liquid which spreads between the open mandibles.

On top of that, mound soils have been found to contain more water than their surroundings, a clear advantage for plant growth in savannas.

[10] The caatinga ecoregion in northeast Brazil has about 200 million termite mounds spread over an area the size of Great Britain.

Underneath the mounds are networks of tunnels that required the excavation of 10 cubic kilometres (2.4 cu mi) of dirt.

[15] One scientist stated that the mounds apparently represent "the world's most extensive bio-engineering effort by a single insect species".