The largest network of termite mounds in the world is visible from space
The largest network of termite mounds in the world is visible from space
.An international team of researchers has discovered the largest area of known termite mounds in northeast Brazil. The study, published this week in the journal Current Biology, estimates that these constructions are more than 4,000 years old and their extent covers an area the size of Britain.
The dimensions of the extension are so vast that the construction can be observed from space. It can even be easily seen in Google Earth.
According to Stephen Martin, a scientist at the University of Salford (United Kingdom) and co-author of the study, these mounds were formed by a single species of termites that excavated a massive network of tunnels to access the dead leaves of the forest. Travel time is minimized thanks to a pheromone map. "In this way, they manage to feed themselves safely and directly from the ground," says Martin.
"This is the most extensive bioengineering work in the world carried out by a single species of insect," adds Roy Funch, from Feira de Santana State University, which also participates in the study, together with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. and the University of Buffalo (USA).
The mounds are found in the dense, low and dry vegetation of the Caatinga forest in Brazil, cleared for the pasture of the earth. (Photo: ROY FUNCH)
Thousands of years of slow and constant excavation has resulted in approximately 200 million coniform termite mounds, consisting of large amounts of piled earth, 2.5 meters high and 9 meters wide each. "The amount of soil excavated is more than 10 cubic kilometers, equivalent to 4,000 large pyramids of Giza," says Martin.
When observing the construction from an aerial view, an equidistant separation is perceived between the mounds. At first, the researchers tried to find out if this regular pattern was due to an established competition between neighboring termite mounds. However, the findings suggest that spatial organization has not been generated by aggressive interactions, but arose as a result of self-organization processes.
Until now, the mounds had remained hidden in the forest of Caatinga, of thorn scrub, semi-arid and deciduous, unique to northeastern Brazil. Their discovery has been possible, in large part, thanks to the fact that the land has been cleared for pasture during the last decades.
"It is incredible that in these times you can find an unknown biological wonder of such dimensions and age with its occupants still present," Martin concludes. Experts agree that there are still many questions to answer. (Source: SINC)
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