NEW YORK: New research shows how termite mounds aerate the soil, helping to buffer grassland from the effects of climate change and slow the pace of desertification.
Mound-building termites in Africa have the potential to buffer climate-sensitive grasslands there from the regional effects of global warming, at least for a while, according to a new study.
In the process, the landscape above the colonies could well serve as the center of action for rebuilding vegetation following drought.
This relationship between colonies of the tiny bugs and their broader environment is likely to hold well beyond Africa to parts of Australia and South America, according to the researchers conducting the study.
That could be encouraging news for people who live in the world’s arid or semi-arid savannas and grasslands. These make up less than 40 percent of the Earth’s land area and support more than 38 percent of the world’s population, the researchers note.
