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Ecology of Termites

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Termites and Sustainable Management

Part of the book series: Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection ((SUPP))

Abstract

Termites show a structured social life, provisioned with work-based divisions, i.e., king, queen, workers, and soldiers. Ecologically, termites interact with living and nonliving surroundings and deliver a wide range of behaviors. They ensure the survival of colony members by harvesting food, constructing shelters, defending the external and internal threats, and nourishing the new borne progeny in a systematic manner. The termites are equipped with complex characteristics such as chemical communication, morphological and chemical defense, and brood care that enable their successful survival. Besides their usefulness, these tiny insects are a center of attraction because they damage the human economy as wood pests. In this chapter, the ecological role of termites is examined and explored.

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  1. Centre for Environmental Research and Studies (CERS), Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia

    Syed Kamran Ahmad & Hassan Ali Dawah

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia

    Md. Aslam Khan

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    Md. Aslam Khan

  2. Department of Zoology, Section of Nematology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Wasim Ahmad

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Ahmad, S.K., Dawah, H.A., Khan, M.A. (2018). Ecology of Termites. In: Khan, M., Ahmad, W. (eds) Termites and Sustainable Management. Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72110-1_3

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