According to a team of ecologists and biologists from Princeton University, termite habits help keep the advance of the desert at bay, especially in semi-arid ecosystems and croplands in large areas of Africa, Asia and South America. In a study published in Science, these experts argue that the nests built by these insects make these areas more resistant to climate change, as they function as stores of nutrients and moisture and facilitate water to penetrate the earth. As a result, vegetation spreads around these structures and is less vulnerable to desertification.
The arid lands in which termites establish their nests need much less rainfall to thrive than those in which they do not exist. Furthermore, although the trial has focused on the genus Odontotermes, made up of termites that grow fungi, its conclusions can be applied to the other species of these animals.
For Corina Tarnita, professor of evolutionary biology at the aforementioned US institution, who has participated in the research, termite mounds also preserve seeds, which makes it easier for nearby areas to recover sooner once the rains pass. “ The vegetation stays in good condition longer and takes longer to decay . Where these nests are raised, ecosystems have more opportunities to recover ”, he indicates.
