HOME STINKY HOME: The feces-lined tunnels of Formosan termite nests form intricate networks.T. CHOUVENC, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, 2013
Termites are among a select set of animals that can efficiently digest cellulose. They feed on wood and other plant material with the help of symbiotic microbes that dwell in their guts. But termites are also under a near-constant threat of being wiped out by entomopathogens, pathogenic microbes and fungi that target insects. Some subterranean species of termites, which form highly complex, socially structured colonies, have devised ways to keep novel diseases at bay on both the individual and community levels. From an evolutionary standpoint, one of the most interesting defense strategies employed by Formosan subterranean termites (Coptotermes formosanus) is that they build and live in nests that are lined with their own feces. And researchers are learning that these poo-laden dwellings, where termites mingle ...
