Table Of ContentSustainability in Plant and Crop Protection
Md. Aslam Khan
Wasim Ahmad Editors
Termites and
Sustainable
Management
Volume 1 - Biology, Social Behaviour
and Economic Importance
Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection
Series editor
Aurelio Ciancio, Sezione di Bari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto per la
Protezione delle Piante, Bari, Italy
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/13031
Md. Aslam Khan • Wasim Ahmad
Editors
Termites and Sustainable
Management
Volume 1 - Biology, Social Behaviour and
Economic Importance
Editors
Md. Aslam Khan Wasim Ahmad
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science Department of Zoology, Section of
Jazan University Nematology
Jazan, Saudi Arabia Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection
ISBN 978-3-319-72109-5 ISBN 978-3-319-72110-1 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72110-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017957654
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Foreword
Insects have been calling attention over years due to their ecological roles. Termites
are the most dominant arthropod decomposer and show high diversity. Their abun-
dance in any ecosystem drastically change the below ground biodiversity and are
considered to enhance ecosystem productivity. Ecologically, termites act as ecosys-
tem engineers as they influence processes and properties of soil structure as well as
organic matter decomposition. They also contribute to the establishment of new soil
in eroded areas. Over long periods of time, termites can modify the physical proper-
ties of soil. Termites are decisive for the functioning and yield of terrestrial ecosys-
tems thus important for agricultural sustainability. Majority of the termite are
helpful to mankind and are one of the effective organisms in food webs.
Despite importance in many ecosystems, destructive activities of termites as a
result of their feeding habits cannot be overemphasized. Even though damage con-
trol measures have been developed all over the world, termite management is still in
infancy, because very little is known about their biology. Therefore, detailed studies
related to their biology and behaviour need to be carried out to achieve success in
termite management.
This edited volume focuses on the biology, social behaviour and economic
importance of this cryptic insect. Different chapters in this book provide valuable
information in this regard. The editors of this volume together with the authors of
the individual chapters have made a remarkable contribution towards inclusion of
information and latest research results in this aspect. This information could be use-
ful for researchers, educators and students for understanding that most of the termite
species are not a pest; they play a vital role in the ecosystem as well as for agricul-
tural sustainability. This book comprehensively addresses various issues related to
the biology, social behaviour and economic importance of this social insect through
the expertise of leading authors worldwide. Finally, this volume in the series
Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection is highly innovative in covering together
different issues.
v
vi Foreword
I am sure that a new generation of researchers will benefit much from this book.
I congratulate the editors and various authors of this volume for such a splendid
contribution on this social insect.
Kolkata, India K. Venkataraman
Former Director,
Zoological Survey of India
Preface
This is the first of two volumes on termites presented in the series Sustainability in
Plant and Crop Protection. This book deals with the biology, social behaviour and
economic importance of this group of insects. The editors and authors have focussed
on many basic and applied aspects of termites, including the main factors underpin-
ning their ecological role and interactions with humans.
The volume includes 12 chapters providing reviews or experimental data on ter-
mites’ biology. These deal with their systematics, taxonomy and ecology, their
interactions with the surrounding environment, and the role of the gut microbiota
and pheromones. Termites are described as a significant source of proteins and fat,
used as food in some social contexts. Finally, the ecology and the helpful role of
termitaria in minerals’ exploration are revised, in relation to soil removal and
displacement.
Given the large amount of contributions that the editors were able to assemble,
several aspects of management have been moved to the second volume on ter-
mites, published within this series. It includes chapters spanning from eco-friendly
approaches in termite control to management in organic agriculture and biocontrol,
or through botanicals and other products.
Since the last decades of the twentieth century, biodiversity conservation and
environment protection represent unavoidable steps in many human activities.
Although termites are considered only as pests, they are also useful organisms. Only
a small fraction of the species in this lineage produce indeed a negative impact on
the cultivated field and urban or peri-urban space. On the contrary, many termite
groups have a positive impact on the environment, playing a key role in sustaining
many ecological processes, including nutrients’ recycling and transport, or acting
as primary soil engineers.
The present-day challenge is to increase food production by raising the average
productivity per unit surface. Most fertile soils are already employed in agriculture,
and deforestation has already crossed the acceptable limit. To sustainably increase
productivity, we need to effectively expand our knowledge. In particular, we need to
increase the expertise about how to replace energy-based production cycles (i.e.
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viii Preface
relying on massive use of energy-demanding pesticides or fertilizers) by information-
based, more conservative and sustainable approaches.
In this perspective, dealing with a complex and successful group of invertebrates,
a compendium of information and data on termites appears very helpful. The
amount of information provided is impressive and based on the research data pro-
duced by the laboratory and fieldwork of many authors. The scientists, who have
contributed to and edited the volume, are at a leading edge in the field, both in terms
of their experience and scientific production. Their long-term experience may
arouse the reader’s interest in their contributions, which are integrated with exten-
sive bibliographies.
The editors’ endeavour is highly appreciated in the preparation of these two vol-
umes that were a result of their endless effort and exhaustive support provided to the
contributors. These volumes provide a clearer insight on the biology and role of
termites, allowing a better comprehension and knowledge about this diverse and
fundamental group of invertebrates.
Aurelio Ciancio
IPSP-CNR Bari, Italy
SUPP Series Editor
Preface
Termites play a vital role in the ecosystem by recycling waste material at every stage
of decomposition. They have an extraordinary ecological impact, playing a key role
in global carbon cycle, decomposition processes and nutrients recycling, as a result
of their multi-level co-evolution with microorganisms that allows a superefficient
utilization of lignocellulosic materials. They alter soil composition and structure,
improve drainage and provide soil aeration due to burrowing activities, enhancing
soil fertility when the mounds, rich in minerals and nutrients, are crushed down and
incorporated into the soil. Thus, termites are referred as true soil engineers owing to
their immense contribution in soil building activity. While in temperate zones ter-
mites play a minor ecological role, in the tropics they are the most important inver-
tebrate decomposer.
Termites are an interesting biotechnological model for various industrial applica-
tions. These insects have been extensively studied to understand the mechanisms of
lignocellulose digestion and their related potential for biofuel production. The ter-
mite symbiotic system is a rich resource, promising the discovery of new genes and
enzymes. Apart from that, termites are an important food source across sub-Saharan
Africa, where they are consumed as delicacies both in rural and urban areas. They
are also used in traditional popular medicine. Their ability to withstand adverse
environmental conditions is primarily due to their reproduction in large numbers at
an astounding rate, along with their social structure. It is, therefore, imperative to
study the biology, social behaviour and economic importance of these insects.
This volume comprises 12 chapters in an attempt to bring available information
on the biology, social behaviour and economic importance of termites. Chapters in
this book dealing with termite identification provide a review on most updated
information of their systematics. Ecologically, termites interact with living and non-
living surroundings and deliver a wide range of behaviours. In a separate chapter,
termite ecology is examined and explored. Termites depend on their gut microbes
for digestion of complex polysaccharides of wood into simpler molecules.
Information provided on gut microbiome and lignocellulose degradation constitutes
an important contribution.
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