| Play Audio |
| The Discovery Files podcast is available through iTunes or you can add the RSS feed to your podcast receiver. You can also access the series via AudioNow® by calling 405-875-0058 on any telephone. |
| Termites might not top the list of humanity's favorite insects, but new research suggests that their large dirt mounds are crucial to stopping deserts from spreading into semi-arid ecosystems. The results indicate that termite mounds could make these areas more resilient to climate change. |
| Credit: NSF/Karson Productions Audio Transcript: Termite limits. I'm Bob Karson with the Discovery Files--new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation. (Sound effect: sound of cartoon termites under) Most of us think of "termite control" in terms of eradicating the destructive little wood-munchers. This is about how the termites help control something else--(Sound effect: wind) the spread of deserts. That's according to a study led by Princeton University. (Sound effect: dry winds) The uber-dry grassland savannahs of Africa, South America and Asia are dotted (Sound effect: cartoon pop! Pop! Pop!) with termite mounds each a refuge for vegetation. The mounds store nutrients and moisture--their internal tunnels help water penetrate the soil. Vegetation flourishes on or near them in ecosystems that are otherwise vulnerable to "desertification." Holding back a desert in already vulnerable dryland areas is no small feat especially under drought conditions. Part of what the termites do is to preserve seeds so vegetation takes hold when the rains return. It was once thought that a pattern of termite mounds covered by vegetation was a mark of the final stage in "desertification." The researchers say the opposite could be true that plants are persevering thanks to termite mounds that increase the productivity of the ecosystem and make it more stable and resilient. (Sound effect: sound of cartoon termites under) So not all termites are pests, you could say there's "mounding evidence." "The discovery files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research--brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov or on our podcast. |
