How termite behaviour is linked to a warming world

Subject : Environment

What did the study find?

A recent study has found that termites decompose wood at a much higher rate in warmer conditions.
For every 10 degrees Celsius increase in temperature, their decomposition activity goes up by almost seven times.
These wood-eating termites were able to survive in warm and dry conditions, unlike microbes that need water to grow.

Details of the study:

The study revealed that as the Earth gets warmer, termites will rapidly spread across the world.
This could, in turn, lead to a further rise in global temperatures, because these small insects while consuming deadwood release carbon into the atmosphere.
It shows that the movement of an organism as small as a termite can cascade to impact the rate that wood—a global carbon stock—is decomposed.
12 of the world’s 13 most invasive termite species could increase significantly in distribution by 2050.

Termites:

There are around 3,000 species of termites across the world, including the ones that consume plant material and even soil. Prominent among them are the wood-eating termites.
They play a vital role in the planet’s ecosystem i.e. decomposing dead wood.

How will they increase global warming?

Termites release carbon from dead wood in the form of carbon dioxide and methane, two of the most important greenhouse gases.
So, an increase in termite population and their faster decomposing activity can cause more greenhouse emissions, resulting in a hotter planet.

Other consequences of global warming:

Imbalance in the health of the ecosystem.
Melting of polar ice leads to disruption in the food chain of the arctic region.