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The termites collect and chew up dead wood, leaf litter and other vegetable debris, depositing their primary faeces as new portions of the fungus garden. [11] The fungus grow through the comb. The termites eat spherules [note 1] and old combs. [12] The fungus forms mushrooms for spreading spores.
Blattodea is an order of insects that contains cockroaches and termites. [2] Formerly, termites were considered a separate order, Isoptera, but genetic and molecular evidence suggests they evolved from within the cockroach lineage, cladistically making them cockroaches as well. [3]
The phylum Elusimicrobiota, previously known as "Termite Group 1", has been shown to be widespread in different ecosystems like marine environment, sewage sludge, contaminated sites and soils, and toxic wastes. The high abundance of Elusimicrobiota representatives is only seen for the lineage of symbionts found in termites and ants. [2]
Termitidae is the largest family of termites consisting of 2,105 described species of which are commonly known as the higher termites. [1] They are evolutionarily the most specialised termite group, with their highly compartmentalized hindgut lacking the flagellated protozoans common to "lower termites", which are instead replaced by bacteria and archaea.
G. sulphureus is able to fix nitrogen.An experiment in Thailand found that they fix around 250 grams of nitrogen per hectare per year. Although this contribution is only between 7% and 22% of the total nitrogen inputs in the ecosystem it is thought to be relatively important as termites add it to dead wood, thereby accelerating its decomposition.
Reticulitermes flavipes, the eastern subterranean termite, is the most common termite found in North America. [1] These termites are the most economically important wood destroying insects in the United States and are classified as pests . [ 1 ]
The Nasutitermitinae is a cosmopolitan subfamily of higher termites that includes more than 80 genera. [2] They are most recognisable by the more highly derived soldier caste which exhibits vestigial mandibles and a protruding fontanellar process on the head from which they can "shoot" chemical weaponry.