Going to Namibia for the first time I was struck by the topography of so many changing landscapes. From desert to rocks, to salt pans, grass lands to forests, the vistas constantly changed. Many go for the amazing Norah’s Ark of animals that track the land. At one watering hole at Etosha, it was like a movie watching the herds come and go, flowing in and out without a minor scape of animals threatening one another, just belly up to the bar of the watering hole, get a drink and go.
But there was one that had me fascinated. Wherever you drove in Namibia you encountered the towering hard compacted soil structures sprouting from the landscape pointing in a northerly direction. They are termite mounds, better known as anthills! Well documented and studied, they are a complex of a social organization of insect builders. In the terms of a “true democracy” that has remained non-existent in the human race; amazingly it is real in a termite colony! The king, queen, workers and soldiers are at the same level, there is no superiority, but it is just division of labor, where each has different roles to play. They really are incredible insects and as you can see, can be described as anything from builders, engineers, architects, soldiers, farmers and more. To see a termite mound and its inhabitants up close is a safari on its own. Though they can reach 20 feet tall, the majority is underground with a network of tunnels, chambers and honeycombs. But what you do see makes them some of the world’s largest biological structures.
The differentiation into either worker or termite is determined by the population in each group. The workers assignments include being undertakers (removal of dead bodies to avoid disease spread) or architects (designing and construction of the colony structure). More importantly they are also mycologist, developing fungi, to feed everyone in the colony. Fungus spores grow into mushrooms which are a local Namibian delicacy known by their Herero name: Omajova.
And even more importantly termite mounds are huge thermostats. Temperature and humidity are regulated by opening and closing of openings, which is done by the worker termites during nighttime, which is why every morning one sees wet patches of repairs done. Climatic change is a global concern, and some studies in the Otjozondjupa Region reveal that structure of the mounds could contribute to knowledge on building energy efficient houses. This is one of the strategies that could help minimize and protect against the increasing impacts of climate change. The human equivalent of termite mounds would be buildings that meet all energy, waste management and other needs on site. No other organism on the earth is known to engineer the environment to this level, definitely not humans!
The combination of the mineral-rich soils and saliva, and the organic wastes from the fungus colony make termite mounds a very fertile place in an often otherwise infertile environment. Thus, termites are actually farmers too, as trees often grow on termite mounds, even inactive ones. In wetlands like the Okavango Delta in Botswana, termites are also very important long-term landscapers. Over the years, termite mounds rearrange the flows of streams and form fertile islands.
There are approximately 2,000 known species of termites and they have been around long before the Neanderthals. Scientists recently found the planet’s longest continuously occupied termite colony in an arid region of South Africa, dating has been continually occupied by termite colonies for 34,000 years. It is more than 30,000 years older than the previous record-holder, a mound in Brazil built by a different termite species. This is way too deep for my fascination. I am happy to know that termites are masterful soil engineers capable of erecting cathedral-like edifices out of dirt, saliva and feces. To create and maintain their homes, they become miners, masons, scaffolders, plasterers and roofers. Working together, they don’t just build simple nests; they install air-conditioning, central heating and even security devices. Our architects do study these living breathing buildings that use all-natural energy, regulating moisture, temperature and gas exchange!
Additional benefits of harboring tons of carbon, some brought into the mound is converted into white calcite minerals by microbes. Because this traps carbon in a mineral form, it is sequestered for much longer than if the carbon remained as organic matter. In addition, the calcite can react with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to form dissolved carbonate ions which, can be channeled through the termite burrows into groundwater and subterranean aquifers.
Now there seems to be another possible benefit, studies show Rare Earth elements concentrated in the soil of mounds and surrounding soils. During the past twenty years, there has been an explosion in demand for many items that require rare earth metals and this could be a boon for Namibia. Rare earth metals and alloys that contain them are used in many devices that people use every day such as computer memory, DVDs, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, LED lights, wind turbines, catalytic converters, electric cars, lighting and much more.
Wow, I will look differently at mounds in the future!
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