Editing Termite (section)

==Nests==
[[File:Termite workers at work.webm|thumb|Termite workers at work]]
[[File:Termite-nest-Tulum-Mexico.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Photograph of an arboreal termite nest built on a tree trunk high above ground. It has an ovoid shape and appears to be larger than a basketball. It is dark brown in colour, and it is made of carton, a mixture of digested wood and termite faeces that is strong and resistant to rain. Covered tunnels constructed of carton can be seen leading down the shaded side of the tree from the nest to the ground.|An arboreal termite nest in Mexico]]
[[File:Termitenest33189014241 9f0022ebfe o.jpg|thumb|Termite nest in a [[Banksia]], [[Palm Beach, New South Wales|Palm Beach, Sydney.]]]]
A termite nest can be considered as being composed of two parts, the inanimate and the animate. The animate is all of the termites living inside the colony, and the inanimate part is the structure itself, which is constructed by the termites.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=3}} Nests can be broadly separated into three main categories: hypogeal, i.e subterranean (completely below ground), epigeal (protruding above the soil surface), and arboreal (built above ground, but always connected to the ground via [[#Shelter tubes|shelter tubes]]).<ref name=woodregulation/> Epigeal nests (mounds) protrude from the earth with ground contact and are made out of earth and mud.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=20}} A nest has many functions such as providing a protected living space and providing shelter against predators. Most termites construct underground colonies rather than multifunctional nests and mounds.<ref name=divterm>{{cite journal |last1=Eggleton |first1=P. |last2=Bignell |first2=D.E.|last3=Sands |first3=W.A. |last4=Mawdsley |first4=N. A. |last5=Lawton|first5=J. H.|last6=Wood |first6=T.G. |last7=Bignell |first7=N.C. |title=The Diversity, Abundance and Biomass of Termites under Differing Levels of Disturbance in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, Southern Cameroon |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|date=1996 |volume=351 |issue=1335 |pages=51–68 |doi=10.1098/rstb.1996.0004|bibcode=1996RSPTB.351...51E }}</ref> Primitive termites of today nest in wooden structures such as logs, stumps and the dead parts of trees, as did termites millions of years ago.<ref name=woodregulation>{{cite book |last1=Noirot|first1=C. |last2=Darlington |first2=J.P.E.C. |title=''Termite Nests: Architecture, Regulation and Defence'' in Termites: Evolution, Sociality, Symbioses, Ecology |date=2000 |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1007/978-94-017-3223-9_6 |isbn=978-94-017-3223-9 |pages=121–139}}</ref>

To build their nests, termites use a variety of resources such as faeces which have many desirable properties as a construction material.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=21}} Other building materials include partly digested plant material, used in carton nests (arboreal nests built from faecal elements and wood), and soil, used in subterranean nest and mound construction. Not all nests are visible, as many nests in tropical forests are located underground.<ref name=divterm/> Species in the subfamily [[Apicotermitinae]] are good examples of subterranean nest builders, as they only dwell inside tunnels.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=21}} Other termites live in wood, and tunnels are constructed as they feed on the wood. Nests and mounds protect the termites' soft bodies against desiccation, light, pathogens and parasites, as well as providing a fortification against predators.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=De Visse|first1=S.N.|last2=Freymann|first2=B.P. |last3=Schnyder |first3=H. |title=Trophic interactions among invertebrates in termitaria in the African savanna: a stable isotope approach |journal=Ecological Entomology |date=2008 |volume=33 |issue=6 |pages=758–764 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2311.2008.01029.x|bibcode=2008EcoEn..33..758D |s2cid=33877331|url=http://mediatum.ub.tum.de/node?id=681224}}</ref> Nests made out of carton are particularly weak, and so the inhabitants use counter-attack strategies against invading predators.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=22}}

Arboreal carton nests of [[mangrove swamp]]-dwelling ''Nasutitermes'' are enriched in [[lignin]] and depleted in cellulose and xylans. This change is caused by bacterial decay in the gut of the termites: they use their faeces as a carton building material. Arboreal termites nests can account for as much as 2% of above ground carbon storage in [[Puerto Rica]]n mangrove swamps. These ''Nasutitermes'' nests are mainly composed of partially biodegraded wood material from the stems and branches of mangrove trees, namely, ''[[Rhizophora mangle]]'' (red mangrove), ''[[Avicennia germinans]]'' (black mangrove) and ''[[Laguncularia racemosa]]'' (white mangrove).<ref name="Vane_et_al_2013">{{cite journal|last1=Vane|first1=C.H.|last2=Kim|first2=A.W.|last3=Moss-Hayes|first3=V.|last4=Snape|first4=C.E.|last5=Diaz|first5=M.C.|last6=Khan|first6=N.S.|last7=Engelhart|first7=S.E.|last8=Horton|first8=B.P.|title=Degradation of mangrove tissues by arboreal termites (''Nasutitermes acajutlae'') and their role in the mangrove C cycle (Puerto Rico): Chemical characterization and organic matter provenance using bulk δ13C, C/N, alkaline CuO oxidation-GC/MS, and solid-state|journal=Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems|date=2013|volume=14|issue=8|pages=3176–3191|doi=10.1002/ggge.20194|url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/503347/1/ggge20194.pdf|bibcode=2013GGG....14.3176V|s2cid=130782273 }}</ref>

Some species build complex nests called polycalic nests; this habitat is called polycalism. Polycalic species of termites form multiple nests, or calies, connected by subterranean chambers.<ref name=wilson2014/> The termite genera ''[[Apicotermes]]'' and ''[[Trinervitermes]]'' are known to have polycalic species.<ref name=nasupol>{{cite journal |last1=Roisin |first1=Y. |last2=Pasteels |first2=J. M. |title=Reproductive mechanisms in termites: Polycalism and polygyny in ''Nasutitermes polygynus'' and ''N. costalis'' |journal=Insectes Sociaux |date=1986 |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=149–167 |doi=10.1007/BF02224595|s2cid=41799894 }}</ref> Polycalic nests appear to be less frequent in mound-building species although polycalic arboreal nests have been observed in a few species of ''Nasutitermes''.<ref name=nasupol/>

===Mounds<!--"termite mounds" in Ant-hill article links here -->===
{{See also|Mound-building termites}}
{{Commons category|Termite mounds}}
Nests are considered mounds if they protrude from the earth's surface.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=21}} A mound provides termites the same protection as a nest but is stronger.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=22}} Mounds located in areas with torrential and continuous rainfall are at risk of mound erosion due to their clay-rich construction. Those made from carton can provide protection from the rain, and in fact can withstand high precipitation.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=21}} Certain areas in mounds are used as strong points in case of a breach. For example, ''[[Cubitermes]]'' colonies build narrow tunnels used as strong points, as the diameter of the tunnels is small enough for soldiers to block.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Perna|first1=A.|last2=Jost|first2=C.|last3=Couturier|first3=E.|last4=Valverde|first4=S.|last5=Douady|first5=S.|last6=Theraulaz|first6=G.|title=The structure of gallery networks in the nests of termite ''Cubitermes'' spp. revealed by X-ray tomography.|journal=Die Naturwissenschaften|date=2008|volume=95|issue=9|pages=877–884|doi=10.1007/s00114-008-0388-6|pmid=18493731|bibcode = 2008NW.....95..877P |s2cid=15326313}}</ref> A highly protected chamber, known as the "queen's cell", houses the queen and king and is used as a last line of defence.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=22}}

Species in the genus ''Macrotermes'' arguably build the most complex structures in the insect world, constructing enormous mounds.{{sfn|Bignell|Roisin|Lo|2010|p=21}} These mounds are among the largest in the world, reaching a height of 8 to 9 metres (26 to 29 feet), and consist of chimneys, pinnacles and ridges.<ref name=Britannica/> Another termite species, ''[[Amitermes meridionalis]]'', can build nests 3&nbsp;to 4&nbsp;metres (9&nbsp;to 13 feet) high and 2.5 metres (8&nbsp;feet) wide. The tallest mound ever recorded was 12.8 metres (42&nbsp;ft) long found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Guinness World Records 2014|last=Glenday|first=Craig|year=2014|isbn=978-1-908843-15-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/33 33]|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/33}}</ref>

The sculptured mounds sometimes have elaborate and distinctive forms, such as those of the compass termite (''Amitermes meridionalis'' and ''A. laurensis''), which builds tall, wedge-shaped mounds with the long axis oriented approximately north–south, which gives them their common name.<ref name=jacklyn1991>{{cite journal |last1=Jacklyn |first1=P. |title=Evidence for Adaptive Variation in the Orientation of ''Amitermes'' (Isoptera, Termitinae) Mounds From Northern Australia |journal=Australian Journal of Zoology |date=1991 |volume=39 |issue=5 |pages=569 |doi=10.1071/ZO9910569}}</ref><ref name=jacklyn2002>{{cite journal |last1=Jacklyn |first1=P.M. |last2=Munro |first2=U. |title=Evidence for the use of magnetic cues in mound construction by the termite ''Amitermes meridionalis'' (Isoptera : Termitinae) |journal=Australian Journal of Zoology |date=2002 |volume=50 |issue=4 |pages=357 |doi=10.1071/ZO01061}}</ref> This orientation has been experimentally shown to assist [[thermoregulation]]. The north–south orientation causes the internal temperature of a mound to increase rapidly during the morning while avoiding overheating from the midday sun. The temperature then remains at a plateau for the rest of the day until the evening.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grigg |first1=G.C. |title=Some Consequences of the Shape and Orientation of 'magnetic' Termite Mounds |journal=Australian Journal of Zoology |date=1973 |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=231–237 |doi=10.1071/ZO9730231|url=http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:10143/gg_ajz_21_73.pdf }}</ref>

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File:RayNorris termite cathedral mounds.jpg|alt=. These termite mounds have a base shaped like the base of a tree, about two meters wide and a meter high. From this base, rounded chimneys from half a meter to a meter in diameter rise to a total height of about four or five meters. The chimneys are fused together with ridges between, and terminate in rounded pinnacles at the top.|[[Cathedral termite|Cathedral mound]]s in the [[Northern Territory]], [[Australia]]
File:Termite Magnetic DSC03613.jpg|alt=. Hundreds of compass termite mounds are visible in this photo of a field in northern Australia. The chisel-shaped mounds range from several centimeters to several meters in height.|Mounds of "compass" or "magnetic" termites (''Amitermes'') oriented north–south, thereby avoiding mid-day heat
File:Termitenhuegel.jpg|alt=. This termite mound is about three meters in height and four meters across. The mound chimneys are about a meter in diameter and fuse together to form a rounded top.|Termite mound in [[Queensland]], Australia
File:Termites in a mound.jpg|alt=. The photographer has broken off a piece of a mound to show the mound's interior. Dozens of tunnels have been exposed, and hundreds of soldiers have emerged to guard the breech in the wall.|Termites in a mound, [[Analamazoatra Reserve]], [[Madagascar]]
<!--File:Termite_mound_with_comparison.jpg|Humans and trees for size comparison-->
File:Termitenhügel Namibia.jpg|Termite mound in [[Namibia]]
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===Shelter tubes===
[[File:Termite-nest-tunnels.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Photo taken upwards from ground level of shelter tubes going up the shaded side of a tree. Where the main trunk of the tree divides into separate major branches, the shelter tube also branches. Although the nests are not visible in this photo, the branches of the shelter tube presumably lead up to polycalic sister colonies of the arboreal termites that built these tubes.|Nasutiterminae shelter tubes on a tree trunk provide cover for the trail from nest to forest floor.]]

Termites construct shelter tubes, also known as earthen tubes or mud tubes, that start from the ground. These shelter tubes can be found on walls and other structures.<ref name=term1996>{{cite book |last1=Hadlington |first1=P. |title=Australian Termites and Other Common Timber Pests |date=1996 |publisher=New South Wales University Press |location=Kensington, NSW, Australia |isbn=978-0-86840-399-1|pages=28–30 |edition=2nd}}</ref> Constructed by termites during the night, a time of higher humidity, these tubes provide protection to termites from potential predators, especially ants.<ref name=bolinas>{{cite book|last1=Kahn|first1=L.|last2=Easton|first2=B.|title=Shelter II|date=2010|publisher=Shelter Publications|location=Bolinas, California|isbn=978-0-936070-49-0|page=198}}</ref> Shelter tubes also provide high humidity and darkness and allow workers to collect food sources that cannot be accessed in any other way.<ref name=term1996/> These passageways are made from soil and faeces and are normally brown in colour. The size of these shelter tubes depends on the number of food sources that are available. They range from less than 1&nbsp;cm to several cm in width, but may be dozens of metres in length.<ref name=bolinas/>