a . Royal Cell b . Nursery Zone c . Chamber containing Fungus Comb d . Central Air Vent e . Empty Terminal Chamber f . Underground foraging Passage
Figure 3 : Vertical section shown the termite mound structure ( Leuthold et al . 2003 )
As shown in Figure 3 , the royal cell is where the queen termite resigns . Workers are always assisting her considering her size comparing to the termites . The queen role is laying eggs and establishing a populated colony . The nursery zone is where eggs are transferred to be kept and taking care of by sterile worker termites . The chamber containing the fungus comb is where Macrotermitinae nurture fungus . In other words , fungus is the termites ’ garden that acts as a digestive system . It stores forage the ants bring and transform and stores the content in the fungi . Margonelli ( 2014 ) also explained the process of the termites digesting by quoting Turner , “ intestines full of chewed grass and wood , which they defecate upon their return and other workers , assemble these pseudo-feces into several mazelike fungus combs ” ( Margonelli 2014 ; Turner 2007:24 ). The central area acts as a ventilation passage for the mound to bring in oxygen and take away carbon dioxide trapped in the mound interiors . Moreover , the termites use the passage to transport its food to the nest after it is collected from the surface ( Leuthold et al . 2003:27 ).
Ventilation System The second important key feature is the system of ventilation used or built by small creatures to ensure entrance of air and oxygen within their kingdom . It works by air transportation through the chamber joined by gaps in the mound and short corridors to bring in oxygen into its chambers and its mound material and take away carbon dioxide . As Hansell ( 2007:94 ) stated ; “ the ventilation system comes from one of two possible sources . One is pressure difference within the mound ; the other is temperature differences ”. Macrotermes Jeanneli mounds are driven by pressure difference because of the chimney opening allowing air enter and exit through one opening . Figure 4 shows the corridors and the tunnels are important to connect termites from one area to another but it is used for ventilation flow for the entire mound . The channels are integrated within the termites by their massive size and innovative design bringing in great flow of oxygen while carrying out carbon dioxide ( Hansell 2007:95 ).
402 ZEMCH 2015 | International Conference | Bari - Lecce , Italy