Termites are a group of detritophagous eusocial insects which consume a wide variety of decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, and soil humus. They are distinguished by their moniliform antennae and the soft-bodied and often unpigmented worker caste for which they have been commonly termed "white ants"; however, they are not ants, to which they are only distantly related. About 2,972 extant species are currently described, 2,105 of which are members of the family Termitidae.
Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattodea (along with cockroaches). Termites were once classified in a separate order from cockroaches, but recent phylogenetic studies indicate that they evolved from cockroaches, as they are deeply nested within the group, and the sister group to wood eating cockroaches of the genus Cryptocercus. Previous estimates suggested the divergence took place during the Jurassic or Triassic. More recent estimates suggest that they have an origin during the Late Jurassic, with the first fossil records in the Early Cretaceous.
Similarly to ants and some bees and wasps from the separate order Hymenoptera, most termites have an analogous "worker" and "soldier" caste system consisting of mostly sterile individuals which are physically and behaviorally distinct. Unlike ants, most colonies begin from sexually mature individuals known as the "king" and "queen" that together form a lifelong monogamous pair. Also unlike ants, which undergo a complete metamorphosis, termites undergo an incomplete metamorphosis that proceeds through egg, nymph, and adult stages. Termite colonies are commonly described as superorganisms due to the collective behaviors of the individuals which form a self-governing entity: the colony itself. Their colonies range in size from a few hundred individuals to enormous societies with several million individuals. Most species are rarely seen, having a cryptic life-history where they remain hidden within the galleries and tunnels of their nests for most of their lives.
Termites' success as a group has led to them colonizing almost every global landmass, with the highest diversity occurring in the tropics where they are estimated to constitute 10% of the animal biomass, particularly in Africa which has the richest diversity with more than 1000 described species. They are important decomposers of decaying plant matter in the subtropical and tropical regions of the world, and their recycling of wood and plant matter is of considerable ecological importance. Many species are ecosystem engineers capable of altering soil characteristics such as hydrology, decomposition, nutrient cycling, vegetative growth, and consequently surrounding biodiversity through the large mounds constructed by certain species.
Termites have several impacts on humans. They are a delicacy in the diet of some human cultures such as the Makiritare in the Alto Orinoco province of Venezuela, where they are commonly used as a spice. They are also used in traditional medicinal treatments of various diseases and ailments, such as influenza, asthma, bronchitis, etc. Termites are most famous for being structural pests; however, the vast majority of termite species are innocuous, with the regional numbers of economically significant species being: North America, 9; Australia, 16; Indian subcontinent, 26; tropical Africa, 24; Central America and the West Indies, 17. Of known pest species, 28 of the most invasive and structurally damaging belong to the genus Coptotermes. The distribution of most known pest species is expected to increase over time as a consequence of climate change. Increased urbanization and connectivity is also predicted to expand the range of some pest termites.
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Ancient Network Of Massive Termite Mounds In Brazil Are "Biological Wonders"
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34,000-year-old termite mounds in South Africa are still being used
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Sexting a guy but he asks for a dick pic and I just flip the one he sent and send it back to him while trying to convince him its mine
miss
's wisdom and empathy in these periods of loneliness and pain. the vlogs really helped me through the early 2020s in a way that feels almost embarrassing (but that's just the cop in my head talking). glad his recovery seems to be going well.I gotta work like 50 hours in the next four days and I'm pretty sure I just got food poisoning
girls it's only day 2 of No Shit September and I don't know it I have it in me to make it this month
On a special announcement nerds, we have beaten the news mega again
, 1794=1670(as of now)there are weeks where decades happens, but this one was one where days happen
edit: i have been looking at a few old news megas and general megas and we have won 2 weeks in a row
19th=25th NM: 1698 GM: 1817
26th=1st. NM: 1699 GM: 1794
absolute casualposting supremacy
unlimited "i'm sleepy" posts on the first world
The news mega has fallen off & I wanna see it RETVRN to greatness. It's like Big Wet Boy getting shot was the last time they posted! Smdh!
To be real though the fact that the news mega is "falling behind" with over 1500 comments per week is pretty good. We have the best megathreads folks, big, strong, and beautiful megathreads.
Me: *jokingly speaks Spanish with a turbo gringo accent *
My partner: lol that’s stupid and silly heehee
Me: *jokingly speaks Portuguese with a turbo gringo accent *
My partner: look here you little shit
The most interesting thing about Hamilton (the musical) is that it was criticized to bits, for a while everyone had to have a take on it, but almost no one even on the left criticized it for being massively nationalist. If you had the Chinese equivalent, a musical about some hero of the Long March or something, even the biggest chinaboos would feel obligated to say "yeah it's nationalist propaganda but it's catchy", but for some reason we are blind to it when it is American nationalism.
I just watched a YouTube video about plans for Mars colonization from the 50s until the 70s and it's really something that scientists fully believed there were plants on Venus and Mars until like the mid 60s. They sent probes up there fully expecting them to take back pictures of plants and maybe even animals and turns out Venus is a complete hellhole that's got an atmosphere that's 700 degrees hot and extremely corrosive and Mars is just a stone as dead as our moon.
Starting to think everything of importance that has ever happened happened in the 60s and we've just been coping since then
Oh, i feel so faint! Surely i am nearing death?! What could be wrong?
looks at clock
Oh i haven't eaten in 12 hours.
Huge shout out to the lady behind me at the grocery store who saw I was buying a single can of cat food with nickels, paid for my cat food and slipped me a twenty. She told me to buy myself food, I have groceries and get paid Thursday, what I did need was cigarettes and was planning on looking for butts to reroll on .y way home. This angel made my day
I hate how inputs have gotten progressively worse over the decades. We went from big knobs (optimal inputs, humanity yearns to turn big knob), to keyboards, to mice, to touchscreens. Touchscreens are the least big knob of them all and hence soul crushing
I seriously hate media at times. As in like. Just how other countries outside the global north are depicted as like these miserable dreary places, like in the news, entertainment, etc. Meanwhile they're not, and everywhere pretty vibrant and full of life, and not depressing. Like why not just show what other countries are actually like instead of distorting reality? Why lie? Like I know the why, but it's just sad and pathetic.
