Social Organization in Termite

Termites are eusocial insects belonging to the order isoptera. They live in highly organized
colonies.
There are three levels in the termite caste system:
Reproductives
Soldiers
Workers
Reproductives are the
Soldier termites are
Workers are the most
termites that produce eggs.
responsible for defending
common (numerous)
the colony from invaders,
termites in a colony.
They are winged (or "alate")
such
as
ants.

In most colonies, workers

caste.
The proportion of soldiers
are sterile adults.
The primary reproductives
within a colony varies both
They are small, wingless
are the original pair of
within and among species.
termites that started the
and whitish.
Soldiers have very large
colony.
They are responsible for
heads and enormous jaws.
Mature colonies often have
building and repairing mud
The
jaws,
called
mandibles,
secondary reproductives.
tubes and tunnel walls,
are on the front of the head.
These are supplemental
feeding other termites in the
The mandibles enable the
queens. They develop within
colony (trophallaxis), caring
soldiers to fight ants.
the colony and produce
for eggs, removing mold and
However, the size of the
eggs.
mildew from tunnel walls,
mandibles
makes
it
and removing dead termites
Termites on the path to
impossible for the soldiers
from the colony.
becoming alates going
to feed themselves.
through incomplete
The pantropical subfamily
metamorphosis form a
Nasutitermitinae have
subcaste in certain species
soldiers with the ability to
of termites, functioning as
exude noxious liquids
workers "pseudergates" and
through a horn-like nozzle
also as potential
(nasus).
supplementary
reproductives.
Supplementaries have the
ability to replace a dead
primary reproductive and, at
least in some species,
several are recruited once a
primary queen is lost.
Supplementary
reproductives developed
from nymphs are
called secondary
reproductives.
In some species like eastern
subterranean termite,
reproductives can also
develop from non-nymphs.
These are called tertiary
reproductives.
An immature termite can develop into any of the three castes. As it develops, the immature
termite can even develop backward if the needs of the colony change. A termite that was
developing into a soldier can regress and then develop into a worker instead.

CO2 Sink

A carbon sink is anything (natural or artificial) that absorbs more carbon that it releases. The
process by which carbon sinks remove carbon dioxide (CO 2) from the atmosphere is known
as carbon sequestration.
Examples of natural sinks are:
Absorption of carbon dioxide by the oceans
via physicochemical and biological processes
Photosynthesis by terrestrial plants

Natural sinks are typically much larger than artificial sinks. The main artificial sinks are:
Landfills
Carbon capture and storage proposals