The true king of the savannah is the termite
Lions, elephants, giraffes - the African steppe is known for its wild animals. In fact, the true king of the savannah is the termite.
The insect, which forms huge states, has a significant impact on the ecosystem of the vast grasslands.
Scientists led by Robert Pringle from Harvard University in Cambridge have now analyzed the importance of these structures for the savannah ecosystem.
The team studied the flora and fauna of the Kenyan steppe near the hills. The researchers made an astonishing observation: the insects permanently change the soil in the immediate vicinity of their structures. The better water permeability and the increased nutrient supply offer an ideal habitat for many animal and plant species, the researchers report in the journal "PLoS Biology" .
Pringle and his colleagues were originally studying the Kenyan pygmy gecko when the termite mounds caught their attention: the researchers noticed that a particularly large number of the small lizards lived in the immediate vicinity of the structures. Plants also grew faster there. The further one got away from the termite mounds, the rarer one encountered animal populations.
Satellite images confirmed the observations: each termite mound was the center of a green oasis full of plant and animal life.
Pringle suspects that the insects introduce coarse particles into the otherwise fine-grained soil. This promotes soil drainage, which leads to increased nutrient levels around the hills. Nitrogen and phosphorus in particular were found there in increased amounts.
