Soils,Termites, and Intestinal Microorganisms: Understanding Atmospheric Methane Changes

Termites  are  important  components  of  tropical  ecosystems, where  their  use  of  cellulose  plant  materials  allows  rapid recycling  of  plant materials.  Termites harbor significant populations of archaea that use products of cellulose digestion, including CO2 and hydrogen, to produce methane. Termites occur on 2/3 of the Earth’s land surface, and, based on lab- oratory studies, 0.77% of the carbon ingested by termites can be released as methane. In tropical wet savannas and cultivated areas, termite populations are increasing rapidly. This increase is being accelerated by the destruction of tropical forests, which results in the accumulation of dead plant materials on the soil surface. 

This provides an ideal environment for the growth of termites. Termites are estimated to be contributing annually at least 1.5  x10¹⁴ CO2, to the atmosphere. This is believed to be contributing to measurable grams of methane, together with hydrogen and increases  in  the atmospheric methane  level. Thus unseen  termites and their associated gut microorganisms may be affecting global warming.