Stormite
Stormites, the Storm Termites or the White Dire Ants of Ankh'hera. Like ants and some bees and wasps, these creatures divide as 'workers' and 'soldiers' that are usually sterile. All colonies have fertile males called "Kings" and one or more fertile females called "Queens". They mostly feed off dead animals, dead plant material and cellulose, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil or animal dung. Major detritivores (consumers of detritus), within subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and plant matter is of considerable ecological importance.
Their colonies range in size from a few hundred to enormous societies with several thousand individuals. Termite queens have the longest known lifespan of any insect, with some queens living up to 30-50 years.
Each individual termite undergoes an incomplete metamorphosis that proceeds through egg, nymph and adult stages. The first to form a social caste system years ago. There are dampwood, drywood and subterranean termites across the country.
Due to their cuticles, termites do not inhabit cool or cold habitats. There are three ecological groups of these termites: dampwood, drywood, and subterranean. Dampwood termites are found only in coniferous forests, and drywood termites are found in hardwood forests; subterranean termites live in widely diverse areas.
Natural termites are usually small, measuring between 4 to 15 millimetres (0.16 to 0.59 in) in length. The largest of all extant termites are the queens, measuring up to over 10 centimetres (4 inches) in length. Another giant termite flourished in the world and had a wingspan of 76 millimetres (3.0 in) and a body length of 25 millimetres (0.98 in). Stormite Termites on the other hand are dire-sized termite species that are as big as small beasts or cats. There natural growth seemingly affected by magical energies over time within Aetha'Shar, ranging from 0'8''-1 ft (9.6-12 inches) as newborn hatchlings, growing into workers at 1'3''-1'8'' ft (15.6-21.6 inches), alates grow to 2'4''-3'1'' ft (28.8-37.2 inches). Soldiers grow significantly larger, the size of small bears from 4'7'' to 6'5'' ft (56.4-78 inches). Kings typically are 6'9''-7'2ft, whereas the largest are the queens who are large creatures, 10'2'' to 12'1''ft. Most worker and soldier termites are completely blind as they do not have eyes. Some may have compound eyes which they use for orientation and distinguish sunlight from moonlight. The alates (winged males and females) have eyes along with lateral ocelli. Like other insects, termites have a small tongue-shaped labrum and a clypeus; the clypeus is divided into a postclypeus and anteclypeus. Termite antennae have a number of functions such as sensing of touch, taste and odours (including pheromones), heat and vibration. The three basic segments of a termite antenna include a scape, a pedicel (shorter than the scape), and the flagellum (all segments beyond the scape and pedicel). The mouth contains maxillae, a labium, and a set of mandibles. The maxillae and labium have palps that help termites sense food and handling. These palps are filled with tiny hair follicles which can be rubbed together to cause a friction spark, and with the release of the nitrogen from their gut, allows a short weak electrostatic discharge similar to lightning and is released from the mouth through the mandibles. The anatomy of the termite thorax consists of three segments: the prothorax, the mesothorax, and the metathorax. Each segment contains a pair of legs. On alates, the wings are located at the mesothorax and metathorax, which is consistent with all four-winged insects. The mesothorax and metathorax have well-developed exoskeletal plates; the prothorax has smaller plates. Termites have a ten-segmented abdomen with two plates, the tergites and sternites. The tenth abdominal segment has a pair of short cerci. There are ten tergites, of which nine are wide and one is elongated. The reproductive organs are similar to cockroaches but are more simplified. The non-reproductive castes of termites are wingless and rely exclusively on their six legs for locomotion. The latest fly only for a brief amount of time, so they also rely on their legs. The appearance of the legs is similar to each caste, but the soldiers have larger and heavier legs. The structure of the legs is consistent with other insects: the part of a leg include a coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, and the tarsus. The number of tibial spurs on an individuals leg varies. Some species of termite have an arolium, located between the claws, which is present in species that climb on smooth surfaces but is absent in most termites. Unlike any, the hind-wings and fore-wings are of equal length. Most of the time, the latest are poor flyers; their technique is to launch themselves in the air and fly in a random direction. When termites are in flight, their wings remain at a right angle, and when the termite is at rest, its wings remain parallel to the body.
Termites are often compared with social ants and bees and wasps, but their differing evolutionary origins result in major differences in the life cycle. Workers are female exclusively, males (drones) are haploid and develop from unfertilised eggs, while females (both workers and the queen) are diploid and develop from fertilised eggs. In contrast, worker termites, which constitute the majority in a colony, are diploid individuals of both sexes and develop from fertilised eggs. Depending on the species, male and female workers may have different roles in a termite colony. The life cycle of a termite begins with an egg, different to that of a bee or ant, in that it goes through a developmental process called 'incomplete metamorphosis', with egg, nymph and adult stages. Nymphs resemble small adults and go through a series of moults as they grow. In some species, eggs go through four moulting stages and nymphs go through three. Nymphs first moult into workers, and then some workers go through further moulting and become soldiers or alates; workers become alates only by moulting into alate nymphs. The development of nymphs into adults can take months; the time period depends on food availability, temperature, and the general population of the colony. Since nymphs are unable to feed themselves, workers must feed them, but workers also take part in the social life o the colony and have certain other tasks to accomplish such as foraging, building or maintaining the nest or tending to the queen. Pheromones regulate the caste system in termite colonies, preventing all but a very few of the termites from becoming fertile queens. Queens of termites are capable of a long lifespan without sacrificing fecundity. These long-lived queens have a significantly lower level of oxidative damage than workers, soldiers and nymphs.
A termite nest can be considered as being composed of two parts, the inanimate and the animate. The animate is all of the termites living inside the colony, and the inanimate part is the structure itself, which is constructed by the termites. Nests can be broadly separated into three main categories:
DESCRIPTION
Natural termites are usually small, measuring between 4 to 15 millimetres (0.16 to 0.59 in) in length. The largest of all extant termites are the queens, measuring up to over 10 centimetres (4 inches) in length. Another giant termite flourished in the world and had a wingspan of 76 millimetres (3.0 in) and a body length of 25 millimetres (0.98 in). Stormite Termites on the other hand are dire-sized termite species that are as big as small beasts or cats. There natural growth seemingly affected by magical energies over time within Aetha'Shar, ranging from 0'8''-1 ft (9.6-12 inches) as newborn hatchlings, growing into workers at 1'3''-1'8'' ft (15.6-21.6 inches), alates grow to 2'4''-3'1'' ft (28.8-37.2 inches). Soldiers grow significantly larger, the size of small bears from 4'7'' to 6'5'' ft (56.4-78 inches). Kings typically are 6'9''-7'2ft, whereas the largest are the queens who are large creatures, 10'2'' to 12'1''ft. Most worker and soldier termites are completely blind as they do not have eyes. Some may have compound eyes which they use for orientation and distinguish sunlight from moonlight. The alates (winged males and females) have eyes along with lateral ocelli. Like other insects, termites have a small tongue-shaped labrum and a clypeus; the clypeus is divided into a postclypeus and anteclypeus. Termite antennae have a number of functions such as sensing of touch, taste and odours (including pheromones), heat and vibration. The three basic segments of a termite antenna include a scape, a pedicel (shorter than the scape), and the flagellum (all segments beyond the scape and pedicel). The mouth contains maxillae, a labium, and a set of mandibles. The maxillae and labium have palps that help termites sense food and handling. These palps are filled with tiny hair follicles which can be rubbed together to cause a friction spark, and with the release of the nitrogen from their gut, allows a short weak electrostatic discharge similar to lightning and is released from the mouth through the mandibles. The anatomy of the termite thorax consists of three segments: the prothorax, the mesothorax, and the metathorax. Each segment contains a pair of legs. On alates, the wings are located at the mesothorax and metathorax, which is consistent with all four-winged insects. The mesothorax and metathorax have well-developed exoskeletal plates; the prothorax has smaller plates. Termites have a ten-segmented abdomen with two plates, the tergites and sternites. The tenth abdominal segment has a pair of short cerci. There are ten tergites, of which nine are wide and one is elongated. The reproductive organs are similar to cockroaches but are more simplified. The non-reproductive castes of termites are wingless and rely exclusively on their six legs for locomotion. The latest fly only for a brief amount of time, so they also rely on their legs. The appearance of the legs is similar to each caste, but the soldiers have larger and heavier legs. The structure of the legs is consistent with other insects: the part of a leg include a coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, and the tarsus. The number of tibial spurs on an individuals leg varies. Some species of termite have an arolium, located between the claws, which is present in species that climb on smooth surfaces but is absent in most termites. Unlike any, the hind-wings and fore-wings are of equal length. Most of the time, the latest are poor flyers; their technique is to launch themselves in the air and fly in a random direction. When termites are in flight, their wings remain at a right angle, and when the termite is at rest, its wings remain parallel to the body.
Caste system
- KING - Kings can live up to 60 years.
- QUEEN - Queens can live up to 40-80 years.
- Secondary Queen (Neotenic - help the queen lay her eggs) Noted for their pale thorax and chromatic-hued wings, distinguished by their enlarged thorax and red-black colour. These queens can last up to 20-30 years.
- Tertiary Queen (Neotenic - help the queen lay her eggs) Noted for their pale thorax and chromatic-hued wings. Distinguished by their enlarged thorax and black colour. They typically live up to 8 years.
- Alates (Reproductives yet to mate) - 4 equally-sized winged darker coloured termites with the ability to see. Have straight stomachs and straight antennae. Shedding their wings when they leave the nest to mate and colonize. Noted for their darker-black thorax and chromatic-hued wings, distinguished by their lighter brown heads. Longer lived, they last usually 3-12 years.
- Minor Soldier - Both male and female. Sterile, wingless and blind. They defend the colony from unwanted intruders with their powerful jaws - emit a sticky white substance to repel invaders. Usually their lifespan last 1-2 years. Usually white and brown, with orange hues.
- Major Soldier - Both male and female. Sterile, wingless and blind. They defend the colony from unwanted intruders with their powerful jaws - emit a sticky white substance to repel invaders. Usually their lifespan last 1-2 years. Usually white and brown, with orange hues. These have nasutes, horn-like nozzle frontal projection that secrete sticky solutions that are toxic to intruders.
- Worker/ Drone - Can be male or female. Sterile, wingless and blind. They perform vital tasks for the entire colony. Building nests, excavate galleries, gather food, feed the colonies reproductive termites and soldier termits. Usually their lifespan last 1-2 years. Typically light brown, cream and white coloured.
- Larvae - The smallest of the castes - they grow into workers, resembling pale maggots or rice grains. Eggs tend to hatch after two-weeks.
LIFE CYCLE
Termites are often compared with social ants and bees and wasps, but their differing evolutionary origins result in major differences in the life cycle. Workers are female exclusively, males (drones) are haploid and develop from unfertilised eggs, while females (both workers and the queen) are diploid and develop from fertilised eggs. In contrast, worker termites, which constitute the majority in a colony, are diploid individuals of both sexes and develop from fertilised eggs. Depending on the species, male and female workers may have different roles in a termite colony. The life cycle of a termite begins with an egg, different to that of a bee or ant, in that it goes through a developmental process called 'incomplete metamorphosis', with egg, nymph and adult stages. Nymphs resemble small adults and go through a series of moults as they grow. In some species, eggs go through four moulting stages and nymphs go through three. Nymphs first moult into workers, and then some workers go through further moulting and become soldiers or alates; workers become alates only by moulting into alate nymphs. The development of nymphs into adults can take months; the time period depends on food availability, temperature, and the general population of the colony. Since nymphs are unable to feed themselves, workers must feed them, but workers also take part in the social life o the colony and have certain other tasks to accomplish such as foraging, building or maintaining the nest or tending to the queen. Pheromones regulate the caste system in termite colonies, preventing all but a very few of the termites from becoming fertile queens. Queens of termites are capable of a long lifespan without sacrificing fecundity. These long-lived queens have a significantly lower level of oxidative damage than workers, soldiers and nymphs.
REPRODUCTION
Termite alates only leave the colony when a nuptial flight takes place. Alate males and females pair up together and then land in search of a suitable place for a colony. A termite king and queen do not mate until they find such a spot. When they do, they excavate a chamber big enough for both, close up the entrance and proceed to mate. After mating, the pair never go outside and spend the rest of their lives in the nest. Nuptial flight time varies in each species. For example, alates in certain species emerge during the day in summer while others emerge during the winter. The nuptial flight may also begin at dusk when the alates swarm around areas with many lights. The time when nuptial flight begins depends on the environmental conditions, the time of day, moisture, wind speed and precipitation. The number of termites in a colony also varies, with the larger species typically having 100-1000 individuals. However, some termite colonies, including those individuals, can number in the millions. The queen only lays 10-20 eggs in the very early stages of the colony but lays as many as 1000 a day when the colony is several years old. At maturity, a primary queen has a great capacity to lay eggs. In some species, the mature queen has a greatly distended abdomen and may produce 40000 eggs a day. The two mature ovaries may have some 2000 ovarioles each. The abdomen increases the Queens body length to several times more than before mating and reduces her ability to move freely; attendant workers provide assistance. The King grows only slightly larger after initial mating and continues to mate with the queen for life ( a termite queen can live between 30 to 50 years this is very different from ant colonies, in which a queen mates once with the male(s) and stores the gametes for life, as the male ants die shortly after mating. If a queen is absent, a termite queen may produce pheromones which encourage the development of replacement termite queens. As the queen and king are monogamous, sperm competition does not occur. Termites going through incomplete metamorphosis on the path to becoming alates form a subcaste in certain species of termite, functioning as potential supplementary reproductives. These supplementary reproductives only mature into primary reproductives upon the death of a king or queen, or when the primary reproductives are separated from the colony. Supplementaries have the ability to replace a dead primary reproductive, and there may also be more than a single supplementary within a colony. Some queens have the ability to switch from sexual reproduction to asexual reproduction. While termite queens mate with the king to produce colony workers, the queens reproduce their replacements (neotenic queens - delay or slowed physiologically developed organism) parthenogenetically. The neotropical termite produces colonies that contain a primary king accompanied by a primary queen or up to 200 neotenic queens that had originated through parthenogenesis of a founding primary queen. The form of parthenogenesis likely employed maintains heterozygosity in the passage of the genome from mother to daughter, thus avoiding inbreeding depression.BEHAVIOUR & ECOLOGY
DIET
Stormites are carnivores & detritivores, consuming dead plants at any level of decomposition. They also play a vital role in the ecosystem by recycling waste material such as dead wood, faeces and plants. Many eat cellulose, having a specialised midgut that breaks down the fibre. Termites rely primarily upon symbiotic protozoa and other microbes such as flagellate protists in their guts to digest the cellulose for them, allowing them to absorb the end products for their own use. The microbial ecosystem present in the termite gut contains many species found nowhere else on Aetheus. Stormites hatch without these symbionts present in their guts and develop them after being fed a culture from other stormites. Gut protozoa, such as Trichonympha, in turn, rely on symbiotic bacteria embedded on their surfaces to produce some of the necessary digestive enzymes. Most higher termites can produce their own cellulase enzymes, but they rely primarily upon the bacteria. Researchers have found species of spirochetes living in termite guts capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen to a form usable by the insect. Scientists' understanding of the relationship between the Stormite digestive tract and the microbial endosymbionts is still rudimentary; what is true in all termite species, however, is that the workers feed the other members of the colony with substances derived from the digestion of plant material, either from the mouth or anus. Various woods differ in their susceptibility to termite attack; the differences are attributed to such factors as moisture content, hardness, and resin and lignin content. These preferences may in part have represented conditioned or learned behaviour. Some species of termite practice fungi culture. They maintain a "garden" of specialised fungi, which are nourished by the excrement of these insects. When the fungi are eaten, their spores pass undamaged through the intestines of the termites to complete the cycle by germinating in the fresh faecal pellets. It is assumed that more than 90% of dry wood in the semiarid savannah ecosystems of Aetha'Shar and Vangolia are reprocessed by these termites. Originally living in the rainforest of Aethallassar, fungus farming allowed them to colonise the Aetha'Shar savannah and other new environments, eventually expanding into Vangolia. Depending on their feeding habits, termites are placed into two groups: the lower termites and higher termites. The lower termites predominately feed on wood. As wood is difficult to digest, termites prefer to consume fungus-infected wood because it is easier to digest and the fungi are high in protein. Meanwhile, the higher termites consume a wide variety of materials, including faeces, humus, grass, leaves and roots. The gut in the lower termites contains many species of bacteria along with protozoa, while the higher termites only have a few species of bacteria with no protozoa.PREDATORS
Storm Termites are consumed by a wide variety of predators. Arthropods such as ants, centipedes, cockroaches, crickets, dragonflies, scorpions and spiders, reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs and toads consume termites, with two spider species being specialist termite predators. Other predators include aardvarks, aardwolves, anteaters, bats, bears, bilbies, many birds, echidnas, foxes, galagos, numbats, mice and pangolins. The aardwolf is an insectivorous mammal that primarily feeds on termites; it locates its food by sound and also by detecting the scent secreted by the soldiers; a single aardwolf is capable of consuming thousands of termites in a single night by using its long, sticky tongue. Sloth bears break open mounds to consume the nestmates, while chimpanzees have developed tools to "fish" termites from their nest. Gnolls, Tabaxi, Mek'rodemzai and Orcs have been able to use these insects as a food source. Among all predators, ants are the greatest enemy to termites. Some ant genera are specialist predators of termites. For example, the Great Savashan Ant is a strictly termite-eating (termitophagous) genus that perform raiding activities, some lasting several hours. The Great Savashan Ant can as each individual stacks as many termites as possible in its mandibles before returning home, all the while recruiting additional nestmates to the raiding site through chemical trails. A scout recruits 10–30 workers to an area where termites are present, killing them by immobilising them with their stinger. Some ant colonies sometimes nest in termite mounds, and so the termites are preyed on by these ants. No evidence for any kind of relationship (other than a predatory one) is known. Ants are not the only invertebrates that perform raids. Many wasps and several species are known to raid termite mounds during the termites' nuptial flight.LOCOMOTION AND FORAGING
Because the worker and soldier castes lack wings and thus never fly, and the reproductives use their wings for just a brief amount of time, termites predominantly rely upon their legs to move about. Foraging behaviour depends on the type of termite. For example, certain species feed on the wood structures they inhabit, and others harvest food that is near the nest. Most workers are rarely found out in the open, and do not forage unprotected; they rely on sheeting and runways to protect them from predators. Subterranean termites construct tunnels and galleries to look for food, and workers who manage to find food sources recruit additional nestmates by depositing a phagostimulant pheromone that attracts workers. Foraging workers use semiochemicals to communicate with each other, and workers who begin to forage outside of their nest release trail pheromones from their sternal glands. In one instance, there are three phases in a foraging expedition: first, soldiers scout an area. When they find a food source, they communicate to other soldiers and a small force of workers starts to emerge. In the second phase, workers appear in large numbers at the site. The third phase is marked by a decrease in the number of soldiers present and an increase in the number of workers. Isolated termite workers may engage in Lévy flight behaviour as an optimised strategy for finding their nestmates or foraging for food.COMPETITION
Competition between two colonies always results in agonistic behaviour towards each other, resulting in fights. These fights can cause mortality on both sides and, in some cases, the gain or loss of territory. "Cemetery Pits" may be present, where the bodies of dead termites are buried. When termites encounter each other in foraging areas, some of the termites deliberately block passages to prevent other termites from entering. Dead termites from other colonies found in exploratory tunnels leads to the isolation of the area and thus the need to construct new tunnels. Conflict between two competitors does not always occur. For example, though they might block each other's passages. Suicide cramming is known. Colonies may get into physical conflict, some termites squeeze tightly into foraging tunnels and die, successfully blocking the tunnel and ending all agonistic activities. Among the reproductive caste, neotenic queens may compete with each other to become the dominant queen when there are no primary reproductives. This struggle among the queens leads to the elimination of all but a single queen, which, with the king, takes over the colony. Ants and termites may compete with each other for nesting space. In particular, ants that prey on termites usually have a negative impact on arboreal nesting species.COMMUNICATION
Most termites are blind, so communication primarily occurs through chemical, mechanical and pheromonal cues. These methods of communication are used in a variety of activities, including foraging, locating reproductives, construction of nests, recognition of nestmates, nuptial flight, locating and fighting enemies, and defending the nests. The most common way of communicating is through antennation. A number of pheromones are known, including contact pheromones (which are transmitted when workers are engaged in trophallaxis or grooming) and alarm, trail and sex pheromones. The alarm pheromone and other defensive chemicals are secreted from the frontal gland. Trail pheromones are secreted from the sternal gland, and sex pheromones derive from two glandular sources: the sternal and tergal glands. When termites go out to look for food, they forage in columns along the ground through vegetation. A trail can be identified by the faecal deposits or runways that are covered by objects. Workers leave pheromones on these trails, which are detected by other nestmates through olfactory receptors. Termites can also communicate through mechanical cues, vibrations, and physical contact. These signals are frequently used for alarm communication or for evaluating a food source. When termites construct their nests, they use predominantly indirect communication. No single termite would be in charge of any particular construction project. Individual termites react rather than think, but at a group level, they exhibit a sort of collective cognition. Specific structures or other objects such as pellets of soil or pillars cause termites to start building. The termite adds these objects onto existing structures, and such behaviour encourages building behaviour in other workers. The result is a self-organised process whereby the information that directs termite activity results from changes in the environment rather than from direct contact among individuals. Termites can distinguish nestmates and non-nestmates through chemical communication and gut symbionts: chemicals consisting of hydrocarbons released from the cuticle allow the recognition of alien termite species. Each colony has its own distinct odour. This odour is a result of genetic and environmental factors such as the termites' diet and the composition of the bacteria within the termites' intestines.DEFENCE
Termites rely on alarm communication to defend a colony. Alarm pheromones can be released when the nest has been breached or is being attacked by enemies or potential pathogens. Termites always avoid nestmates infected with spores, through vibrational signals released by infected nestmates. Other methods of defence include intense jerking and secretion of fluids from the frontal gland and defecating faeces containing alarm pheromones. In some species, some soldiers block tunnels to prevent their enemies from entering the nest, and they may deliberately rupture themselves as an act of defence. In cases where the intrusion is coming from a breach that is larger than the soldier's head, soldiers form a phalanx-like formation around the breach and bite at intruders. If an invasion carried out by spores is successful, an entire colony may be destroyed, although this scenario is rare. To termites, any breach of their tunnels or nests is a cause for alarm. When termites detect a potential breach, the soldiers usually bang their heads, apparently to attract other soldiers for defence and to recruit additional workers to repair any breach. Additionally, an alarmed termite bumps into other termites which causes them to be alarmed and to leave pheromone trails to the disturbed area, which is also a way to recruit extra workers. There is a specialised caste of soldiers, known as Nasutes, that have the ability to exude noxious liquids through a horn-like frontal projection that they use for defence. Nasutes have lost their mandibles through the course of evolution and must be fed by workers. A wide variety of monoterpene hydrocarbon solvents have been identified in the liquids that nasutes secrete. Similarly, subterranean termites have been known to secrete naphthalene to protect their nests. One kind of Soldier species commits suicide by autothysis – rupturing a large gland just beneath the surface of their cuticles. The thick, yellow fluid in the gland becomes very sticky on contact with the air, entangling ants or other insects that are trying to invade the nest. Another termite also engages in suicidal defence. Workers physically unable to use their mandibles while in a fight form a pouch full of chemicals, then deliberately rupture themselves, releasing toxic chemicals that paralyse and kill their enemies. The soldiers of the neotropical termite family have a defence strategy that involves front gland autothysis, with the body rupturing between the head and abdomen. When soldiers guarding nest entrances are attacked by intruders, they engage in autothysis, creating a block that denies entry to any attacker. Workers use several different strategies to deal with their dead, including burying, cannibalism, and avoiding a corpse altogether. To avoid pathogens, termites occasionally engage in necrophoresis, in which a nestmate carries away a corpse from the colony to dispose of it elsewhere. Which strategy is used depends on the nature of the corpse a worker is dealing with (i.e. the age of the carcass).RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER ORGANISMS
They often compete with ankhegs for territory. If they ever killed or drove away the adults of an ankheg nest, the broodlings left behind were sometimes made to serve the Stormite colony. It has been possible, thought difficult, to tame and separate them from their hive, some were known to use Stormite workers as pack animals and Stormite soldiers as fearless combat mounts. Though being separated from the hive had a terrible and depressing effect on these creatures, usually dying after a year of separation from their colony, known as "Hivesickness". But it was possible using a Queen Pheromone Admixture, an alchemical remedy developed by alchemists, would help ease the process of capturing and taming a giant termite by making the drinker smell like a queen or alate. A species of fungus is known to mimic termite eggs, successfully avoiding its natural predators. These small brown balls, known as "termite balls", rarely kill the eggs, and in some cases, the workers tend to them. This fungus mimics these eggs by producing a cellulose-digesting enzyme known as glucosidases. A unique mimicking behaviour exists between various species of beetles. The beetles share the same cuticle hydrocarbons as the termites and even biosynthesize them. This chemical mimicry allows the beetles to integrate themselves within the termite colonies. The developed appendages on the physogastric abdomen allow the beetle to mimic a termite worker. Some species of ant are known to capture termites to use as a fresh food source later on, rather than killing them. For example, the Great Savashan Ant captures termites, and those who try to escape are immediately seized and driven underground. Certain species of ants conduct these raids although other ant species go in alone to steal the eggs or nymphs. Ants attack the outside of mounds and other ants attack underground. Despite this, some termites and ants can coexist peacefully. Some species of termite, form associations with certain ant species to keep away predatory ant species. Ants are known to inhabit Nasutitermes mounds, both occupied and abandoned ones. One reason many ants live in Nasutitermes mounds is due to the termites' frequent occurrence in their geographical range; another is to protect themselves from floods. In rare cases, certain species of termites live inside active ant colonies. Some invertebrate organisms such as beetles, caterpillars, flies and millipedes are termitophiles and dwell inside termite colonies (they are unable to survive independently). As a result, certain beetles and flies have evolved with their hosts. They have developed a gland that secrete a substance that attracts the workers by licking them. Mounds may also provide shelter and warmth to birds, lizards, snakes and scorpions. Termites are known to carry pollen and regularly visit flowers, so are regarded as potential pollinators for a number of flowering plants. One flower, in particular, Rhizanthella gardneri (Western Underground Orchid), is regularly pollinated by foraging workers, and it is perhaps the only Orchid flower in the world to be pollinated by termites. Many plants have developed effective defences against termites. However, seedlings are vulnerable to termite attacks and need additional protection, as their defence mechanisms only develop when they have passed the seedling stage. Defence is typically achieved by secreting antifeedant chemicals into the woody cell walls. This reduces the ability of termites to efficiently digest the cellulose. A commercial product, "Termiphage", has been developed in Aetha'Shar that uses a range of plant extracts to create a paint-on nontoxic termite barrier for buildings. An extract of a species of figwort, Eremophila, has been shown to repel termites; tests have shown that termites are strongly repelled by the toxic material to the extent that they will starve rather than consume the food. When kept close to the extract, they become disoriented and eventually die. Due to their bioelectricity and biostatic glands, they are a common & desirable food source for the Blue Dragons of Ozon'Siiari. Capable of reinvigorating a storm dragons electricity.RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
Termite populations can be substantially impacted by environmental changes including those caused by humanoid intervention. The termite assemblages were considerably different among sites, with a conspicuous reduction in both diversity and abundance with increased disturbance, related to the reduction of tree density and soil cover, and with the intensity of trampling by cattle and goats. The wood-feeders were the most severely affected feeding group. Stormite colonies were notably affected by storms within local regions, attracting lightning in their Stormscraper Mounds in which all workers and soldiers would appear in times of thunderstorms on the exterior of their giant mounds and in surrounding regions - attracting and being struck by lightning in large numbers. Those struck would be taken and consumed, charging the hive with electrostatic energy within their guts and stomachs to power their bioelectric glands. Due to the electrostatic charges they emit, they tend to attract thunderstorms in their regions and when they reach a certain peak, they are capable of collectively charging their towers to release a ground-to-air thunderbolt into the sky or formulate the strange phenomenon of ball-lightning within the region of short-lasting balls of lightning that float and discharge through the air, reinvigorating the breakdown of nitrogen and making areas surrounding their colonies more viable for plant-growth and development of natural oasis in the semiarid regions and deserts. No one truly knows why these termites have developed this behaviour, but it has seemingly become part of their social caste system in 'fungus gardening' and 'oasis-cultivation' to protect their colonies resources and feeding upon dead plant matter on an annual basis each warm-wet season.NESTS
A termite nest can be considered as being composed of two parts, the inanimate and the animate. The animate is all of the termites living inside the colony, and the inanimate part is the structure itself, which is constructed by the termites. Nests can be broadly separated into three main categories:
- Subterranean (completely below ground)
- Epigeal (protruding above the soil surface)
- Arboreal (built above ground, but always connected to the ground via shelter tubes).
