Logically speaking, termites are a widely distributed species.
In the world of the protagonist's previous life, termites were distributed in two-thirds of the land area, most of which were concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions. Among all continents, only Antarctica has not found traces of termite activity, and they are distributed in all other continents.
Moreover, termites play an important role in the ecosystem, no less important than ants. In tropical and subtropical regions, the net primary production of termites accounts for 50-60% of the terrestrial ecosystem.
It is such a widely distributed species that is extremely rare in this world. If the protagonist hadn't seen it with his own eyes today, he would have almost forgotten this species.
Could it be that the ants in this world are too powerful and have defeated the termites in competition? That doesn’t make sense. The feeding habits of termites are very different from those of ants, and there is no direct competitive relationship between the two.
Although termites have a wide range of food habits, their nutrients mainly come from plants. They feed on plant cellulose and its products, and also eat fungi and lignin. They only occasionally eat foods such as starch, sugar, and protein that they find, and they can also swallow termite corpses in the same ant nest and the old skin shed by young ants during their development. When there is a lack of external food, they will also swallow ant eggs and even larvae. Ants, but not common.
The largest proportion of termites' diet is cellulose-rich plants. Many species of termites not only feed on natural wood and dry plants, but some species also feed on the dried cellulose-rich feces of herbivores.
These cellulose ants don't eat it at all, because the ants lack a symbiotic microorganism in their bodies and cannot digest and absorb cellulose.
Termites are different. Except for the Termite family, all other termites contain a large number of single-celled organisms and bacteria in their intestines. These microorganisms have a symbiotic relationship with termites. With the help of these microorganisms, termites can digest cellulose and transform it into substances that can be absorbed and utilized.
In other words, termites are not competitors to ants in terms of food sources, just as rabbits are not competitors to humans.
The fecundity of termites is not inferior to that of rabbits, and human civilization is far more advanced than the ants in this world. However, humans in the 21st century still cannot eliminate the hares that plague Australia. The ants are scattered, so how can they be the rare culprit of the termite population? ?
Except for a few ants such as army ants that prey on termites, most ants and termites should coexist peacefully.
So why are termites so rare?
The protagonist is a little confused, but at least the termite colony seems to be doing well so far.
The protagonist flew around in a circle. There was only one entrance and exit to this small basin. The entire interior was the territory of termites, and no other ant species could be seen.
The termite mound is huge, as big as a human hut. There are tens of thousands of termites active outside, and it is estimated that the entire colony has six or seven-digit mounds.
The protagonist is curious as to whether the termites in this world have evolved into civilization.
Among eusocial animals, ants are civilized, although they are still very primitive; wasps have come into contact with bees, but they have obviously not evolved civilization; naked mole rats and other animals probably do not exist in this world like other mammals.
Only the termite protagonist is seen for the first time.
If termites had civilization, then the world would be as lively as if a group of lizard people suddenly appeared in the human world - this is a completely different civilization from the ant civilization, completely different from the genetic and physiological basis.
The protagonist is not too worried. Could a group of termite civilizations in this world be a greater threat than the Destroyer?
Therefore, he observed the termite colony from different angles with great interest.
After observing for a long time, the protagonist did not find any direct evidence that the termites were civilized. Countless termites were just carrying dead branches and leaves from nearby areas to their nests in a steady stream, and almost nothing else could be seen.
A significant sign of ant civilization is that male ants, which originally only had a reproductive function, have become the core leadership of the group. In some ant races, female ants take on this role. In other words, the sign of ant civilization is the differentiation of class power.
If such a commander can be found among the termite team, it can be roughly concluded that they are also civilized. However, the protagonist does not understand the classification of termite types, and does not know whether there are other types of termites such as soldier ants and male ants, in addition to these worker ants carved out of a mold, and the queen ants that will definitely be there.
In fact, the species within a termite colony are more complex than ants.
There are usually two types of termites within a termite colony, namely reproductive and non-reproductive types.
Reproductive termites are sexual females and males whose job is to maintain old colonies and create new ones. Similar to the queen (female ant) and male ants in ants, they are roughly divided into three types:
1. Long-winged or winged type: It is characterized by two pairs of well-developed wings. From April to June every year, especially when it is hot and muggy after spring and summer rains, a large number of long-winged breeding ants fly out of the nest and leave the nest. Not far away from nearby buildings, new termite colonies were established, where a lucky few were able to establish themselves.
2. Short-winged type, also known as supplementary breeding type. When the termite colony runs out of food, some worker ants and a small number of soldier ants will leave the nest to search for food and water. When this group completely loses contact with the main nest, supplementary kings and queens can be produced within the group and become an independent group. In addition, when the original king and queen die, short-winged kings and queens will appear, continuing the reproduction of the entire termite colony.
3. Wingless and wingless supplementary kings and queens are rare and only appear occasionally in a few primitive termite races. They come from larvae without wing buds or from worker ants.
Non-reproductive termites refer to termites that have no ability to reproduce. Including three categories: worker ants, soldier ants, and nymphs:
1. Worker ants. Like ant workers, termite workers are the largest in the colony, accounting for more than 80%. They also perform many complicated tasks in the nest, such as building ant mounds, collecting food, raising young ants, soldiers and queens, and cleaning. wait. Among non-soldier ant species, they are also responsible for defending against foreign enemies.
However, termite workers are divided into male and female genders, and their compound eyes disappear, sometimes leaving only traces, which is different from ant workers.
2. Soldier ants. Termites, like some species of ants, have specialized soldier ants dedicated to defending the colony, accounting for about 5% of the total ant population. A few species have no soldier ants.
Termite soldiers generally start from 3-4-year-old larvae. Some larvae differentiate into lighter-colored pre-soldier ants, and then become soldier ants, both male and female. Soldier ants have highly ossified heads and well-developed upper jaws. According to the shape of the upper jaw, they can be divided into two categories: maxillary soldiers and trunk soldiers. They also have no compound eyes or only traces of them.
3. Like an ant. Rhoids are the larvae of termites, but some species of termites lack worker ants, so Rhoids perform their functions.
