Page 118 - Design in Nature

116 DESIGN IN NATURE

In the construction of the
termite nest, there are
attic
duct to air supplementary systems
channel such as air-conditioners,
ridge
ridge humidifiers and ventilators.
Furthermore, for the
brood
channels chamber different parts of the nest,
B different temperatures are
set and maintained. The
fungus royal cell
temperature and carbon
combs brood
dioxide content of
chamber
C A foundation circulating air vary
cellar pillar depending on location
within the termite nest: 40
0
0
A: 86 F (30 C) – 2.7% CO
2
0
0
B: 77 F (25 C) – 2.7% CO
2
0
0
C: 75 F (24 C) – 0.8% CO
2
a colony comes under attack by one of these predators, a special suicide arm
is launched. African termites are excellent warriors equipped with razor-
sharp teeth. They tear the attacker's bodies into pieces.
The only connection of a termite nest to the world outside is through
tunnels that are the size of a single termite. Passing through any one of these
tunnels requires "permission". The "guard" soldier termites at the door
easily detect if the intruders are in fact residents of the colony from their
smells. The head of a single termite can also work as a cap for any one of
these tunnels, which are exactly same size. In case of attack, termites
actually use their heads to close off these holes by entering backwards and

becoming stuck in these doorways.

The Sacrifice of Termites
Another one of the methods of defence that termites often use is to
willingly sacrifice their lives in order to secure the colony and harm the
enemy. Various species of termites achieve these suicide attacks in different
ways, e.g. a certain species living in the rainforests of Malaysia is
particularly interesting. These termites are like "walking bombs" due to their
anatomy and behaviour. A special sac within their bodies holds a chemical