We often think of termites as pests that chew through our homes, however could they hold the secret to reviving our rainforests?
A new research paper on Queensland’s Daintree Rainforest suggests ‘termite transplants’ may be necessary to help regenerating forests thrive.
4ZZZ's Eliot Rifkin chatted about how these tiny creatures might help shape the future of our planet’s forests with Dr Alex Cheesman of James Cook University.
For a deep dive...
Check out some of Dr Alex Cheesman's publications here as well as learn more on his research's project partners - Daintree Rainforest and Rainforest Rescue, and get a better understanding of Australian termites.
Here's a few other scientific rainforest termite ecosystem articles that might be interest:
- Termite sensitivity to temperature affects global wood decay rates
- Continental-scale shifts in termite diversity and nesting and feeding strategies
- Assessing the Australian Termite Diversity Anomaly: How Habitat and Rainfall Affect Termite Assemblages