by Dr. Giulio Facchini and Dr. Andrea Perna of the University of Roehampton, University of Roehampton
A small fragment of a Nasutitermes walker’s nest. Visible is the complex arrangement of walls and galleries. Credit: Roehampton University.
The local curvature of a wall has been identified as the simple building ‘rule’ that termites use to build their complex nests, according to new research by the University of Roehampton.
Termite nests are enormously complex, and we still know very little about how thousands of tiny termites coordinate their activities to create such impressive structures. The research team hypothesized that it is the local curvature of the nest surface that causes each termite to deposit new granules and continue construction. Local curvature is when the nest surface deviates from a flat surface or a saddle shape.
By scanning real nest samples from two species of arboreal Nasutitermes with a micro-CT scanner and comparing this to computer simulated nests that grew based on their hypothesis that termites respond to local curvature, the research team found a great similarity between the real and the real. simulated nests
This single rule of responding to local curvature was enough to reproduce a number of characteristics of real nests using computer simulations. Termites have a high tendency to deposit new granules where there is an unfinished region within their highly curved nest, wall, rim, or abutment.
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A nest of Nasutitermes walkeri near Sydney, Australia. Credit: Roehampton University.
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Simulated nest growth based on termite response to local curvature. Credit: Roehampton University.
Dr. Giulio Facchini, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Roehampton, said, “Our identified construction mechanism can reproduce many characteristics of termite nests, but we are aware that different termite species can produce nests with different sizes, shapes, and internal structures to be able to further adjust and parameterize our model from real termite nest data to be able to explain how small changes in construction rules or construction materials can produce the great diversity of structures found in nature “
The research team included Dr. Giulio Facchini and Dr. Andrea Perna from the University of Roehampton, who worked alongside Dr. Stéphane Douady (Laboratoire Matiére et Systémes Complexe, Université Paris Diderot) and Dr. Alexandre Lazarescu (Institut de Recherche in Mathématique et Physique). Giulio Facchini is a Newton International Fellow based at the University of Roehampton. This research is funded by the Royal Society.
Let’s mimic termite nests to keep human buildings cool
G. Facchini et al. A curvature-driven growth model reproduces the geometric characteristics of tree termite nests, Royal Society interface magazine (2020). DOI: 10.1098 / rsif.2020.0093
Provided by the University of Roehampton
Citation: New research identifies the rules termites use to build their nests (2020, July 23) retrieved July 23, 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2020-07-termites.html
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