白蚁丘如何塑造巴西稀树草原的生态奇迹
Visitors to the Brazilian Cerrado—a vast tropical savannah spanning nearly 2 million square kilometres—might overlook the dusty, reddish mounds scattered across the landscape. Yet these structures, built by billions of termites over centuries, are arguably the most influential invertebrate constructions on Earth. Each mound, rising up to three metres and spreading roughly 30 metres in diameter, functions as an ecosystem in miniature, altering soil chemistry, water infiltration, and microclimate across the biome.
The engineering prowess of termites—specifically species of the genus *Syntermes*—transforms the nutrient-poor, iron-rich soils typical of the Cerrado into fertile islands. Through relentless bioturbation, termites bring deeper clay and organic matter to the surface, creating patches where phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations double relative to surrounding soil. These ‘termite savannahs’ become nucleation points for plant diversity: a single mound can host upwards of 100 plant species, including rare orchids and endemic grasses unable to survive in the inter-mound matrix.
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