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STRUCTURE BETRAYS FUNCTION. “The mound’s differentiated structure is important to its function. The mound is a wind-driven lung that intercepts kinetic energy in turbulent wind and filters it through an elaborate network of tunnels that ultimately connects the nest air to the atmosphere. For many years, it was thought this tunnel network served to direct bulk flows of air through the nest, driven either by buoyant nest air heated by the colony’s metabolism, or by tapping into boundary layer gradients in wind speed.” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12304-016-9256-5 View in LinkedIn

EXOPULMONARY ORGAN. “The structure of the Macrotermes mound is strongly differentiated from that of the nest, which is the genus’ fourth distinctive feature: the mound is an organ of “extended physiology” that serves a physiological function, capturing energy in turbulent wind to power respiratory gas exchange for the colony. The need for such an organ is considerable: the collective metabolism of the termites and fungi is equivalent to that of medium-size to large domestic livestock.” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12304-016-9256-5 View in LinkedIn