A Comprehensive Review on Termite Mound Soil

Author Name : Shreeram Ganapati Raysad, Jyoti Shrivastava, Madhu Singh, Nandish Gowda, Madhu Chandra, Nahid Afrin

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56025/IJARESM.2022.1012221129

ABSTRACT

Termites are social insects with 3000 known species, of which 75% are soil-feeding and 28 species are pests. These termites typically feed on the soil and having microorganisms typically present in their faecus& saliva. These microorganisms are actinomycetes and Streptomyces basically used for the production of various antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal drugs.The termites well diversified in India, based on their origin, the nests are classified into subterranean nests, epigeal nests and arboreal nests with a unique & complex architecture with varied sizes. The building is made of two types of materials: exogenous material transported by the mandibles, and faecal material deposited via excretion. Termite mound is mainly composed of clay, sand and slit in variable proportion based on the surrounding soil and genera of the termite. Metagenomics techniques have been used in bacterial community studies, which have shown therapeutic values of microorganisms in termite mound soil proving its medicinal value. Actinobacteria and streptomyces are the most dominant genera in the microbial flora of termite mound soil, which yet have to be explored for its true value in medicinal world. These bacteria are known to be the producers of a number of secondary metabolites, antibiotics, and bioactive substances that have an impact on the proliferation of microorganisms. Termite mounds are rich in Zinc, Copper, Calcium, Silica, Ferric oxide when compared to surrounding soil. Present review is focused on the topography, microbial flora, medicinal uses and element endowment of termite mound soil.

Keywords: Termite, Termite mound soil, Valmikamruttika, Metagenomics,