The unlikely hero: Why termites may be the key to healthy regeneration of rainforests

When we imagine rainforest restoration, we usually envision workers planting different tree species in degraded landscapes, but researchers have discovered a crucial missing component that can determine whether these young forests are thriving or struggling. A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology on May 6 shows that termites, often seen as destructive pests, recover much slower in Australia’s heavy rainforests, which may hinder forest growth and nutrient circulation in these carefully cultivated ecosystems.

The study, led by scientists at the Kari Ecosystems Institute, challenges conventional thinking about forest restoration and proposes a surprising solution: intentionally transplanting established forests from established forests into reborn forests.

The hidden assistant of the healthy forest

While restoration projects usually focus on planting trees, the study highlights the role of decomposition agents such as decompositions and fungi that break down dead plant matter and restore essential nutrients to the soil.

“People tend to think that as long as a variety of trees are planted, these rainforests will regenerate,” said Baptiste Wijas, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia, who visited. “But it is worth mentioning that should we actually put it in other organisms as well to restore other ecosystem processes that contribute to forest function? In the context of rainforest regeneration, no one really thinks of this.”

These findings were at a critical moment when restored forests form an increasingly important part of the world’s remaining rainforests, and the reforestation initiative gained momentum, a strategy to maintain biodiversity and isolate atmospheric carbon.

Surprising discoveries in the Australian rainforest

A team of researchers including Cary senior scientist Amy Zanne conducted the study at three locations in the northern Australian tropical region: an old forest in the Daintree rainforest at the James Cook University Observatory, and two nearby sites four and eight years before the study began. These regeneration sites were initially rainforests until around 1900, when they were converted into agricultural plantations, planting crops such as pineapple, banana and oil palm, which were then abandoned in the 2000s and later rescued by nonprofit rainforest rescue.

For four years, scientists have monitored the blocks placed in all three sites and inspected every six months to assess the rate of decomposition and the presence of termites and fungi.

Field work is challenging to say the least. “You’ve been sweating and some plants want to attack you anywhere,” said Weihas. Zanne added that within a year, the team endured “drought, floods, fires, 113F temperatures and zombie whirlwinds that made us catch twice. It was an epic biblical year.”

Key findings that subvert previous assumptions

• Contrary to expectations, fungi have proven relatively resilient, with similar functions in old and replanted forests (slightly slower in the youngest forests)
• However, 12 years after reforestation, termites have significantly reduced their effectiveness in decomposing wood.
• Reducing termite activity may lead to slow nutrient circulation, carbon recovery to the soil, which may limit forest growth
• The slower decomposition rate may be related to the size, number, diversity, or maturity of termite colonies at the recovery site

A free radical: transplant termites

To address this unexpected challenge, the researchers proposed a novel approach – freely transferring dead wood logs from old growth forests to regenerated forests. These logs can serve as habitat and food sources for decomposition agents, while introducing a variety of microbial and insect communities.

“A young forest doesn’t have too many dead trees,” Zanne explained. “So if you bring these logs, you’ll give them some food to the tide while waiting for some of the trees to start falling.”

The team is even thinking about something more straightforward: “We are also considering transplanting termite mounds directly into the forest with Deadwood, which is something no one really thinks about,” Wijas said.

Both methods may face the doubts of forest managers. “Many people (including the manager of reason) don’t like termites very much,” Wijas admits. “But they play a big role in having healthy forests.”

Misunderstood ecosystem engineer

The researchers stress that termites’ reputation as destructive pests is largely inappropriate. “Only about 3% of termites are known to damage human homes, although very little is known to the other 97%.”

Termites are far from merely destructive, but may actually contribute significantly to carbon sequestration. “We think termites may lock carbon in their nests,” Wehas said. “When they eat wood, they can’t digest everything, so the feces used to build their nests can be very rich. They may even lock in more carbon than they emit, but we don’t know yet.”

Termites also carry nitrogen fixation bacteria that provide the necessary nutrients for tree growth and function, making them valuable in forest restoration efforts.

Will the absence of these tiny ecosystem engineers limit the success of global reconstruction projects? As Zanne said, “Termites and fungi are absolutely crucial for forest function. If termites are there, who can return to whom who returns to regenerated forests, perhaps ants, lizards and Lizards and Gliders.

As afforestation efforts expand globally to combat climate change and biodiversity loss, this study suggests that a truly holistic approach may require smaller thinking (smaller) than we imagined. Our future in regenerating rainforests may simply rely on helping termites.