About termites

Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera ,but are now accepted as

the epifamily Termitoidae. While termites are commonly known, especially in Australia, as "white ants", they are only distantly related to the ants. Like ants, and some bees and wasps which are all placed in the separate order Hymenopteratermites divide labor among castes, produce overlapping generations and take care of young collectively. Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and about 10% of the estimated 4,000 species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. Termites are major detritivores, particularly in

the subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance. As eusocial insects, termites live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals. A typical colony contains nymphs (semimature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both sexes, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens. Termites are generally grouped according to their feeding behaviour. Thus, the commonly used general groupings are subterranean, soil-feeding, drywood, dampwood, and grass-eating. Of these, subterraneans and drywoods are primarily responsible for damage to human-made structures. Some species of termite practice fungiculture. They maintain a garden of specialized fungi of genus Termitomyces, which are nourished by the excrement of the insects. When the fungi are eaten, their spores pass undamaged through the intestines of the termites to complete the cycle by germinating in the fresh faecal pellets.They are also well known for eating smaller insects in a last resort environment. A recent study by Australian scientists found that termites have been found to excrete trace deposits of gold. They believe that studying termite nests may lead to less invasive methods of finding gold deposits. Termites may produce up to two litres of hydrogen from digesting a single sheet of paper, making them one of the planets most efficient bioreactors.

Few zoos hold termites, due to the difficulty in keeping them captive and the reluctance of authorities to permit potential pests. One of the few that does is Zoo Basel in Switzerland. At Zoo Basel, two African termite (Macrotermes bellicosus) populations exist and thrive - resulting in very rare (in captivity) mass migrations of young flying termites. This happened last in September 2008, when thousands of male termites left their mound each night, died, and covered the floors and water pits of the house where their exhibit is located.

Traducere

Despre termite
Termitele sunt un grup de insecte sociale care, pn de curnd, au fost clasificate la rangul taxonomic al ordinului Isoptera , dar sunt acum acceptate ca suprafamilia Termidoidae. n timp ce termitele sunt cunoscute , n special n Australia, ca "furnicile albe", acestea sunt doar rude ndeprtate ale furnicilor. Ca furnicile, i unele albine si viespi, care toate sunt plasate n ordinul separat Hymenoptera-termitele mpart munca ntre caste, produc generaii suprapuse i au grij de colectivitatea tnr. Termitele se hrnesc mai ales cu material vegetal mort, n general sub form de lemn, resturi de frunze, sol sau blegar de animale, i aproximativ 10% din cele aproximativ 4.000 de specii (aproximativ 2.600 cunoscute taxonomic) sunt semnificative din punct de vedere economic ca duntori care pot provoca daune structurale grave pentru cldiri, culturi sau plantaiile forestiere. Termitele sunt detritivore majore, n special n regiunile subtropicale i tropicale, i rumeguul lsat de ele i din alte materii vegetale sunt de o importan ecologic considerabil. Ca i insecte sociale, termitele triesc n colonii care la maturitate numr de la cteva sute la cteva milioane de indivizi. O colonie tipic conine nimfe(tineri semi-maturi), muncitori, soldai i indivizi reproductori ai ambelor sexe, uneori coninnd mai multe regine outoare. Termitele sunt n general grupate n funcie de comportamentul lor alimentar. Astfel, gruprile generale frecvent utilizate sunt: subterane, care se hrnesc cu sol, lemn uscat, lemn ud i mnctoare de iarb. Dintre acestea cele subterane i cele de lemn uscat sunt n primul rnd responsabile de daunele structurilor fcute de om. Unele specii de termite practic fungicultura. Ele au o grdin de fungi specializai de genul Termitomyces care sunt hrnite de excrementele insectelor. Cnd ciupercile sunt mncate, sporii lor trec intaci prin intestine termitelor pentru a completa ciclul prin germinare

n peletele fecalelor proaspete. Acestea (acest tip de termite) sunt de asemenea bine cunoscute ca mnctoare de insecte mai mici ntr-un mediu de ultim instan. Un studiu recent realizat de oamenii de tiin australieni a descoperit c termitele au fost aflate avnd n excremente depozite de aur. Ei cred c studierea cuibului de termite poate duce la metode mult mai puin invazive de a gsi zcminte de aur. Termitele pot produce mai mult de doi litri de hidrogen de la digestia unei singure buci de hrtie, ceea ce le face una dintre cele mai eficiente bioreactoare de pe planet. Puine grdini zoo dein termite, din cauza dificultii de a le ine n activitate din cauza reticenei autoritilor de a permite eventuale neplceri. Una dintre cele care dein este cea din Basel n Elveia. La parcul zoo din Basel, exist dou populaii africane de termite (Macrotermes bellicosus) i prosper rezultnd n foarte rare (in captivitate) migraii n mas a tinerelor termite zburtoare. Acest lucru s-a ntmplat ultima dat n septembrie 2008, cnd mii de termite mascul au prsit cuibul lor n fiecare noapte, au murit, i au acoperit podelele i puurile de ap ale casei unde se afla expoziia lor. Propoziii cu timpurile limbii engleze: 1. The boy wants a toy car for Christmas. (present simple) 2. She is not talking at the moment, she is eating. (present continuous) 3. Havent you eaten too much chocolate already? (present perfect) 4. They havent been watching TV this afternoon. (present perfect continuous) 5. We went to the zoo yesterday. (past tense simple) 6. I was reading the lesson when the teacher came in. (past tense continuous) 7. Hadnt he loved you? (past perfect) 8. I have been thinking of writing you a mail when you called me. (past perfect continuous) 9. She told me I would be in trouble. (future in the past) 10. I wont tell where she is. (future simple)