UNIT 5 Ecosystems Natural Science 2. Secondary Education A COLONIAL SOCIETY: TERMITES

UNIT 5 Natural Science 2. Secondary Education A colonial society: termites TERMITE COLONIES Termites are insects that feed on wood and live in colonies or nests called termite mounds. They are found mainly in tropical forests and savannahs in South America, Africa and Australia. A distinctive characteristic of termites is that they are social insects that form colonial societies. Termites divide the work needed to maintain their colonies among different groups, or castes. The main castes in termite colonies are the royal pair, soldiers and workers. Termites Termite mounds in Africa

CASTES Reproductive individuals KingQueen Soldier Worker The final members of the colony are winged reproductives, which produce new pairs of reproductive termites, and young termites. The royal pair, which consists of the king and queen: they are the reproductive individuals responsible for producing new termites in order to maintain or increase the size of the colony. The soldiers: their job is to defend the colony. The workers build and maintain the termite mounds, provide food for the colony and take care of the eggs and larvae. UNIT 5 Natural Science 2. Secondary Education A colonial society: termites