Climate control in termite mounds: A review and new insights from X-ray tomography and flow field simulations

TL;DR

This paper reviews thermoregulation and ventilation in termite mounds, integrating X-ray tomography and flow simulations to enhance understanding of their architectural contributions to eco-friendly building design.

Contribution

It introduces the use of X-ray tomography and flow simulations to analyze termite mound architecture and its role in thermoregulation and ventilation.

Findings

X-ray tomography reveals architectural features influencing airflow.

Flow simulations demonstrate how mound design affects temperature regulation.

The interdisciplinary approach advances eco-friendly building concepts.

Abstract

Investigating the thermoregulation and ventilation processes in termite mound holds great interest, in particular for its potential implications in advancing eco-friendly building designs. In this article we discuss major results on these processes in termite mounds of varying sizes and ventilation types. Additionally, we propose the integration of X-ray tomography to gain insights into the contribution of architectural features of termite mounds to thermoregulation and ventilation. Finally, we assess the contributions of numerical flow field simulations to this research domain. Our objective is to consolidate existing knowledge, identify research gaps, and propose an interdisciplinary approach to foster our understanding of temperature regulation and gas exchange in termite mounds.