The role of environment, material, and function in the morphological diversity of termite mounds

Several species of termites across the globe construct mound architectures that are of several orders of magnitude larger than themselves. These superstructures exhibit distinctive structural designs that range widely in size and shape. There are several studies exploring the function of termite mound structures, but only a few works explore reasons behind the morphological variety observed in them. To explain this diversity, the present work introduces a computational model that couples the mound’s environment, material, and thermal function to its shape. Using the fundamentals of heat transfer, the model captures the main features observed in termite mounds, such as the mound orientation and spire tilt. The influence of each environmental agent over the mound structure is analyzed, revealing a strong correlation between the mound structure and the combined effects of the environmental forces. The proposed methodology can be used in the prediction of the effect of environmental forces on the thermal performance and architecture of any natural structure for which structural and environmental information can be obtained. As such, this framework provides a broader view of the factors that are effective in the form and function of naturally made structures.