Habitat type affects termite mound building. With the support of the Cosmos award, I found that mound height and diameter of two termite species in Australia are greater in wet savannas than in dry savannas. I also found that termite mounds in rainforests are made of more organic material than termite mounds in savanna sites. This means that the environment plays an important role how termites are building their mounds and how they will adapt to changes in climate. Although COVID19 prevented me from traveling to Australia to collect additional termite mound material, I was able to use the mound material from a previous trip to begin termite mound analysis.
