Turner J S
Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.
Physiol Biochem Zool. 2001 Nov-Dec;74(6):798-822. doi: 10.1086/323990.
Patterns and rates of air movements in the mounds and nests of Macrotermes michaelseni were studied using tracer methods. Wind is a significant source of energy for powering nest ventilation, despite the mound being a completely enclosed structure. Nests are ventilated by a tidal movement of air driven by temporal variation in wind speed and wind direction. Density gradients sufficiently steep to drive bulk flow by natural convection will be rare. However, metabolism-induced buoyant forces may interact with wind energy in a way that promotes homeostasis of the mound atmosphere.
采用示踪方法研究了米氏大白蚁蚁丘和巢穴中的空气流动模式及速率。尽管蚁丘是完全封闭的结构，但风是驱动巢穴通风的重要能量来源。巢穴通过由风速和风向的时间变化驱动的空气潮汐运动进行通风。密度梯度陡峭到足以通过自然对流驱动整体气流的情况将很少见。然而，新陈代谢引起的浮力可能以促进蚁丘大气稳态的方式与风能相互作用。
