Technical note: Rapid image-based field methods improve the quantification of termite mound structures and greenhouse-gas fluxes

Abstract

Termite mounds (TMs) mediate biogeochemical processes with global relevance, such as turnover of the important greenhouse gas methane (CH4). However, the complex internal and external morphology of TMs impede an accurate quantitative description. Here we present two novel field methods, photogrammetry (PG) and cross-sectional image analysis, to quantify TM external and internal mound structure of 29TMs of three termite species. Photogrammetry was used to measure epigeal volume (VE), surface area (AE) and mound basal area (AB) by reconstructing 3-D models from digital photographs, and compared against a waterdisplacement method and the conventional approach of approximating TMs by simple geom..