NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Though termites do feed on cellulose within wood, the termites themselves do not actually digest the wood. Instead, there are microorganisms living inside the termite’s digestive system called protozoa. These protozoa actually break down the wood inside the termite, producing by-products that both organisms can digest.

Detailed explanation-2: -Termites thrive on a diet of wood thanks to a remarkable biological coexistence involving two other organisms. A symbiotic protist that lives in the guts of these wood-eating insects breaks down cellulose found in plant cell walls. And inside each protist lives beneficial bacteria that assist the metabolic process.

Detailed explanation-3: -The termites masticate the wood to mechanically break it down, and the microbes chemically digest the wood into smaller molecules that the termites are able to absorb and utilize. The termite gut provides microbes with a stable environment and food.

Detailed explanation-4: -Termites have protozoa and bacteria in their gut that allow them to break down the cellulose fibers in wood, which is difficult for other creatures to digest. These organisms turn those cellulose fibers into a nutritious meal and allow termites access to a food source that’s largely ignored by other species.

Detailed explanation-5: -Trichonympha is only one of several such protists found in the guts of termites.