Microecology of the termite gut: structure and function on a microscale

Long considered simply as anoxic fermenters, termite guts are in fact axial ly and radially structured environments with physicochemically distinct mic rohabitats. Recent developments in termite gut microecology, which combined traditional and modern techniques, have focused on the spatial organizatio n of important microbial populations and their in situ activities, and have significantly furthered our understanding of functional interactions withi n highly structured microenvironments.