But not only do the termites that cause serious problems for humans only make up 3.5% of all termite species, termites also serve as crucial ecosystem engineers, maintaining the infrastructure of various environments. Like earthworms, they circulate nutrients by decomposing plant materials, and they play the important role of bioturbators. Much like plowing a field, termites aerate the soil, expose underground nutrients, and let water infiltrate deeper layers of soil—all vital to plant life.

Termites are also exemplary builders; their mounds stay cool under the blistering sun, inspiring energy-free air conditioning systems in smart architecture.

Just as many ecosystems rely on the infrastructure provided by termites, so too does the study of termites require a solid foundation. And now, a new system for termite classification has been created thanks to the effort of no less than 46 researchers from across the world.

Their work, built on expert consensus and extensive data analyses, has been published in Nature Communications.

"We have resolved the ambiguity of the previous system with a modular and very robust classification of the termite family," says Dr. Simon Hellemans, lead author and member of the Evolutionary Genomics Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST).