A major new textbook on the biology of termites, edited by SBCS’s Professor David Bignell and colleagues, has been published by Springer this month. The “Biology of Termites: a Modern Synthesis” contains chapters by experts covering all aspects of this important animal group, from their role in decomposition and nutrient cycling to their destructiveness as an agricultural pest. Professor Bignell – who also authored a chapter on the microbiology of termite guts - is a world authority on termites, having spent his career studying them all over the globe.