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Abstract
Subterranean termites (Reticulitermes spp.) are abundant insects that are ecosystem engineers. This work includes a series of reductionist experiments that investigate the contributions of native subterranean termites (Reticulitermes spp.) to temperate forest nutrient cycling through their roles as wood degraders, soil fauna, and contributors of greenhouse gases. The first research study considers subterranean termites as a member of the saproxylic insect guild and surveyed the elemental composition of frass from various wood-feeding insects. The second study aimed to follow the frass of Reticulitermes to gauge their contributions to soil nutrient cycling and provided quantitative evidence that subterranean termites translocate C and Ca from wood to soil. The third study used wood grown in elevated CO2 as a stable isotope tracer to measure wood-based carbon flow within a closed system.