This review covers more than twenty-five years of research listing and discussing the biogeochemical, mineralogical, and physical impacts of fungus-growing termites (or FGT, Macrotermitinae sub-family) on savanna sediments and landscapes. The main mechanisms by which FGT transform the surficial geological formations in tropical and sub-tropical environments is investigated from a geological perspective and the potential FGT legacies in the sedimentary facies are identified. In order to sustain a twenty million-year symbiosis with the fungus, in which fungi provide digestible food to termites, FGT must optimize the living conditions of the fungus for it to thrive. To do so, they build a biogenic structure maintaining a constant humidity of 80% and a temperature of 30 °C in any kind of environment and all year long. Indeed, FGT adapt to their environment by (i) modifying the grain-size distributions of sediments and soils where they develop, (ii) forming clay horizons below their mounds enabling water to be stored for long period of time in dry environments, (iii) increasing the alkalinity by an order of magnitude of two to three, (iv) mineralizing around 20% of all organic carbon in dry savannas, thus making them the predominant decomposing organisms and crucial actors in the carbon cycle, and (v) concentrating vital nutrients for plants and animals, creating patches of fertile land in sandy semi-deserts. Through their mound-building activities, termites substantially increase the clay fraction compared to the adjacent soil and alter 2:1 clay properties, particularly after the removal of potassium, leading to the formation of smectite layers, demonstrating their biogeochemical effects on silicate mineralogy. Through the binding of aggregates, FGT increase the strength of the mound by a factor of ten and provide exceptional weathering resistance to their mounds. Therefore, termites impact their environment from sub-millimetric transformations to solid voluminous landmarks. The water-holding capacity of a FGT mound leads to an array of positive feedbacks to the savanna landscape by enhancing protection from fires, delaying desertification, supporting rebounds by seedlings and reinforcing dryland resistance and recovery from drought. Termite bioturbation allows sediments to accumulate at a rate averaging 1 mm.y⁻¹.ha⁻¹, and tends to mitigate physical and chemical processes of soil degradation, boosting the heterogeneity at the landscape scale, providing it more resilience. Some of the modifications brought by FGT will remain in the landscape for long periods, testifying to past environmental conditions, and making these mounds potential proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. To conclude, FGT are not only biological actors of the savanna ecosystem, but they act as a geological force by their impact on landscapes as well as by their major role in biogeochemical cycles. Finally, further research is recommended regarding the role of termite's saliva as a binding agent, as well as the age and the evolution of mounds over time.

这篇综述涵盖了二十五年多的研究，列出并讨论了真菌生长的白蚁（或 FGT，Macrotermitinae 亚科）对稀树草原沉积物和景观的生物地球化学、矿物学和物理影响。从地质角度研究了 FGT 改变热带和亚热带环境地表地质构造的主要机制，并确定了沉积相中潜在的 FGT 遗产。为了与真菌维持 2000 万年的共生关系，其中真菌为白蚁提供可消化的食物，FGT 必须优化真菌的生存条件以使其茁壮成长。为此，他们建造了一个生物结构，可以在任何环境中全年保持 80% 的恒定湿度和 30°C 的温度。的确，FGT 通过 (i) 改变沉积物和土壤的粒度分布来适应它们的环境，(ii) 在它们的土丘下方形成粘土层，使水能够在干燥环境中长期储存，(iii) 增加2 到 3 个数量级的碱度，(iv) 使干燥稀树草原中约 20% 的所有有机碳矿化，从而使它们成为主要的分解生物和碳循环中的关键参与者，以及 (v) 集中重要的营养物质植物和动物，在半沙半沙漠中创造出肥沃的土地。通过它们的土丘建造活动，与相邻土壤相比，白蚁大大增加了粘土含量并改变了 2:1 的粘土特性，特别是在去除钾后，导致蒙脱石层的形成，证明它们对硅酸盐矿物学的生物地球化学影响。通过聚集体的结合，FGT 将土墩的强度提高了 10 倍，并为其土墩提供了出色的耐候性。因此，白蚁会影响其环境，从亚毫米转换到大量固体地标。FGT 土墩的保水能力通过加强火灾保护、延迟荒漠化、支持幼苗反弹以及加强旱地抵抗力和干旱恢复，对热带草原景观产生了一系列积极的反馈。白蚁生物扰动允许沉积物以平均 1 毫米.y 的速率积累 FGT 将土墩的强度提高了 10 倍，并为其土墩提供了出色的耐候性。因此，白蚁会影响其环境，从亚毫米转换到大量固体地标。FGT 土墩的保水能力通过加强火灾保护、延迟荒漠化、支持幼苗反弹以及加强旱地抵抗力和干旱恢复，对热带草原景观产生了一系列积极的反馈。白蚁生物扰动允许沉积物以平均 1 毫米.y 的速率积累 FGT 将土墩的强度提高了 10 倍，并为其土墩提供了出色的耐候性。因此，白蚁会影响其环境，从亚毫米转换到大量固体地标。FGT 土墩的保水能力通过加强火灾保护、延迟荒漠化、支持幼苗反弹以及加强旱地抵抗力和干旱恢复，对热带草原景观产生了一系列积极的反馈。白蚁生物扰动允许沉积物以平均 1 毫米.y 的速率积累 延迟荒漠化，支持幼苗反弹，加强旱地抵抗力和干旱恢复。白蚁生物扰动允许沉积物以平均 1 毫米.y 的速率积累 延迟荒漠化，支持幼苗反弹，加强旱地抵抗力和干旱恢复。白蚁生物扰动允许沉积物以平均 1 毫米.y 的速率积累^-1 .ha ^-1，并倾向于减轻土壤退化的物理和化学过程，增强景观尺度的异质性，使其更具弹性。FGT 带来的一些修改将长期保留在景观中，证明过去的环境条件，并使这些土丘成为古环境重建的潜在代理。总而言之，FGT 不仅是热带稀树草原生态系统的生物参与者，而且还通过对景观的影响以及在生物地球化学循环中的主要作用而充当地质力量。最后，建议进一步研究白蚁唾液作为粘合剂的作用，以及土墩的年龄和随时间的演变。