Termite Mounds (IMAGE) Princeton University Caption These are small-scale patterns formed by plants in response to water scarcity lie within a larger formation created by the nests of social insects such as termites and ants. The nests in turn appear as circular clusters of vegetation (above, termite mounds in Mozambique) or as gaps of bare soil. Satellite images from four continents showed that insect nests are often evenly spaced, with each nest having an average of six neighbors. Territorial aggression between these colonies can produce a large-scale honeycomb distribution of the nests. Credit Photo by Robert Pringle, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.