Beta-Diversity of Termite Assemblages Among Primary French Guiana Rain Forests

Abstract

Termites are an important component of tropical rain forests, and have been included in many studies focusing on the influence of human disturbance. Their distribution among primary rain forest has, however, rarely been investigated. Here we studied the termite fauna in seven mostly undisturbed forest sites, representing several rain forest types. Overall, approximately 70 percent of species were soil-feeders and 25 percent were wood-feeders, the remaining 5 percent being classified here as litter-feeders. Termite species richness did not differ significantly among sites, but sites differed in termite abundance. The palm swamp and the low forest situated on the foothills of an inselberg, hosted different termite communities to the other sites. These two sites presented a singular physiognomy suggesting that forest type is an important factor influencing species composition. We found no correlation between termite species composition and distance between sites, highlighting that at the scale of our study (about 100 km), forest sites share a similar species pool.

The Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Assembly Patterns of Termite Communities

“…ANTHROPOGENIC DISTURBANCE, SPECIES RICHNESS AND COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY IN TERMITES.-The impact of disturbance on termite diversity has been studied intensively in tropical forests along gradients ranging from primary rain forests to plantations and cleared forest areas (summarized in Davies et al 2003, see also Bourguignon et al 2011, Dosso et al 2013. A decline of species richness with anthropogenic disturbance, especially in areas of intensive land-use, was found on a global scale.…”

Are the spatio-temporal dynamics of soil-feeding termite colonies shaped by intra-specific competition?

“…As A . banksi nests are particularly abundant at the bottom of valleys or near creeks (Bourguignon et al, 2011a), their distribution pattern is probably aggregated at the landscape scale, reflecting an association with their preferred habitat. Intrinsic species characteristics such as polydomy (Levings & Adams, 1984;Holt & Easey, 1985;Spain et al, 1986) may also influence nest distribution, but do not fit with our data on A. banksi.…”

Towards a revision of the Neotropical soldierless termites (Isoptera: Termitidae): redescription of the genusGrigiotermes Mathews and description of five new genera

“…Of the nine extant Isoptera families, the Termitidae is by far the most diverse, especially in African and Neotropical ecosystems where it often accounts for more than 90% of the termite species richness (Eggleton et al ., , ; Davies, ; Bourguignon, Leponce & Roisin, ). Although the Neotropics has received rising attention from taxonomists in recent decades, many taxa still remain superficially known and are in need of complete taxonomic revision.…”

“…Whereas African taxa have been subjected to monographic revisions (Sands, , ), many species still remain undescribed (Eggleton, ), especially in the Neotropics. Indeed, 30% of the species collected in faunistic surveys of Neotropical termites belong to the Anoplotermes group (Davies, ; Bourguignon, Leponce & Roisin, ; Bourguignon et al ., ), but they represent less than 10% of the named species (Constantino, ).…”