Foraging, nesting and damage caused by <i>Microtermes subhyalinus</i> (Isoptera: Termitidae) in a sugarcane plantation in the Central African Republic

Mora, Philippe; Rouland, C.; Renoux, J.

doi:10.1017/s0007485300034970

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(19 reference statements)

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“…4). Interestingly, Microtermes species have been commonly described as major pests of human crops in West Africa (e.g., Wood et al 1980, Mora et al 1996. Whether this is directly linked to their apparent resilience against disturbance, as indicated in our results, is unclear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

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The Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Assembly Patterns of Termite Communities

Hausberger

Korb

2016

Biotropica

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Intensification of land‐use threatens biodiversity, especially in tropical ecosystems that harbor the planet's highest species richness. This negative impact of anthropogenic disturbance on species numbers is well established, but the mechanisms underlying the community assembly processes are less well understood. Termites are of fundamental importance in tropical ecosystems where they are critical for nutrient recycling and species diversity. We tested the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on termite species diversity and assembly processes in a West African savanna applying the newest techniques of phylogenetic community analyses. Species richness dropped in areas of intensive land‐use and compositional similarity between intensive land‐use areas was high. This contrasted with a protected National Park where communities were characterized by high species richness and intermediate species turnover between sites. Slightly disturbed areas in the buffer zone surrounding the park were intermediate, they still had high species richness but similarity between sites increased. Strikingly, the assembly pattern also changed with disturbance from more phylogenetic overdispersion to more clustering (coexisting species became phylogenetically more similar), but only when the fungus‐growing termite Macrotermes bellicosus was absent. Our data suggest that the major forces structuring termite communities depend: (1) on the presence of this dominant mound‐building termite; and (2) that they change to more environmental filtering with disturbance. Anthropogenic disturbance seems to function as a filter that allows only a specific subset of species to occur. Such an effect might be widespread in ecology but it is difficult to document quantitatively. Phylogenetic community analyses can help to contribute such evidence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…, Mora et al . ). Whether this is directly linked to their apparent resilience against disturbance, as indicated in our results, is unclear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Assembly Patterns of Termite Communities

Hausberger

Korb

2016

Biotropica

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“…Conversely, measuring the length of surface sheetings did not reveal the foraging activity of A. guineensis workers. These termites directly accessed their food supply through underground galleries and then penetrated the stems or wood pieces, thus leaving only a few cropping structures on the surface (Mora et al, 1996;Rouland and Mora, 2002). Moreover, the soil sheetings of this termite species were difficult to distinguish when the ground surface was covered with soil sheetings belonging to both O. nilensis and M. subhyalinus, since they are finer.…”

Section: Foraging Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental manipulation of termites (Isoptera, Macrotermitinae) foraging patterns in a Sahelo-Sudanese savanna: effect of litter quality

et al. 2003

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The foraging pattern of four sympatric fungusgrowing termite species was followed for five months of the dry season in a semi-arid savanna (Senegal). Experimental plots were established with and without termites (exclusion with insecticide) and amended with different litter quality: Acacia leaves, millet canes, ground millet (<500 µm), Combretum wood and cattle manure. Results showed different foraging patterns between the fungus-growing species. Odontotermes nilensis, for example, rapidly developed its foraging activity on the litter. In contrast, Macrotermes subhyalinus delayed its foraging activity but, extensively collected the food after its discovery. Differences in food preference were evident between the termite species: Odontotermes nilensis foraged preferentially on millet, canes and Acacia leaves, Macrotermes subhyalinus preferred cane and ground millet. Ancistrotermes guineensis selected the millet, and Microtermes sp. was mostly recorded foraging on pieces of dead wood. Relationships between different foraging parameters were established to assess the relative intensity of this activity over the dry season. The comparison between untreated plots and plots treated with Fipronil® (Aventis) clearly demonstrated that the exclusion of termites from part of the savanna is possible and that this possibility can be used to study their role on the soil and organic matter cycle in situ.

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“…Increased rainfall variability may increase termite damage, as Cowie & Wood (1989) found more termite damage to a range of food crops in rain fed than in irrigated crops. Research on sugar cane in Central African Republic (Mora et al . 1996) and in Chad (Rouland et al .…”

Section: Rhizovory Under Global Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Global change and root function

Noordwijk¹,

Martikainen²,

Bottner

et al. 1998

Global Change Biology

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Global change includes land‐use change, elevated CO2 concentrations, increased temperature and increased rainfall variability. All four aspects by themselves and in combination will influence the role of roots in linking below‐ and above‐ground ecosystem function via organic and inorganic resource flows. Root‐mediated ecosystem functions which may be modified by global change include below‐ground resource (water, nutrients) capture, creation and exploitation of spatial heterogeneity, buffering of temporal variations in above‐ground factors, supply and storage of C and nutrients to the below‐ground ecosystem, mobilization of nutrients and C from stored soil reserves, and gas exchange between soil and atmosphere including the emission from soil of greenhouse gases. The theory of a functional equilibrium between root and shoot allocation is used to explore predicted responses to elevated CO2 in relation to water or nutrient supply as limiting root function. The theory predicts no change in root:shoot allocation where water uptake is the limiting root function, but substantial shifts where nutrient uptake is (or becomes) the limiting function. Root turnover will not likely be influenced by elevated CO2, but by changes in regularity of water supply. A number of possible mechanisms for root‐mediated N mineralization is discussed in the light of climate change factors. Rhizovory (root consumption) may increase under global change as the balance between plant chemical defense and adapted root consuming organisms may be modified during biome shifts in response to climate change. Root‐mediated gas exchange allows oxygen to penetrate into soils and methane (CH4) to escape from wetland soils of tundra ecosystems as well as tropical rice production systems. The effect on net greenhouse gas emissions of biome shifts (fens replacing bogs) as well as of agricultural land management will depend partly on aerenchyma in roots.

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Foraging, nesting and damage caused by Microtermes subhyalinus (Isoptera: Termitidae) in a sugarcane plantation in the Central African Republic

Cited by 23 publications

References 14 publications

The Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Assembly Patterns of Termite Communities

The Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Assembly Patterns of Termite Communities

Experimental manipulation of termites (Isoptera, Macrotermitinae) foraging patterns in a Sahelo-Sudanese savanna: effect of litter quality

Global change and root function

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