Impacts of fungus-growing termites on surficial geology parameters: A review

Allochthonous material originating from saprolite as a marker of termite activity in Ferralsols

“…If soil-feeding termites bring material from the underlying saprolite, usually located at several meters depth, up to the B horizons of Ferralsols, we can hypothesize that they bring similar material in all the horizons of Ferralsols and that they behave similarly for many other tropical soils 6,40-42 . In the latter, their potential contribution of material from the saprolite to the soil horizon is probably less visible than for Ferralsols due to a less sharp discontinuity in mineralogical composition www.nature.com/scientificreports/ between the soil and the underlying saprolite. This contribution of soil-feeding termite activity to the soil characteristics is probably more frequent than is generally thought, which is in agreement with studies performed by soil biologists on the mineralogical composition of termite mounds and of the immediately surrounding soils 19,40,43,44 . The presence of weathered muscovite particles resulting from soil-feeding termite activity constitutes a source of available K + to plant nutrition in Ferralsols and is as such partly responsible for their chemical fertility.…”

“…Consequently, when changes in land use occurs, more attention should be paid to possible changes affecting the soil-feeding termite communities 12,14,45 . Their contribution to both the physical and chemical properties of tropical soils is undoubtedly more important than is often acknowledged [44][45][46] . This is relevant to an issue currently under investigation by the scientific community, namely the consequences of the deforestation of savannas, particularly the sustainable management of these areas 13,14,47 .…”

Genesis and Classification of Termite-Mediated Soils along Toposequences in a Semiarid Area of Southeast Ethiopia

“…Te other termite genus, Odontotermes, built closed, dome-shaped mounds at the toe slope with a mean height of up to 2.2 m. Both genera are fungus-growing termites that are commonly reported in Africa [27] as well as the study area [1,28]. Tese genera infuence savanna soils much more than the other termite groups [11]. Te abundance of Macrotermes mounds reached up to 23 mounds ha −1 , while the Odontotermes genera had about 4 mounds ha −1 .…”

“…Regarding the OC levels of the mounds, the result is consistent with the observation of Obi et al [57] and demonstrates topographic efects. In addition to the high mineralization rate in a semiarid area, the fact that fungus-growing termites mineralize about 20% of the total OC [11] probably results in a low OC content.…”

“…According to Breuning-Madsen et al [10], macrofauna-induced continuous surface exposure on sloppy landscapes together with episodic precipitation can cause signifcant downward soil transport. Tuyne and Verrecchia [11] showed that the termite-induced sediment accumulation rate reached up to 1 mm•ha −1 •y −1 . In such a landscape, profle development can be much more complex than vertically up or down processes since mixing by soil fauna interacts with lateral processes [12].…”