Long-term effects of Macrotermes termites, herbivores and annual early fire on woody undergrowth community in Sudanian woodland, Burkina Faso

Fungus‐growing termites of the subfamily Macrotermitinae together with their highly specialized fungal symbionts (Termitomyces) are primary decomposers of dead plant matter in many African savanna ecosystems. The termites provide crucial ecosystem services also by modifying soil properties, translocating nutrients, and as important drivers of plant succession. Despite their obvious ecological importance, many basic features in the biology of fungus‐growing termites and especially their fungal symbionts remain poorly known, and no studies have so far focused on possible habitat‐level differences in symbiont diversity across heterogeneous landscapes. We studied the species identities of Macrotermes termites and their Termitomyces symbionts by excavating 143 termite mounds at eight study sites in the semiarid Tsavo Ecosystem of southern Kenya. Reference specimens were identified by sequencing the COI region from termites and the ITS region from symbiotic fungi. The results demonstrate that the regional Macrotermes community in Tsavo includes two sympatric species (M. subhyalinus and M. michaelseni) which cultivate and largely share three species of Termitomyces symbionts. A single species of fungus is always found in each termite mound, but even closely adjacent colonies of the same termite species often house evolutionarily divergent fungi. The species identities of both partners vary markedly between sites, suggesting hitherto unknown differences in their ecological requirements. It is apparent that both habitat heterogeneity and disturbance history can influence the regional distribution patterns of both partners in symbiosis.

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“…, Traoré et al . ) and can increase the robustness of the ecosystems toward desertification (Bonachela et al . ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of fungus‐growing termites (Macrotermes) and their fungal symbionts (Termitomyces) in the semiarid Tsavo Ecosystem, Kenya

et al. 2017

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“…Considering small mammals, some studies mention that rodents use abandoned termite mounds for seed hoarding (Alexandre 2002;Bationo et al 2002). For Macrotermes, the focus genus of this paper, the possible role of termites as dispersal vectors, as suggested by Traoré et al (2015), can quite safely be dismissed because, unlike many species of ants, Macrotermes do not transport and store seeds in their nests.…”

Section: Effects On Animals and Their Feedbacks With Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In addition to promoting plant establishment, termite mounds are focal sites for woody plant regeneration (Traoré & Lepage 2008;Traoré et al 2008aTraoré et al , 2015 and help plants to survive adverse environmental conditions like fire, drought and inundation (Traoré et al 2008b). Microclimatic effects like shading and protection from fire and wind by already established vegetation further promote plant survival on mounds (Lawson & Jenik 1967;Okali et al 1973).…”

Section: Ecosystem Engineering and Effects On Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Termites and savannas – an overview on history and recent scientific progress with particular respect to West Africa and to the genus Macrotermes

Erpenbach¹,

Wittig²

2016

FVSS

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Particularly in savannas, termites are ecosystem engineers and a keystone group in ecology. For the understanding of the savanna vegetation, mound building termites are of particular interest. Due to their special soil chemistry and physical structure, termite mounds often host other plants than the surrounding savanna. As our knowledge of the specific contribution of mound-building termites to overall savanna diversity and ecosystem dynamics doubtlessly is not complete, this paper summarises the state of the art in order to stimulate further research. According to the research interest of the authors, focus is laid on the West African savanna and on the genus Macrotermes.

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“…As shown in African savanna ecosystems, these aboveground constructions also provide refuges for plants and soil biodiversity, offer a better resistance of plants to fire, represent foraging hot-spots for herbivores, and increase the robustness of dryland ecosystems to climatic change (Mobaek et al 2005;Traoré et al 2008Traoré et al , 2015Choosai et al 2009;Moe et al 2009;Brody et al 2010;Erpenbach et al 2013, Erpenbach et al 2017Davies et al 2014Davies et al , 2016Seymour et al 2014;Tobella et al 2014;Bonachela et al 2015).…”

Section: Influence Of Termites On Ecosystem Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable use of termite activity in agro-ecosystems with reference to earthworms. A review

Jouquet

Chaudhary

Kumar

2017

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Sustainable agriculture and agro-ecology justify the need to study and understand the role played by ecological processes, and soil biodiversity in particular, in agro-ecosystem functioning. A large number of studies have focused on earthworms in temperate and humid tropical ecosystems and have demonstrated their importance for improving soil biological, physical, and chemical properties in agro-ecosystems. Their "success" is so essential that earthworms are widely considered key species and relevant indicators of soil health in temperate ecosystems. In arid and sub-arid ecosystems, the role of "soil engineer" is usually attributed to termites, and especially fungus-growing termites in Africa and Asia. However, despite this recognition, significant effort is spent eradicating them in plantations because of their pest status. In this review, we discuss the status of termites ("pests" vs. "soil engineers") and question whether termites play similar roles to earthworms in arid-and sub-arid agroecosystems, with a focus on their influence on nutrient cycling and water dynamics. We argue that the dream of controlling natural interactions and ridding plantations of termites remains a costly legacy of the green revolution. We review the agricultural practices that have been used to reduce termite damage in plantations by restoring refuges to predators or by reorienting termite foraging activity towards organic amendments. Then, we show that the stimulation of termite activity can be used to improve key ecological functions in agroecosystems, such as increasing water availability to plants or producing fertility hot-spots. Finally, we suggest that more research on how termites can be used for improving ecosystem services, as is actually done with earthworms in temperate and humid tropical countries, could lead to a paradigm shift in our understanding of the impact of termites in tropical agro-ecosytems.

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Long-term effects of Macrotermes termites, herbivores and annual early fire on woody undergrowth community in Sudanian woodland, Burkina Faso

Cited by 24 publications

References 55 publications

Diversity of fungus‐growing termites (Macrotermes) and their fungal symbionts (Termitomyces) in the semiarid Tsavo Ecosystem, Kenya

Diversity of fungus‐growing termites (Macrotermes) and their fungal symbionts (Termitomyces) in the semiarid Tsavo Ecosystem, Kenya

Termites and savannas – an overview on history and recent scientific progress with particular respect to West Africa and to the genus Macrotermes

Sustainable use of termite activity in agro-ecosystems with reference to earthworms. A review

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