Refuse to Refuge: Dry Season Use and Modification of Cattle Dung by Subterranean Termites in Guanacaste, Costa Rica¹

Abstract

Baits and soil cores were used to quantify temporal variation in the use of cattle dung by two species of subterranean termites, Amitermes beaumonti Banks and Hoplotermes sp. nov. (hereafter referred to by genus), during the 1991 dry season in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The densities of termite foragers of both species were evaluated in cattle dung patches (baits), in the soil beneath each patch (litter, 0–3.5 cm, and 3.5–7 cm), and in the same layers from adjacent dung‐free control sites. Dung patch and control plots were sampled 3, 10, 60, or 110 days after 1450‐ml dung patches were deposited on the pasture. Amitermes foragers were abundant in 3‐, 10‐, 60‐, and 110‐day‐old dung patch plots with a mean (median) ± SD of 100 (59) ± 120 individuals/bait plot, and only 8 (3) ± 11 individuals/control plot. Hoplotermes foragers were less abundant, with a mean of 22 (0) ± 87 individuals in dung patch plots and 2 (0) ± 9 in control plots. Hoplotermes was most abundant in the surface litter under 10‐day‐old dung patches, where an average of 39 (0) ± 105 individuals were found. In association with dung patches, Amitermes density was highest inside or directly beneath the dung patch and lowest in the 3.5‐ to 7.0‐cm microsite. In control areas, however, Amitermes was most abundant in the 3.5‐ to 7.0‐cm microsite. Amitermes and Hoplotermes were found in 35 and 9 of the 54 control plots, respectively. We believe that the high termite densities associated with cattle dung patches can be explained by the energetic and microclimatic requirements of the termites and the physical structure of the dung. Although neither species of termite is a mound builder, these termites use specialized behaviors to exploit and modify dung patches such that foragers have access to concentrated food resources and partial protection from the dry climate and from their invertebrate predators. RESUMES Cebos de excremento de vaca y muestras de suelo fueron usados para cuantificar la variación temporal en el uso de excremenco de vaca por dos especies de termitas subterráneas, Amitermes beaumonti Banks y Hoplotermes sp. nov. (desde aquí referidas por el género), durante la temporada seca de 1991 en Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Se evaluaron las densidades de termitas forrajeras de las dos especies, en los parches de excremento (cebos), en las capas del suelo bajo cada excremento, (superficie, 0‐3.5 cm, y 3.5‐7.0 cm), y en las mismas capas en sitios adyacentes libres de excremento (controles). Tanto los parches de excremento como los controles fueron muestreados 3‐, 10‐, 60‐, o 110‐días después de que los cebos de 1450 ml fueron puestos en el potrero. Los individous forrajeros de Amitermes fueron más abundantes en parcelas de excremento de 3, 10, 60, y 110 días con un promedio (mediana) ± desviacion estandard de 100 (59) ±120 individuos por parcela, mientras las parcelas control tuvieron solo 8 (3) ± 11 individuos por parcela. Individuos forrajeros de Hoplotermesfueron menos abundantes con un promedio de 22 (0) ± 87 individuos en las parcelas de excremen...

The importance of termites (Isoptera) for the recycling of herbivore dung in tropical ecosystems: a review

“…Gould et al (2001) found Amitermes beaumonti to be more abundant in the stratum ranging from 0-3.5 cm below the cattle dung baits they used in Costa Rica (vs. the 3.5-7.0 cm stratum). Exactly the opposite pattern was found in control areas, indicating that at least this termite species adjusts its subterranean foraging behaviour according to the accessibility of dung.…”

Mound-Building Ants and Associated Termites on Goodale's Cutoff along the Oregon Trail

“…Termites in the thatch-mound soil had cellulose food sources covering the ant nest, providing a more conducive foraging location compared with the bare-soil mounds. In addition, the study site was being used for grazing, and cattle dung is a known cellulose resource that is used by subterranean termites (Ferrar and Watson 1970, Gould et al 2001).…”

Termites are the main dung removals in a degraded landscape in Brazil

“…In addition, dung beetles, due to their narrow thermal tolerances, cannot cope with the drastic temperature and humidity changes characteristic of deforested habitats (Barragán et al, 2014;Gómez-Cifuentes et al, 2017); a third possible explanation is fiber, the main component of dry cattle dung (Holter, 2016) that could act as an extra source of grass and litter and thus attract termites; and finally, dung may provide termites with nitrogen to supplement their low-nitrogen diet (Higashi et al, 1992). Although there is no information on the interaction between dung beetle and termites, the small number of samples colonized by both insects suggests that they may be mutually exclusive (Gould et al, 2001).…”