Termite Foraging on Plants of a Brazilian Savanna: the Effects of Tree Height

Abstract

Termites play an important role as ecosystem engineers in many tropical environments, acting as herbivore-detritivore organisms and strongly influencing vegetation structure and composition by modifying soil properties, providing nutrients by recycling the organic matter, and direct feeding on plants, notably in the Cerrado (Savanna) of Brazil. To evaluate the intensity of termite foraging on Cerrado plants, we recorded plants higher than 25 cm, which exhibited termite activity along nine transects (2 x 50m), at the Estação Ecológica de Pirapitinga (EEP), in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. We recorded the height, basal area, and identified the species of each plant. Simultaneously, we used cellulose baits disposed at each 10 m along six transects of 100 m to sample termites in this area, which was protected from fire for at least 40 years. Twelve species of termites were recorded. Termite foraging on Cerrado plant species varied considerably and it was influenced by several factors including plant height and host species. Taller plants presented more termites than smaller plants, probably due to the amount of available resources (for nesting and feeding) for the termites.

Effects of termite foraging activity on topsoil physical properties and water infiltration in Vertisol

“…Termites also influence ecosystem functioning through the production of subterranean galleries and sheetings to protect themselves from light, desiccation and predators while they forage (MacKay et al, 1985;Harit et al, 2017a,b;Fernandes et al, 2018). From studies carried out in sandy soils or in soils dominated by 1:1 minerals (e.g., sandy loams and Acrisol), it is usually considered that galleries constitute preferential flow paths and then increase water infiltration, reduce crust formation, water runoff and soil erosion in arid and sub-arid ecosystems (e.g., Eldridge and Pickard, 1994;Mando et al, 1996Mando et al, , 1999Mando, 1997;Sarr et al, 2005;Mettrop et al, 2013;Léonard and Rajot, 2001;Léonard et al, 2004;Colloff et al, 2010: Kaiser et al, 2017.…”

Linking Termite Feeding Preferences and Soil Physical Functioning in Southern-Indian Woodlands

“…However, less is known about the biostructures termites produce while they forage on the ground. Indeed, termites also build belowground galleries for foraging and translocate large quantities of soil to the surface (i.e., so-called sheetings) to cover the litter they consume (e.g., leaves, wood and herbivore dung) [7], and protect themselves from light, desiccation and predators [21,22,23,24]. A recent review revealed that sheetings have different soil properties than the surrounding top-soil, depending on the properties of the top-soil and the strategy developed by termites (i.e., favouring clay or organic matter for ensuring the stability of sheetings) [23].…”