Habitat‐specific life‐history variation in the Caribbean termite Nasutitermes acajutlae (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Abstract

Abstract. 1. Population and individual colony characteristics of Nasutitermes acajutlae on St John, U.S. Virgin Islands were studied over a 5‐year period.2. Four habitat types (dry forests, moist forests, sparse vegetation, and woodlands) were sampled for N. acajutlae, using quadrat‐based methods. Lying dead wood was also quantified in the same sites.3. Habitats differed significantly in the volume of lying dead wood, and total termite nest volume within quadrats was positively related to wood volume. It was hypothesised that the volume of dead wood affected growth, reproduction, and yearly survival of individual colonies.4. In a sample of > 100 colonies assessed in 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2002, no significant differences in the growth rate of colonies (= increase in nest volume) could be found between habitat types; however, colonies in sparse vegetation were smaller, less likely to survive, and reproduced at a smaller size compared with those in the other three habitats.5. Overall nest volume in sparse vegetation was high, compared with dry and moist forest, but colonies showed, on average, poorer survival (interpreted as lower fitness), and produced alates at an early stage of development. Optimum habitat characteristics for N. acajutlae may include not only favourable microclimate but also the reliable acquisition of new dead wood after storms.