Abstract
This study aimed to determine the number of termite epigeal nests and estimate the soil turning capacity of termites in cultivated pasture environments and in a native vegetation area. Surveys were conducted in four areas: three pasture areas and a Cerrado area, measuring 5 ha each. For each nest, the height, the perimeter and diameter at the base were measured. The volume of each mound was calculated. Turned soil was determined by randomly sampling 30 termite mounds in a pasture area for bulk density determinations. The mean number of termite mounds per ha was 408; the highest number of termite nests (672 per ha) was found in the 10-year-old pasture. In terms of termite mound density, there was no difference between the Cerrado, 3-year-old pasture, and 3-year-old intercropped pasture treatments. The total area occupied by termite nests ranged from 0.4 to 1.0%. The mean bulk density of the nest materials was 1.05 g cm-3. The total nests volume ranged from 4 to 11 m3 ha-1. The total mass of the soil turned by the termites ranged from 3.4 to 13.4 ton. ha-1.
Highlights
The Brazilian Cerrado covers an area of 204.7 million hectares (ADÁMOLI et al, 1986)
The number of termite nests did not differ between the renovated pastures and the Cerradão
Another important aspect to be taken into consideration is pasture age at evaluation time. It can Epigeal nest-building termites in pastures be observed that the older the pasture, the greater the number of termite nests per ha
Summary
The Brazilian Cerrado covers an area of 204.7 million hectares (ADÁMOLI et al, 1986) In this area, cultivated pastures represent 49.5 million ha (SANO et al, 2000), of which over 34 million show a loss of productivity (KLUTHCOUSKI et al, 1999). Termites build biogenic structures (galleries, nests and chambers), changing the physical properties of the soils they inhabit (BACHELIER, 1978). By means of their mechanical actions into the soil, they contribute, by the formation of stable aggregates, to the protection of the organic matter against a fast mineralization (DECÄENS et al, 2003; LAVELLE; SPAIN, 2001)
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