Abstract
Termites occur in many ecosystems throughout tropical and subtropical areas. Their distribution is driven by several factors, including landscape and some soil characteristics. This study aims to determine soil organic matter’s role on termites’ diversity in a shrubby savanna park. Termites were sampled across transects in 3 sites of Galangashi park (northern part of Togo). The soil in which termites were harvested was analyzed to check organic matter’s influence on termites’ species richness. A total of 28 termite species belonging to 14 genera and 6 subfamilies were identified. Feeding group II (all fungus-growing termites, grass feeders, and wood feeders) was the most important among the three identified groups. Nine species (with two potentially new species for sciences: Amitermes sp and Eremotermes sp) were recorded for the first time in the country. A strong correlation was found between species richness, total organic matter, and total organic carbon, suggesting the influence of soil richness on termite distribution. The occurrence of the unique member of the feeding group I, Coptotermes intermedius Silvestri, 1912, as well as the occurrence of Fulleritermes tenebricus Silvestri, 1914 (both wood-dwelling termites), was certainly due to the vegetation. The relatively higher species richness as well as the correlation between the species richness and the organic matter of shrub savanna, suggest a better conservation of this landscape.
Highlights
Because of the unprospected condition of Galangashi park, we evaluated the diversity of termites in this protected shrubby savanna park
Besides the ability to feed on large cellulose resources, Macrotermitinae species developed a symbiosis with a basidiomycete fungus, Termitomyces, which contribute to the successful decomposition of lignocelluloses (Ohkuma 2003)
Twenty-eight (28) termite species were identified from the three sets of three transects
Summary
Termites are ecosystem engineers (Jones et al 1994) and are among the most dominant macroinvertebrates in tropical soils (Bignell and Eggleton 2000). Their nesting activities promote soil aeration, improve the absorption and storage of water in the soil, and facilitate carbon flux (Lobry de Bruyn and Conacher 1990; Sileshi et al 2010). The majority of termite species live in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. They are unevenly distributed: the large equatorial forests constitute an important reservoir of termite species (Jones and Eggleton 2011). Termite species richness of these forests is estimated at more than 70 species per hectare (Eggleton 2000)
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