Soil Feeders Research Articles

Conservation management and termites: a case study from central Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)

AbstractTermites are essential components of tropical ecosystems, in which they provide fundamental ecosystem services, such as decomposition of dead plant material, fostering of soil mineralization and provisioning of new microhabitats. We investigated the termite communities of four habitats in two protected areas in West Africa, which differ in management effectiveness: the strictly protected Lamto Reserve (LR) and the Marahoué National Park (MNP), which suffers from anthropogenic disturbance despite its protection status. We tested the effect of disturbance on species composition, richness and abundance as well as on functional (feeding type) composition. The effect of disturbance was clearly visible in the termite communities. Compared to the LR, the MNP had less termite species overall and in all habitats except the shrub savannah. Also the abundance of termites was generally reduced and a decrease of soil feeders recorded. The latter is well-known to be sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance in forests. Comparing our results with other studies, we were able to identify suitable bioindicators of ecosystem health for West-African savannahs. Furthermore, we discuss the potential consequences of anthropogenic disturbance on ecosystem services provided by termites.

Activity-density and spatial distribution of termites on a fine-scale in a tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna, southwest China

The community composition and activity-density of termites can influence nutrient cycling and other ecological functions. However, the spatial distribution and the activity-density of termites on a fine-scale in tropical forests are still unknown. We checked the spatial distribution patterns of the feeding groups and species of termites and their co-occurrence pattern in a 1-ha (100 m × 100 m) plot, and their correlation with the environmental factors. We used a standard protocol to collect termite assemblages and classified them into five feeding groups based on their preferred diet: fungus growers, litter feeders, soil feeders, soil-wood feeders, and wood feeders. We measured the environmental factors: soil pH, litter mass, aboveground plant biomass, and topographic position index (TPI). Soil-wood feeders showed the highest activity-density, followed by wood feeders, fungus growers, soil feeders, and litter feeders. Soil-wood feeders and fungus growers demonstated a strong correlation while litter feeders showed weak correlations with other feeding groups. Termite feeding groups and most of the termite species displayed a positive association with the high TPI and the low soil pH patches. Our results indicated that the examined environmental factors influenced the termite community assemblages and distribution patterns on a fine-scale in tropical rainforests.

Polyvinylchloride and polypropylene as adsorbents of the pesticide monocrotophos enhance oxidative stress in Eudrillus eugeniae (Kinberg)

The use of plastics has increased significantly with consequent rise in the generation of wastes. Microplastics (MPs) with particle size <5 mm are produced in natural terrestrial habitats by weathering of the discarded plastic debris and therefore are likely to impact soil biota. Earthworms are the dominant soil fauna which play vital role in soil formation and decomposition of organics. Since these animals are soil feeders, MP particles contaminating soil are likely to enter in to the gut of these animals affecting their physiology. MPs have been shown to be potent adsorbents of various other pollutants such as heavy metals and agrochemicals. This study reports the effects of two MPs, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polypropylene (PP) alone and in combination with the pesticide monocrotophos in soil on tissue protein, lipid peroxidation (LPX), activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and catalase (CAT) of an epigeic earthworm Eudrillus eugeniae over an exposure period of 48h. Results from molecular docking and laboratory experiment confirmed that both the MPs are potent adsorbents of the pesticide and enhanced oxidative stress on the animal with significant reduction in protein, increased LPX level and enzyme activities. PP indicated significantly higher pesticide adsorption relative to PVC.

Termite species and functional groups in maize intercrop systems in Machakos County, Kenya

Termites are important ecosystem engineers in the tropics but certain termite species cause damage to economically important crops. In Africa, termites cause >50% damage in maize. This study evaluated the effect of intercropping maize with soybean, common beans and sorghum on the level of termite damage, abundance of termite species and functional groups in Machakos County, Kenya during two cropping seasons. In both seasons, Macrotermes herus, M. subhyalinus, Coptotermes formosanus, Odontotermes badius, O. longignathus and Cubitermes ugandesis were recorded. There was a low percentage of lodged plants in maize-sorghum intercrop which also had low population densities of M. herus and O. badius in both seasons. There was no difference in the number of C. formosanus in both seasons. The lowest number of fungus-cultivators was in the maize-sorghum intercrop while soil feeders occurred in low populations. Intercropping maize and sorghum can be further explored alongside other integrated termite management techniques. The observed low populations of soil feeders necessitate adoption of farming practices that conserve them in order to improve crop productivity.

In vitro cultivation of primary intestinal cells from Eisenia fetida as basis for ecotoxicological studies

The earthworm Eisenia fetida is a commonly used model organism for unspecific soil feeders in ecotoxicological studies. Its intestinal cells are the first to encounter possible pollutants co-ingested by the earthworm, which makes them prime candidates for studies of toxic effects of environmental pollutants on the cellular as compared to the organismic level. In this context, the aim of this study was to demonstrate the suitability of preparations of primary intestinal E. fetida cells for in vitro ecotoxicological studies. For this purpose, a suitable isolation and cultivation protocol was established. Cells were isolated directly from the intestine, maintaining >85% viability during subsequent cultivations (up to 144 h). Exposure to established pollutants and soil elutriates comprising silver nanoparticles and metal ions (Cu2+, Cd2+) induced a significant decrease in the metabolic activity of the cells. In case of microplastic particles (MP particles), namely 0.2, 0.5, 2.0, and 3.0 µm diameter polystyrene (PS) beads as well as 0.5 and 2.0 µm diameter polylactic acid (PLA) beads, no active uptake was observed. Slight positive as well as negative dose and size dependent effects on the metabolism were seen, which to some extent might correlate with effects on the organismic level.

Termite Fauna of Gunung Telapak Buruk, Berembun Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Termites have great importance in a tropical terrestrial ecosystem, especially in the decomposition process, mediate ecosystem processes and facilitate in improving the structure and quality of the soil. Termite survey was conducted at Gunung Telapak Buruk, Berembun Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, during a scientific expedition from 30th March to 1st April 2019. This study aims to provide the first checklist of termite fauna in Gunung Telapak Buruk. Termites were collected using the casual collection method at selected trails around Gunung Telapak Buruk. A total of 21 termite species were recorded in this study. The termite assemblage comprises two families, namely Rhinotermitidae and Termitidae. Family Termitidae dominated the termite assemblage with 90.5% (19 species). The collected termite species in this study comprises 12% of recorded termite species of Peninsular Malaysia by Tho in 1992. The genus Odontotermes from the family Termitidae dominated the assemblage with five species. Four types of feeding groups were identified in this study. The wood feeders recorded highest number species with 66.7%, followed by soil feeders (14.3%), epiphyte feeder (9.52%), and wood-litter feeders (9.52%). All the recorded species are new record for this forest reserve as no previous record was available for this area. &#x0D; Keywords: Diversity, forest, highland, mountain, termite fauna

Subterranean Termites of a University Environment in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Termites are diverse, ubiquitous and abundant in tropical ecosystems and are major examples of soil-dwelling ecosystem service providers that influence the ecosystem functioning by physically altering their biotic and abiotic surroundings. With increasing development in the environment, there is a gradual loss of their habitat. This study was carried out to determine the subterranean termite species in Rivers State University campus and relate the species and prevalence to their soil types. The study area was divided into 10 zones and from each zone 3 stations were selected randomly for sampling. Samples were collected in January and February 2018. Samples were taken from available mounds and soil in each station and termites were sorted, identified and counted. The temperature, organic content, pH, soil particle analysis and moisture content were determined for the soil samples. Five termite species from two families were identified;Termitidae: Amitermes spp1, Amitermes spp2, and Globitermes spp; Macrotermitidae: Macrotermes gilvusand another Macrotermes spp. The Amitermes spp was the most abundant as it was found in all 10 zones, followed by Macrotermes spp and then the Globitermes spp being the least abundant. Termite abundance, moisture content and soil type were significantly different in the 10 zones (p &lt; 0.05). Total Organic Content was negatively correlated with Macrotermes spp. The Amitermes were more abundant in residential areas as they are wood eating termites suggesting that most destructive aspect of termite behaviour on residential areas may be perpetuated by the Amitermes species. The Macrotermes spp were found only in cultivated areas and from soil with higher percentage of clay, and they are basically soil feeders. M. gilvus and Macrotermes spp were seen in reddish mounds with fresh soil at the peak (showing termite activity) giving it a cone shape whereas the mound Globitermes spp was black, no fresh soil at the peak and had a circular shape. Amitermes was found in abandoned reddish Macrotermes mounds in residential areas. This study has provided some information on the termites in the University community as their habitat is gradually being destroyed with new buildings resulting in biodiversity loss. Moisture and TOC appeared to affect abundance.

Determinants of Termite Assemblages' Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d'Ivoire).

Termites are one of the major components of tropical ecosystems. However, the ecological and biological variables determining the structure of their communities within natural habitats are less documented in general and especially in the Comoe National Park, a Sudano-Guinean savanna zone located in the north-eastern part of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). Using a standardized method of belt transects, the structure of termite’s communities was estimated within habitats differing in the structure of their vegetation, soil characteristics, and the disturbance level caused by annual occurrences of bushfires. The effect of a set of environmental variables (habitat type, occurrence of annual bushfire, woody plant density, woody plant species richness, and soil physicochemical parameters) was tested on the habitat-specific recorded termite species. Sixty species of termites belonging to 19 genera, seven subfamilies and two families, namely Rhinotermitidae (Coptotermitinae and Rhinotermitinae) and Termitidae (Apicotermitinae, Cubitermitinae, Macrotermitinae, Nasutitermitinae, and Termitinae) were sampled. These species were assigned to the four feeding groups of termites: fungus growers (18 species), wood feeders (17 species), soil feeders (19 species) and the grass feeders (6 species). The highest diversity of termites was encountered in forest habitats, with 37 and 34, respectively, for the gallery forest and the forest island. Among savanna habitats, the woodland savanna was identified as the most diversified habitat with 32 recorded species, followed by the tree savanna (28 species) and the grassy savanna (17 species). The distribution of termite species and their respective feedings groups was determined by the habitat type and a set of environmental variables such as Woody Plant Diversity (WPD), Woody plant Families Diversity (WPFD), and Organic Carbon (OC). The annual Fire Occurrence (FO) was found to indirectly impact the characteristics of termite assemblages within natural habitats via their respective Herbaceous Species Richness (HSR) and Woody Plant Species Richness (WPSR). In summary, the spatial heterogeneity of the Comoe National Park, modeled by the uncontrolled annual bushfire, offers a diversified natural habitat with an important variety of termite-habitat-specific species, probably due to the food preference of these organisms and its relatively good conservation status.

Effect of a rubber plantation on termite diversity in Melawi, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

One of the negative effects of rubber plantation expansion is the loss of biodiversity in the area. One of the widely used rubber plantation systems is rubber forest agroforestry, which is known to have little effect on biodiversity. This study compared termite species in rubber forest with those in the primary forest within Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Melawi, Indonesia. Two rubber forest sites (newly opened) and unproductive/old rubber forest, were chosen to estimate the long term effects of rubber forest on termite biodiversity. A standardized transect method was used for termite collection. In total, 35 termite species belonging to eight sub families were collected. Termite species richness in the old rubber forest decreased up to 62.5% compared to that in primary forest sites. In the newly opened rubber forest site, termite species richness was only slightly less than that of the primary forest sites. Termite species richness results corresponded with their functional groups, with no soil feeders found in the old rubber forest. Furthermore, the calculation of several diversity indices also confirmed the results. The results indicated that the expansion of rubber forest in the area appears to have adversely affected termite diversity more than expected.

Termite Associated to Oil Palm Stands in Three Types of Soils in Ladang Endau Rompin, Pahang, Malaysia

Termites are found in various habitats, particularly diverse communities occurring in tropical forest and peatlands. Termites are beneficial insects, which function as soil engineers, improving the soil quality. However, in peatlands converted to commercial oil palm plantations, they are considered as pests. There is lack of studies on termite communities in converted peatlands in Peninsular Malaysia. Thus, this study investigated termite species associated with oil palm stands in three soil types (clay, shallow peat and deep peat) in Endau Rompin Plantation. The stand scouting method was used to record the numbers and types of termites associated with palm trees in the individual stands on different soil types. A total of 29 termite species associated with the palm stands were identified morphologically. All the species belonged to the families Rhinotermitidae and Termitidae. Twenty-three of the 29 species were found in the shallow peat, 16 in clay soil and 15 in deep peat. The community structure was synthesized by two-way cluster analysis with Sorensen (Bray Curtis) distance measure. Five termite groups associated with two soil types (clay soil and shallow/deep peat) were generated. Moisture levels and organic content were likely to determine the presence of soil feeders identified in the presence study. This study provides information on the status of termite species in oil palm plantation areas. Such information may be useful in future planning strategies by the plantation management.

Diversity and abundance of termites along altitudinal gradient and slopes in Mount Slamet, Central Java, Indonesia

Pratiknyo H, Ahmad I, Bambang Heru Budianto BH. 2018. Diversity and abundance of termites along altitudinal gradient and slopes in Mount Slamet, Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 1649-1658. A study on diversity and abundance of termites along an altitudinal gradient and the different slope was done in plantation forest of Mount Slamet. This research aimed to define the species composition along the altitudinal gradient and slope and to define the environmental factors affecting it. The sampling of termites was carried out following standardized belt transects (100 m x 2 m) laid vertically on the altitude of 700 up to 1300 m asl on four slopes. Each 100 m length of the belt transects was divided into 20 sections (5 m x 2 m), and termites were taken in each section from the trees, branches, barks and the ground. Data of termites composition were analyzed for diversity index (Shanon-Wiener, H') and domination index (Simson, D); the correlation among environmental factors with the family were analyzed by multivariate correlation, and then a Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was used to define the most associated environmental factor to the diversity and abundance of termites. A total of 7349 individuals belonging to 11 species in nine genera, five subfamilies, and two families were recorded. Four wood feeder species were Schedorinotermes javanicus, Macrotermes gilvus, Odontotermes javanicus and Microtermes insperatus, while humus feeder was Capritermes samarangi, Procapritermes stiger, Nasutitermes matangensis, N. matangensiformis, Bulbitermes spp., and the soil feeders were PeriCapritermes javanicus and P. dolichocephalus. Based on the Shanon-Wiener index, the Western Slope was the highest in diversity with five main environmental factors (altitudes, maximal rainfall, N content, manure application and light intensity) the most influencing while the CCA ordination showed that the canopy closure and light intensity were the most associated factor to the diversity and abundance of termites. In conclusion, the slopes caused the species richness differently with the most associated environmental factors was the canopy closure and light intensity.

Short‐term changes in the structure of termite assemblages associated with slash‐and‐burn agriculture in Côte d'Ivoire

AbstractTermites are major decomposers in tropical regions and play critical roles in many soil‐related processes. Studies conducted in Asia and the Neotropics suggest that habitat modification can strongly affect termite assemblages, but data on termite communities from forests in Africa, especially West Africa, are scarce. Here, we measured the short‐term impact of slash‐and‐burn agriculture on termite assemblages in an agricultural region of central Côte d'Ivoire. We assessed termite diversity and relative abundance in four habitat types: secondary forest, cleared forest, burned forest, and crop fields. The secondary forest had higher species richness compared with the other habitats, but all habitat types had similar assemblage structures. Fungus‐growing termites were the most abundant feeding group in all habitats. Soil feeders were most abundant in secondary forest, intermediately abundant in cleared and burned forests, and almost entirely absent in crop fields. Wood‐feeding species showed clear responses to burning; their abundances decreased after fire. We conclude that slash‐and‐burn agriculture does not appear to severely erode the diversity of termite assemblages. This could be due to the dominance of ecologically versatile fungus growers or to the relatively long time between clearing and burning. However, forest clearing negatively affects soil feeders, with the Apicotermitinae most affected by canopy loss.

Ecology shapes metabolic and life history scalings in termites

1. Metabolic rate (B) is a fundamental property of organisms, and scales with body mass (M) as B = αMβ. There has been much debate on whether scaling parameters should be viewed as constants or variables. However, there is increasing evidence that ecological differentiation can affect both α and β.2. In colonial organisms such as social insects, individual metabolism is integrated at the colony level. Theory and data suggest that whole‐colony metabolism partly reflects individual‐level metabolic and life‐history scalings, but whether these have been affected by ecological diversification is little known.3. Here, this issue was addressed using termites. Data from the literature were assembled to assess the interspecific scalings of individual metabolic rate with individual mass, and of individual mass with colony mass. Concurrently, it was tested whether such scalings were affected by two key ecological traits: lifestyle and diet.4. Individual‐level metabolic scaling was affected by diet, with β = 1.02 in wood feeders and 0.60 in soil feeders. However, there was no difference in α. Further, individual mass scaled to the 0.25 power with colony mass, but forager species had larger colonies and smaller individuals relative to wood‐dwelling, sedentary ones, thus producing a grade shift.5. Our results show that ecological diversification has affected fundamental metabolic and life‐history scalings in termites. Thus, theory on the energetics and evolution of colonial life should account for this variability.

Microenvironmental heterogeneity of gut compartments drives bacterial community structure in wood- and humus-feeding higher termites.

Symbiotic digestion of lignocellulose in higher termites (family Termitidae) is accomplished by an exclusively prokaryotic gut microbiota. By deep sequencing of amplified 16S rRNA genes, we had identified diet as the primary determinant of bacterial community structure in a broad selection of termites specialized on lignocellulose in different stages of humification. Here, we increased the resolution of our approach to account for the pronounced heterogeneity in microenvironmental conditions and microbial activities in the major hindgut compartments. The community structure of consecutive gut compartments in each species strongly differed, but that of homologous compartments clearly converged, even among unrelated termites. While the alkaline P1 compartments of all termites investigated contained specific lineages of Clostridiales, the posterior hindgut compartments (P3, P4) differed between feeding groups and were predominantly colonized by putatively fiber-associated lineages of Spirochaetes, Fibrobacteres and the TG3 phylum (wood and grass feeders) or diverse assemblages of Clostridiales and Bacteroidetes (humus and soil feeders). The results underscore that bacterial community structure in termite guts is driven by microenvironmental factors, such as pH, available substrates and gradients of O2 and H2, and inspire investigations on the functional roles of specific bacterial taxa in lignocellulose and humus digestion.

The dominant detritus-feeding invertebrate in Arctic peat soils derives its essential amino acids from gut symbionts.

Supplementation of nutrients by symbionts enables consumers to thrive on resources that might otherwise be insufficient to meet nutritional demands. Such nutritional subsidies by intracellular symbionts have been well studied; however, supplementation of de novo synthesized nutrients to hosts by extracellular gut symbionts is poorly documented, especially for generalists with relatively undifferentiated intestinal tracts. Although gut symbionts facilitate degradation of resources that would otherwise remain inaccessible to the host, such digestive actions alone cannot make up for dietary insufficiencies of macronutrients such as essential amino acids (EAA). Documenting whether gut symbionts also function as partners for symbiotic EAA supplementation is important because the question of how some detritivores are able to subsist on nutritionally insufficient diets has remained unresolved. To answer this poorly understood nutritional aspect of symbiont-host interactions, we studied the enchytraeid worm, a bulk soil feeder that thrives in Arctic peatlands. In a combined field and laboratory study, we employed stable isotope fingerprinting of amino acids to identify the biosynthetic origins of amino acids to bacteria, fungi and plants in enchytraeids. Enchytraeids collected from Arctic peatlands derived more than 80% of their EAA from bacteria. In a controlled feeding study with the enchytraeid Enchytraeus crypticus, EAA derived almost exclusively from gut bacteria when the worms fed on higher fibre diets, whereas most of the enchytraeids' EAA derived from dietary sources when fed on lower fibre diets. Our gene sequencing results of gut microbiota showed that the worms harbour several taxa in their gut lumen absent from their diets and substrates. Almost all gut taxa are candidates for EAA supplementation because almost all belong to clades capable of biosynthesizing EAA. Our study provides the first evidence of extensive symbiotic supplementation of EAA by microbial gut symbionts and demonstrates that symbiotic bacteria in the gut lumen appear to function as partners both for symbiotic EAA supplementation and for digestion of insoluble plant fibres.

A Comparison on termite assemblages in coffee &amp; teak plantations and semi-evergreen forest - a case study in North Wayanad, Kerala, India

In tropical ecosystems, termites as organic decomposers, play a key role in modifying the biotic and abiotic environment. The present study aimed to investigate how the termite diversity and assemblages differed among habitats. Three sites in North Wayanad, Kerala, India,- a teak plantation, a coffee plantation and a semi-evergreen forest, that were structurally different and with varying land use histories- were chosen for this study. Belt transect method was used to sample the termites. The study recorded a total of 10 species in 7 genera belonging to 4 subfamilies under one family. Termite assemblages and feeding group structure differed significantly among habitats. Two functional groups were recorded- Type II (fungus growing wood feeders/litter feeders, micro epiphytes) and Type III (organic rich soil feeders/ humus feeders). Fungus growing wood/litter feeders were dominant in plantations whereas organic rich soil/humus feeders were dominant in forest region. Plantations seem to host more, species like Odontotermes obesus Rambur, Odontotermes anamallensis Holmgren and Holmgren and Odontotermes yadevi Thakur, the species being good colonizers, favoured by disturbance and also those with the potential of becoming pests. The species diversity, richness, evenness as well as beta diversity were computed for the three habitats. Assemblages of species from the teak and coffee plantations yielded the highest similarity index (42%). Overall, the termite assemblages and structural attributes of coffee & teak plantations and semi-evergreen forest advocated termites as good biological indicators of habitat quality. Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 26 (3): 456 – 467 (2015)

Diet is the primary determinant of bacterial community structure in the guts of higher termites.

The gut microbiota of termites plays critical roles in the symbiotic digestion of lignocellulose. While phylogenetically 'lower termites' are characterized by a unique association with cellulolytic flagellates, higher termites (family Termitidae) harbour exclusively prokaryotic communities in their dilated hindguts. Unlike the more primitive termite families, which primarily feed on wood, they have adapted to a variety of lignocellulosic food sources in different stages of humification, ranging from sound wood to soil organic matter. In this study, we comparatively analysed representatives of different taxonomic lineages and feeding groups of higher termites to identify the major drivers of bacterial community structure in the termite gut, using amplicon libraries of 16S rRNA genes from 18 species of higher termites. In all analyses, the wood-feeding species were clearly separated from humus and soil feeders, irrespective of their taxonomic affiliation, offering compelling evidence that diet is the primary determinant of bacterial community structure. Within each diet group, however, gut communities of termites from the same subfamily were more similar than those of distantly related species. A highly resolved classification using a curated reference database revealed only few genus-level taxa whose distribution patterns indicated specificity for certain host lineages, limiting any possible cospeciation between the gut microbiota and host to short evolutionary timescales. Rather, the observed patterns in the host-specific distribution of the bacterial lineages in termite guts are best explained by diet-related differences in the availability of microhabitats and functional niches.

Functional structure of ant and termite assemblages in old growth forest, logged forest and oil palm plantation in Malaysian Borneo

Forested tropical landscapes around the world are being extensively logged and converted to agriculture, with serious consequences for biodiversity and potentially ecosystem functioning. Here we investigate associations between habitat disturbance and functional diversity of ants and termites—two numerically dominant and functionally important taxa in tropical rain forests that perform key roles in predation, decomposition, nutrient cycling and seed dispersal. We compared ant and termite occurrence and composition within standardised volumes of soil and dead wood in old growth forest, logged forest and oil palm plantation in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Termites occurred substantially less frequently in converted habitats than in old growth forest, whereas ant occurrences were highest in logged forest and lowest in old growth forest. All termite feeding groups had low occurrence in disturbed habitats, with soil feeders occurring even less frequently than wood feeders. Ant functional groups showed more variable associations, with some opportunist and behaviourally dominant groups being more abundant in degraded habitats. The importance of ants and termites in tropical ecosystems and such differing patterns of assemblage variation suggest that ecosystem functioning may be significantly altered in converted habitats.

Biodiversity of Termite (Insecta: Isoptera) in Tropical Peat Land Cultivated with Oil Palms

Termites are the major decomposers in tropical region but yet their occurrences in oil palm plantation especially in peat soil are generally treated as pest. Study of termite species in peat land was conducted in selected oil palm plantations in North Sarawak with 5-7 years old palms and South Sarawak with 13-15 years old palms with two sites in each area. Results of quadrate (25 x 25 x 30 cm) sampling showed termite was significantly higher in relative density with increasing depth of soil (0-10 = 21.23, 10-20 = 42.52 and 20-30 cm = 81.12%) which could be advantaged from being predated by ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) which were higher in density from soil surface to 10 cm soil depth with relative density of 31.84%. Modified transect sampling (50x6 m) had successfully sampled 18 species of termites from 2 families (Rhinotermitidae and Termitidae), 5 subfamilies (Rhinotermitinae, Coptotermitinae, Termitinae, Macrotermitinae and Nasutitermitinae) and 11 genera (Coptotermes, Schedorhinotermes, Termes, Macrotermes, Nasutitermes, Globitermes, Amitermes, Parrhinotermes, Pericapritermes, Havilanditermes and Prohamitermes). Both plantation sites have termite dominantly feeding on rotten wood as a result of abundant dead woods. However, Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren was identified to feed on the living tissues of oil palm causing damage or death of the tree. Study showed higher encounter of soil-feeding termite in longer established plantation. It indicates the gradually shifting of soil condition towards a stabilized environment which favors the successful settlement of soil feeder termite species. Termite control should be more targets specific to avoid harming beneficial termites.

Distinctiveness of termite assemblages in two fragmented forest types in Hantane hills in the Kandy District of Sri Lanka

This study compares the termite assemblages in a natural and a secondary forest located at two different elevations in the Hantane hills, a tropical evergreen forest in mid country Sri Lanka, with a view to identify their distinctiveness. To sample the termites in the two forest types the belt transect method was used supplemented by random collections. A total of 11 species of termites in four genera belonging to three subfamilies and one family, Termitidae were recorded; nine species from the secondary forest and two species from the natural forest. The two species, Ceylonitermellus hantanae and Dicuspiditermes incola showed a distinct distribution in being confined only to the natural forest at high elevation. Termites recorded were put into feeding groups based on their taxonomic identity. Termites of the natural forest were found to be exclusively true soil feeders. Those of the secondary forest were wood feeders; either fungus growing (8 spp.) or non-fungus growing wood feeders (1 sp.). The high abundance and low diversity of the natural forest termite species in comparison to secondary forest species also make them distinct. Elevation, climate, vegetation, ground cover and the degree of human interference appear to contribute to the distinctiveness of termite assemblages in the two forests types reported here. Key words: natural forest; secondary forest; species diversity; functional groups; elevation DOI: 10.4038/cjsbs.v39i1.2349 Cey. J. Sci. (Bio. Sci.) 39 (1): 11-19, 2010