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Termite diversity and abundance across fire-induced habitat variability in a tropical moist savanna (Lamto, Central Côte d'Ivoire)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2010

Kanvaly Dosso ,
Souleymane Konaté ,
Daouda Aidara  and
K. E. Linsenmair
Kanvaly Dosso*
Affiliation:
Station d'écologie de Lamto, UFR des Sciences de la Nature, Université d'Abobo-Adjamé (Abidjan), Côte d'Ivoire
Souleymane Konaté
Affiliation:
Station d'écologie de Lamto, UFR des Sciences de la Nature, Université d'Abobo-Adjamé (Abidjan), Côte d'Ivoire
Daouda Aidara
Affiliation:
Station d'écologie de Lamto, UFR des Sciences de la Nature, Université d'Abobo-Adjamé (Abidjan), Côte d'Ivoire
K. E. Linsenmair
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Germany
*
1Corresponding address: BP 28 N'Douci, Côte d'Ivoire. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract:

At Lamto, little is known about animal community responses to habitat variability resulting from fires and the mosaic pattern of the vegetation in general and in particular about that of termites which play key roles in this ecosystem. With a standardized method, data were collected on termites from four habitats differing in their vegetation cover and fire-history: annually burned savanna, savanna woodland, forest island and gallery forest. A range of environmental variables was measured and correlated with species abundances. The number of termite species collected in the savanna woodland was very close to that found in the gallery forest while the forest island was the richest habitat. The species richness of the savanna woodland and forest island seemed partly due to their heterogeneous and transitional vegetation structures and variable food resources. With regard to the fire-history of habitats, Connell's intermediate disturbance hypothesis offers an explanation for differences in the patterns of habitat-specific species richness. Variation in species abundances was significantly correlated with only two environmental variables (soil pH and woody plant species richness). The pH appeared as the most influential factor for fungus-growers while tree invasion in the savanna strongly reduces the abundance of grass-feeding species (e.g. Trinervitermes geminatus). Although not significantly correlated with species abundances, soil carbon showed a positive correlation with the dominant soil-feeder Basidentitermes potens. As for wood-feeders, they were not strongly correlated with woody plant species richness; this fact might be linked to their use for other sources of nourishment. Overall, it appears that habitat variability in the Lamto reserve contributes to the maintenance of different subsets of the termite community.

Keywords

feeding grouphabitat variabilityintermediate disturbance hypothesisLamtomoist savannaspecies distributiontermite community
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , May 2010 , pp. 323 - 334
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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References

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