Termites are renowned ecosystem engineers. Their mounds have been described as an important element of savanna vegetation dynamics, but little is known about their large-scale impact on vegetation composition. To investigate the influence of termite-induced heterogeneity in savannas along a climatic gradient in West Africa termite mound vegetation was compared with adjacent savanna vegetation using 256 paired plots (size of the termite mound and a corresponding savanna area) in five protected areas from northern Burkina Faso to northern Benin. On each plot vegetation and soil sampling was performed. Additionally bioclimatic variables from the WORLDCLIM database were used. The vegetation on the mounds and the surrounding savanna differed within all study sites (DCA length of gradient 3.85 SD) and showed complete turnover along the climatic gradient (DCA length of gradient 5.99 SD). Differences between mounds and savanna were significantly related to termite-induced changes in soil parameters, specifically clay enrichment and increased cation concentrations (base saturation). On a local scale, termite-induced differences in soil conditions were found to be the most important factor affecting mound vegetation, while on a regional scale, annual precipitation showed the strongest significant correlations. However, with increasing precipitation, differences between mounds and the surrounding matrix became more pronounced, and the contribution of mounds to local phytodiversity increased. Eleven plant species were identified as characteristic termite mound species. In the more humid parts of the gradient, more characteristic plant species were found that may benefit from favourable soil conditions, good water availability, and a low fire impact in the mound microhabitat.

Estimates were made of the populations of seven nests of Macrotermes jeanneli of different sizes in Kenya. Caste and instar composition were examined, and relationships of these to the dimensions of the mound were investigated. Survival of nests of different sizes was followed over four years.

Termite foraging was monitored with cellulose baits in both the wet and dry season in the semi-arid Okavango Delta region of northern Botswana. Seven wood-feeding species were found. Fungus-growing termites dominated the assemblage in all plots, and four species (Macrotermes michaelseni, Odontotermes sp. A, Allodontermes sp. and Microtermes sp.) were found in most. Foraging by smaller-bodied Allodontermes sp. and Microtermes sp. was largely confined to the wet season. Foraging by M. michaelseni and Odontotermes sp. A was more constant, but showed a general peak in the early dry season (May and June), likely due to nutrient and energy demands associated with alate production. Despite extensive overlap in distributions of these species, co-occurrences on baits were significantly less frequent than expected by chance. In addition, incidence in a plot of Allodontermes sp. and Microtermes sp. was negatively correlated in the wet season, as was that of M. michaelseni and Odontotermes sp. A in the dry season. Differences in body size, life history, and nest structure produce temporal and spatial heterogeneity in the foraging and distribution patterns of termites, and therefore suggest that consideration of community composition can improve prediction of the influence of termite assemblages on decomposition.

In constructing large vegetated mounds, Macrotermes termites play a key functional role in many African savanna systems. This study focuses on ungulate feeding on Macrotermes termitaria vegetation in Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda. With the exception of oribi Ourebia ourebi, all the species studied (i.e. impala Aepyceros melampus, Burchell's zebra Equus burchelli, Defassa waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus, topi Damaliscus lunatus, bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus and warthog Phacochoerus africanus) grazed preferentially on mound areas compared to the adjacent savanna. Ruminant species grazed closer to termitaria than non-ruminants and female impala both browsed and grazed closer to mounds than males. No sexual difference in grazing distance to mounds was found for waterbuck.

Macrotermes mounds are a significant feature of African woodland landscape, contributing to habitat heterogeneity. The mounds are massive, often many centuries old, and support dense vegetation and a suite of woody plant species scarce in surrounding woodland. The present study tested the hypothesis that Zimbabwean Macrotermes mounds, with their greater niche availability, were more heavily utilized by small vertebrates than the surrounding miombo woodland. We carried out a survey of amphibian, reptile and mammal species during early and late rains for 16 termite mounds and 16 adjacent woodland habitat sites, and compared numbers of individuals, species and diversity. For amphibians and reptiles, individual numbers and species did not differ significantly between habitats and their activity was more influenced by season. For mammals, however, significantly more individuals and species were captured on termite mounds, with three species captured only on mounds (most notably the musk shrew Crocidura hirta spp. complex) and all others showing marked preference for this habitat. The greater number of mammals on termite mounds contributed to total small vertebrate biomass being 800 g/ha for termite mounds compared with 380 g/ha in woodland. For mammals certainly, Macrotermes mounds provide significant food and habitat in miombo woodland.