Desert Subterranean Termites: A Method for Studying Foraging Behavior
1
,
2

Fage, J.P. La; Nutting, W. L.; Haverty, Michael I.

doi:10.1093/ee/2.5.954

Cited by 60 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Termite paper rolls (500-sheet single-ply, unscented -hereafter referred to as baits) were placed on each experimental burn plot (see La Fage et al, 1973) , arranged in a grid of five by eight baits, spaced five metres apart. Half (20) of the baits were placed directly on the soil surface, any litter present was brushed aside to ensure direct contact was made with the soil and the base of the bait.…”

Section: Study Sites and Termite Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal activity patterns of African savanna termites vary across a rainfall gradient

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seasonal variations in temperature and moisture are strong drivers of biological activity and diversity. Termites are an important insect group previously shown to respond to seasonal variation, but results are mixed with unclear patterns across habitat types. We investigated seasonal variation in termite species density, activity levels and assemblage composition across three seasons (wet, transitional and dry) and four savanna types across a rainfall gradient (450 mm.yr -1 -900 mm.yr -1 ) in South Africa using cellulose baits. Termites responded to seasonality in all savannas investigated, with lower species density and activity levels during the dry season compared to the wet and transitional seasons. In the more arid sites (≤ 550mm rainfall per year) activity levels were highest in the wet season, while at wetter sites (≥750mm rainfall per year) the highest activity was recorded in the transitional season. Assemblage composition did not differ much between seasons across all sites, but differences in both composition and activity levels across seasons were more pronounced in wetter sites compared to drier ones. Our results demonstrate that seasonal patterns in termite diversity vary with mean annual rainfall, with larger variation in wetter habitats where climatic variation between seasons is greater.

show abstract

Section: Study Sites and Termite Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal activity patterns of African savanna termites vary across a rainfall gradient

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Different sampling methods also target different termite groups. For example, baiting, especially with toilet paper rolls, is commonly used in drier regions (Le Fage et al 1973), but is really only useful for wood-feeding termites and does not provide absolute abundance data because not all termites present are sampled. Active searching transects, on the other hand, sample all termites, but are labour intensive and often less effective for hard savanna soils (although see e.g.…”

Section: Termites (Blattodea: Termitidoidae) Are Important Ecosystem mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Relative Efficiency of Termite Sampling Methods along a Rainfall Gradient in African Savannas

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although termites are ecosystem engineers in tropical and sub-tropical environments, the study of termite ecology is often constrained by sampling difficulties and a lack of established sampling protocols, particularly for savannas. The efficiency and relevance of different methods along climatic gradients, even within a single biome, is largely unknown. Here, we compare the relative contribution of two commonly used sampling methods, cellulose baits and active searching transects, in quantifying savanna termite diversity along a rainfall gradient in South Africa; sampling was conducted during the wet season across four markedly different savanna types. We also assessed the usefulness

show abstract

“…This might be due to the termites' cryptic lifestyle, which makes behavioural studies difficult. Previous studies in subterranean termites have been restricted mainly to the spatial distribution of foraging groups, foraging territories, and colony density of Heterotermes aureus, Gnathamitermes perplexus, and Reticulitermes flavipes (La Fage et al, 1973;Jones et al, 1987;Jones and Trosset, 1991;Su et al, 1993). Little is known regarding behavioural patterns during systematic foraging, food recruitment, and the exploitation of food sources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic search for food in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes santonensis De Feytaud (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)

1997

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Desert Subterranean Termites: A Method for Studying Foraging Behavior 1 , 2

Cited by 60 publications

References 0 publications

Seasonal activity patterns of African savanna termites vary across a rainfall gradient

Seasonal activity patterns of African savanna termites vary across a rainfall gradient

Assessing the Relative Efficiency of Termite Sampling Methods along a Rainfall Gradient in African Savannas

Systematic search for food in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes santonensis De Feytaud (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About