Ecological Drivers of Species Distributions and Niche Overlap for Three Subterranean Termite Species in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA

Abstract

In both managed and unmanaged forests, termites are functionally important members of the dead-wood-associated (saproxylic) insect community. However, little is known about regional-scale environmental drivers of geographic distributions of termite species, and how these environmental factors impact co-occurrence among congeneric species. Here we focus on the southern Appalachian Mountains—a well-known center of endemism for forest biota—and use Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) to examine the distributions of three species of Reticulitermes termites (i.e., R. flavipes, R. virginicus, and R. malletei). To overcome deficiencies in public databases, ENMs were underpinned by field-collected high-resolution occurrence records coupled with molecular taxonomic species identification. Spatial overlap among areas of predicted occurrence of each species was mapped, and aspects of niche similarity were quantified. We also identified environmental factors that most strongly contribute to among-species differences in occupancy. Overall, we found that R. flavipes and R. virginicus showed significant niche divergence, which was primarily driven by dry-season precipitation. Also, all three species were most likely to co-occur in the mid-latitudes of the study area (i.e., northern Alabama and Georgia, eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina), which is an area of considerable topographic complexity. This work provides important baseline information for follow-up studies of local-scale drivers of these species’ distributions. It also identifies specific geographic areas where future assessments of the frequency of true syntopy vs. micro-allopatry, and associated interspecific competitive interactions, should be focused.

The role of glacial‐interglacial climate change in shaping the genetic structure of eastern subterranean termites in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA

“…Accordingly, if high precipitation was important for facilitating range expansion, these conditions seem to have been in place at a time that coincides with colonization of the central region. Furthermore, seasonal differences in precipitation between the southern and northern portions of the study region (Hyseni & Garrick, 2019) This contrast supports the view that fine-scale genetic structuring may be particularly prevalent in topographically complex montane areas (Garrick, 2011;Hedin & Wood, 2002;Thomas & Hedin, 2008).…”

“…Accordingly, if high precipitation was important for facilitating range expansion, these conditions seem to have been in place at a time that coincides with colonization of the central region. Furthermore, seasonal differences in precipitation between the southern and northern portions of the study region (Hyseni & Garrick, ) may have led to different flight phenologies and thus seasonal isolation and niche partitioning. Consistent with this, dbRDA revealed that in addition to spatial structuring of genetic variation, wet‐season precipitation accounted for the remainder of genetic differentiation of the Southern cluster compared to the other two.…”

Do Termitaria Indicate the Presence of Groundwater? A Case Study of Hydrogeophysical Investigation on a Land Parcel with Termite Activity

“…The first impression that comes to our mind about termites is the considerable damage they cause to man-made wooden structures and agronomic and forest resources [9], which is globally estimated to cost around USD 40 billion [10]. Few however are informed about the many benefits derivable from termites and their termitaria which can be sustainably managed to human advantage.…”

Correction: Hyseni, C.; Garrick, R.C. Ecological Drivers of Species Distributions and Niche Overlap for Three Subterranean Termite Species in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA. Insects 2019, 10, 33

“…It has recently come to our attention that two of the environmental rasters we used for analyses in our study [1] were mislabeled in a raster processing pipeline. As a result, in the article [1], all references to dry-season precipitation and summer temperature require switching. Here, Figures 1 and 2 and Table 1, are the corrected versions of Figures 1 and 3 and Table 2 in the article [1].…”

“…As a result, in the article [1], all references to dry-season precipitation and summer temperature require switching. Here, Figures 1 and 2 and Table 1, are the corrected versions of Figures 1 and 3 and Table 2 in the article [1].…”