The importance of termites (Isoptera) for the recycling of herbivore dung in tropical ecosystems: a review

Abstract

Abstract. While the key role of termites in the decomposition of litter in the tropics has been acknowledged for a long time, much less information exists on their importance in the recycling of dung of primary consumers, especially herbivores. A review of published studies shows that a diverse group of termites (at least 126 species) has been reported to feed on a wide range of mammalian dung (18 species). Predominantly, wood-feeding and polyphagous wood-litter feeding species were found to feed also frequently on dung. Moreover, we found that termites can quickly remove large amounts of mammalian dung, especially in the dry season, when on average about 1/3 of the dung deposited in a given habitat is removed by termites within one month (with the highest rates observed in savannas). No distinctive preference for mammalian dung over other organic food sources was observed for fungusgrowing termites (Macrotermitinae), whereas the majority of the non-fungus growing taxa studied prefer dung over other food. As termites bring large quantities of dung below the soil surface, disturb and enrich soils with nutrients, dung feeding by termites appears to be a previously underestimated process important in the functioning of tropical ecosystems.

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

“…Ecosystem functions performed by termites have been suggested to complement similar functions performed by other taxa such as dung beetles. This because termites remain active during the dry season as well as in arid environments while dung beetles do not (Freymann et al, 2008;Jouquet et al, 2011). Although this may hold true at drier sites (≤ 550mm of rainfall per year, where seasonal variation is less pronounced and termites remain relatively active in the dry season), our results suggest that, especially at wet sites, termites too are largely inactive during the dry season.…”

Insect-plant interactions: new pathways to a better comprehension of ecological communities in Neotropical savannas

“…But it does not end at this point, as to the present examples or to other similar ones (e.g. leaf-cut ants and plants - Leal & Oliveira 1998; herbivores (galls) and infl orescences -Fernandes et al 2005; Termites, dung beetles and plants - Rosa et al 2008, Freymann et al 2008. Community ecology needs additional answers to two main questions: how conservative are multitrophic interactions in terms of space and time?…”

“…However, considering insect-plant interactions and its implications in food webs and multitrophic relationships, the number of papers is still now almost insignifi cantly when compared to temperate areas (e.g. Oliveira 1997, Leal & Oliveira 1998, Del-Claro & Oliveira 2000, Fernandes et al 2005, Freymann et al 2008, Rosa et al 2008. Indeed, only one study (Oliveira & Del-Claro 2005) deeply examined the whole natural history and ecology of a plant-arthropod interaction (ants-membracid-plant-herbivores) with its implications to all related members.…”

“…For example, the ecology of termites and its multitrophic relationships has been an issue of a crescent number of excellent papers (e.g. Gontijo & Domingos 1991, DeSouza et al 2003, Constantino 2005, Freymann et al 2008. However, studies in interspecifi c ecology done in cerrado were centered, in its major part, only in leaf herbivory and limited its contribution to two trophic levels: producer and consumer.…”

The roles of beetles and flies in yak dung removal in an alpine meadow of eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

“…Earthworms and termites are the primary biotic agents of cattle dung degradation in some pastures (White, 1960;Holter, 1979;Freymann et al, 2008), but beetles and maggots are usually the 2 main dung-feeding guilds responsible for dung decomposition and nutrient cycling in both tropical and temperate grassland ecosystems (Gillard, 1967;Yokoyama et al, 1991;Mittal, 1993;Bang et al, 2005;Losey & Vaughan, 2006). Specifically, beetles and flies are the most abundant groups that directly contribute to dung removal in the alpine pastures of the Tibetan Plateau.…”