Author
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WHITFORD, WALTER - NEW MEXICO STATE UNIV |
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Submitted to: Sociobiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/1999 Publication Date: N/A Citation: Whitford, W.G. Effects of habitat characteristics on the abundance and activity of subterranean termites in arid southeastern New Mexico (Isoptera). 1999. v. 34(3). p. 493-504. Interpretive Summary: Termites are important animals in the world¿s arid and semiarid ecosystems. They affect soil properties, as well as nutrient cycling and decomposition processes. This study tests the hypothesis that subterranean termites are more abundant in areas where soils are stabilized by vegetation, and it also looks at the difference in termite abundance in different habitat types. The study site for this research was in a transitional area between semiarid, short-grass prairie and the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico. Termite bait stations were established in several habitat types: grassland, shinnery oak, creosotebush shrubland, mesquite dunes, and bare areas between mesquite dunes. The results of this study showed that subterranean termite abundance was not affected by soil stability but, instead, was affected by the area¿s dominant vegetation type. Subterranean termites were most abundant in mesquite dune and creosotebush habitat and least abundant in grassland and shinnery oak habitats. This research suggests that ecosystem degradation from livestock grazing has not had an adverse effect on termites in the ecosystems of a transitional region. Technical Abstract: Amitermes wheeleri was the most abundant termite species in most of the habitats. Gnathamitermes tubiformans was the most abundant subterranean termite species in habitats dominated by creosotebush, Larrea tridentata. Subterranean termite abundance measured by numbers of termites extracted from baits, mass of paper removed from baits, proportion of dung pats attacked, and quantities of surface foraging galleries all indicated that subterranean termites were most abundant in mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) dune and creosotebush habitats and least abundant in grassland and shinnery oak (Quercus harvardii) habitats. Subterranean termite abundance was not affected by soil stability but by the dominant vegetation. Subterranean termites consumed more than 80% of the creosotebush leaf litter from litter bags between August and December. There was no evidence that termites consumed shinnery oak leaves or grass stems and leaves. |
