Determinants of Termite Assemblages’ Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d’Ivoire)
Termites are one of the major components of tropical ecosystems. However, the ecological and biological variables determining the structure of their communities within natural habitats are less documented in general and especially in the Comoe National Park, a Sudano-Guinean savanna zone located in...
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MDPI AG
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/9/4/189 |
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| author | N’golo Abdoulaye Koné Kolotchèlèma Simon Silué Souleymane Konaté Karl Eduard Linsenmair |
| author_facet | N’golo Abdoulaye Koné Kolotchèlèma Simon Silué Souleymane Konaté Karl Eduard Linsenmair |
| author_sort | N’golo Abdoulaye Koné |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Termites are one of the major components of tropical ecosystems. However, the ecological and biological variables determining the structure of their communities within natural habitats are less documented in general and especially in the Comoe National Park, a Sudano-Guinean savanna zone located in the north-eastern part of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). Using a standardized method of belt transects, the structure of termite’s communities was estimated within habitats differing in the structure of their vegetation, soil characteristics, and the disturbance level caused by annual occurrences of bushfires. The effect of a set of environmental variables (habitat type, occurrence of annual bushfire, woody plant density, woody plant species richness, and soil physicochemical parameters) was tested on the habitat-specific recorded termite species. Sixty species of termites belonging to 19 genera, seven subfamilies and two families, namely Rhinotermitidae (Coptotermitinae and Rhinotermitinae) and Termitidae (Apicotermitinae, Cubitermitinae, Macrotermitinae, Nasutitermitinae, and Termitinae) were sampled. These species were assigned to the four feeding groups of termites: fungus growers (18 species), wood feeders (17 species), soil feeders (19 species) and the grass feeders (6 species). The highest diversity of termites was encountered in forest habitats, with 37 and 34, respectively, for the gallery forest and the forest island. Among savanna habitats, the woodland savanna was identified as the most diversified habitat with 32 recorded species, followed by the tree savanna (28 species) and the grassy savanna (17 species). The distribution of termite species and their respective feedings groups was determined by the habitat type and a set of environmental variables such as Woody Plant Diversity (WPD), Woody plant Families Diversity (WPFD), and Organic Carbon (OC). The annual Fire Occurrence (FO) was found to indirectly impact the characteristics of termite assemblages within natural habitats via their respective Herbaceous Species Richness (HSR) and Woody Plant Species Richness (WPSR). In summary, the spatial heterogeneity of the Comoe National Park, modeled by the uncontrolled annual bushfire, offers a diversified natural habitat with an important variety of termite-habitat-specific species, probably due to the food preference of these organisms and its relatively good conservation status. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T00:16:32Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
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| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T00:16:32Z |
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| spelling | doaj.art-4015dd0e3cad40b18f455cfb3ecbd9722022-12-22T00:05:46ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502018-12-019418910.3390/insects9040189insects9040189Determinants of Termite Assemblages’ Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d’Ivoire)N’golo Abdoulaye Koné0Kolotchèlèma Simon Silué1Souleymane Konaté2Karl Eduard Linsenmair3 UFR des Sciences de la Nature (UFR SN), Unité de Recherche en Ecologie et Biodiversité (UREB), Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Ivory Coast UFR des Sciences de la Nature (UFR SN), Unité de Recherche en Ecologie et Biodiversité (UREB), Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Ivory Coast UFR des Sciences de la Nature (UFR SN), Unité de Recherche en Ecologie et Biodiversité (UREB), Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Ivory CoastStation de Recherche en Ecologie du Parc National de la Comoé, 27 BP 847 Abidjan 27, Ivory CoastTermites are one of the major components of tropical ecosystems. However, the ecological and biological variables determining the structure of their communities within natural habitats are less documented in general and especially in the Comoe National Park, a Sudano-Guinean savanna zone located in the north-eastern part of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). Using a standardized method of belt transects, the structure of termite’s communities was estimated within habitats differing in the structure of their vegetation, soil characteristics, and the disturbance level caused by annual occurrences of bushfires. The effect of a set of environmental variables (habitat type, occurrence of annual bushfire, woody plant density, woody plant species richness, and soil physicochemical parameters) was tested on the habitat-specific recorded termite species. Sixty species of termites belonging to 19 genera, seven subfamilies and two families, namely Rhinotermitidae (Coptotermitinae and Rhinotermitinae) and Termitidae (Apicotermitinae, Cubitermitinae, Macrotermitinae, Nasutitermitinae, and Termitinae) were sampled. These species were assigned to the four feeding groups of termites: fungus growers (18 species), wood feeders (17 species), soil feeders (19 species) and the grass feeders (6 species). The highest diversity of termites was encountered in forest habitats, with 37 and 34, respectively, for the gallery forest and the forest island. Among savanna habitats, the woodland savanna was identified as the most diversified habitat with 32 recorded species, followed by the tree savanna (28 species) and the grassy savanna (17 species). The distribution of termite species and their respective feedings groups was determined by the habitat type and a set of environmental variables such as Woody Plant Diversity (WPD), Woody plant Families Diversity (WPFD), and Organic Carbon (OC). The annual Fire Occurrence (FO) was found to indirectly impact the characteristics of termite assemblages within natural habitats via their respective Herbaceous Species Richness (HSR) and Woody Plant Species Richness (WPSR). In summary, the spatial heterogeneity of the Comoe National Park, modeled by the uncontrolled annual bushfire, offers a diversified natural habitat with an important variety of termite-habitat-specific species, probably due to the food preference of these organisms and its relatively good conservation status.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/9/4/189termite assemblagesenvironnemental variablesSudano-Guinean savannaComoe National ParkCôte d’Ivoire |
| spellingShingle | N’golo Abdoulaye Koné Kolotchèlèma Simon Silué Souleymane Konaté Karl Eduard Linsenmair Determinants of Termite Assemblages’ Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d’Ivoire) Insects termite assemblages environnemental variables Sudano-Guinean savanna Comoe National Park Côte d’Ivoire |
| title | Determinants of Termite Assemblages’ Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d’Ivoire) |
| title_full | Determinants of Termite Assemblages’ Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d’Ivoire) |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of Termite Assemblages’ Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d’Ivoire) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of Termite Assemblages’ Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d’Ivoire) |
| title_short | Determinants of Termite Assemblages’ Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d’Ivoire) |
| title_sort | determinants of termite assemblages characteristics within natural habitats of a sudano guinean savanna comoe national park cote d ivoire |
| topic | termite assemblages environnemental variables Sudano-Guinean savanna Comoe National Park Côte d’Ivoire |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/9/4/189 |
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