Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest
Termites perform key ecological functions in tropical ecosystems, are strongly affected by variation in rainfall, and respond negatively to habitat disturbance. However, it is not known how the projected increase in frequency and severity of droughts in tropical rainforests will alter termite commun...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
2019
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/25488/1/Termites%20mitigate%20the%20effects%20of%20drought%20in%20tropical%20rainforest.pdf https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/25488/2/Termites%20mitigate%20the%20effects%20of%20drought%20in%20tropical%20rainforest%201.pdf |
| _version_ | 1825713885347315712 |
|---|---|
| author | Louise A Ashton Catherine L Parr H. M. Griffiths Theodore Alfred Evans Raphael Didham Fevziye Hasan Yit Arn Teh HoeSeng Tin Charles Santhanaraju Vairappan Eggleton |
| author_facet | Louise A Ashton Catherine L Parr H. M. Griffiths Theodore Alfred Evans Raphael Didham Fevziye Hasan Yit Arn Teh HoeSeng Tin Charles Santhanaraju Vairappan Eggleton |
| author_sort | Louise A Ashton |
| collection | UMS |
| description | Termites perform key ecological functions in tropical ecosystems, are strongly affected by variation in rainfall, and respond negatively to habitat disturbance. However, it is not known how the projected increase in frequency and severity of droughts in tropical rainforests will alter termite communities and the maintenance of ecosystem processes. Using a large-scale termite suppression experiment, we found that termite activity and abundance increased during drought in a Bornean forest. This increase resulted in accelerated litter decomposition, elevated soil moisture, greater soil nutrient heterogeneity, and higher seedling survival rates during the extreme El Niño drought of 2015–2016. Our work shows how an invertebrate group enhances ecosystem resistance to drought, providing evidence that the dual stressors of climate change and anthropogenic shifts in biotic communities will have various negative consequences for the maintenance of rainforest ecosystems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T03:03:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | ums.eprints-25488 |
| institution | Universiti Malaysia Sabah |
| language | English English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T03:03:31Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ums.eprints-254882020-06-07T10:24:47Z https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/25488/ Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest Louise A Ashton Catherine L Parr H. M. Griffiths Theodore Alfred Evans Raphael Didham Fevziye Hasan Yit Arn Teh HoeSeng Tin Charles Santhanaraju Vairappan Eggleton SB Plant culture SD Forestry Termites perform key ecological functions in tropical ecosystems, are strongly affected by variation in rainfall, and respond negatively to habitat disturbance. However, it is not known how the projected increase in frequency and severity of droughts in tropical rainforests will alter termite communities and the maintenance of ecosystem processes. Using a large-scale termite suppression experiment, we found that termite activity and abundance increased during drought in a Bornean forest. This increase resulted in accelerated litter decomposition, elevated soil moisture, greater soil nutrient heterogeneity, and higher seedling survival rates during the extreme El Niño drought of 2015–2016. Our work shows how an invertebrate group enhances ecosystem resistance to drought, providing evidence that the dual stressors of climate change and anthropogenic shifts in biotic communities will have various negative consequences for the maintenance of rainforest ecosystems. 2019 Article PeerReviewed text en https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/25488/1/Termites%20mitigate%20the%20effects%20of%20drought%20in%20tropical%20rainforest.pdf text en https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/25488/2/Termites%20mitigate%20the%20effects%20of%20drought%20in%20tropical%20rainforest%201.pdf Louise A Ashton and Catherine L Parr and H. M. Griffiths and Theodore Alfred Evans and Raphael Didham and Fevziye Hasan and Yit Arn Teh and HoeSeng Tin and Charles Santhanaraju Vairappan and Eggleton (2019) Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest. Science, 363. pp. 1-4. ISSN 0036-8075 https://10.1126/science.aau9565 Termites mitigate,tropical rainforest, ecosystems Termites mitigate,tropical rainforest, ecosystems |
| spellingShingle | SB Plant culture SD Forestry Louise A Ashton Catherine L Parr H. M. Griffiths Theodore Alfred Evans Raphael Didham Fevziye Hasan Yit Arn Teh HoeSeng Tin Charles Santhanaraju Vairappan Eggleton Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest |
| title | Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest |
| title_full | Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest |
| title_fullStr | Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest |
| title_short | Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest |
| title_sort | termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest |
| topic | SB Plant culture SD Forestry |
| url | https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/25488/1/Termites%20mitigate%20the%20effects%20of%20drought%20in%20tropical%20rainforest.pdf https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/25488/2/Termites%20mitigate%20the%20effects%20of%20drought%20in%20tropical%20rainforest%201.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT louiseaashton termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest AT catherinelparr termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest AT hmgriffiths termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest AT theodorealfredevans termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest AT raphaeldidham termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest AT fevziyehasan termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest AT yitarnteh termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest AT hoesengtin termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest AT charlessanthanarajuvairappan termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest AT eggleton termitesmitigatetheeffectsofdroughtintropicalrainforest |