| Title |
Vertical stratification of the termite assemblage in a neotropical rainforest
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Oecologia, June 2006
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00442-006-0449-5 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Yves Roisin, Alain Dejean, Bruno Corbara, Jerôme Orivel, Mirna Samaniego, Maurice Leponce |
| Abstract |
The importance of termites as decomposers in tropical forests has long been recognized. Studies on the richness and diversity of termite species and their ecological function have flourished in more recent times, but these have been mostly conducted in a thin stratum within a standing man's reach. Our aims were to evaluate the specific richness and composition of the termite assemblage in the canopy of a tropical rainforest and to determine its originality with respect to the sympatric ground-level fauna. We conducted systematic searches for canopy termites, together with conventional sampling of the sympatric ground-level fauna, in the San Lorenzo forest, Panama. We hypothesized that (1) the canopy accommodates two categories of wood-feeding termites (long-distance foragers and small-colony "one-piece" species) and possibly soil-feeders in suspended soil-like habitats; (2) due to the abundance of soil-feeders, the overall diversity of the ground fauna is higher than that of the canopy; (3) differences in microclimate and resource accessibility favour vertical stratification among wood-feeders. Sixty-three canopy samples yielded ten species of termites, all wood-feeders. Five of these were not found at ground level, although a total of 243 ground samples were collected, representing 29 species. In addition to long-distance foragers (Microcerotermes and Nasutitermes spp.) and small-colony termites (mostly Kalotermitidae), the canopy fauna included Termes hispaniolae, a wood-feeding Termitidae from an allegedly soil-feeding genus, living in large dead branches. Soil-feeders were absent from the canopy, probably because large epiphytes were scarce. As predicted, the ground fauna was much richer than that of the canopy, but the species richness of both habitats was similar when only wood-feeders were considered. Vertical stratification was strongly marked among wood-feeders, as all common species, apart from the arboreal-nesting Microcerotermes arboreus, could unequivocally be assigned to either a ground or a canopy group. The canopy, therefore, contributes significantly to the total species richness of the termite assemblage, and the diversity, abundance and ecological importance of canopy termites in tropical rainforests may be higher than previously recognized. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 160 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 7 | 4% |
| Malaysia | 2 | 1% |
| United States | 2 | 1% |
| Chile | 1 | <1% |
| France | 1 | <1% |
| Portugal | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 146 | 91% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 38 | 24% |
| Researcher | 31 | 19% |
| Student > Master | 28 | 18% |
| Student > Bachelor | 15 | 9% |
| Professor | 8 | 5% |
| Other | 24 | 15% |
| Unknown | 16 | 10% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 106 | 66% |
| Environmental Science | 17 | 11% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 5 | 3% |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 4 | 3% |
| Social Sciences | 2 | 1% |
| Other | 5 | 3% |
| Unknown | 21 | 13% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 22 January 2021.
All research outputs
#7,454,427
of 22,789,566 outputs
Outputs from Oecologia
#1,674
of 4,210 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#22,478
of 64,022 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Oecologia
#4
of 15 outputs
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