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The causes of spatial patterning of mounds of a fungus-cultivating termite: results from nearest-neighbour analysis and ecological studies.
Abstract
Little is known about processes regulating population dynamics in termites. We investigated the distribution of mound-colonies of the fungus-cultivating termite Macrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman) in two habitats in the Comoé National Park (Côte d'Ivoire) with nearest-neighbour analysis differentiating between different age classes. These results were compared with ecological data on processes influencing population dynamics. High mound densities were recorded in shrub savannah while only a few mounds were found in gallery forest. Mounds were distributed randomly in both habitats when all mounds were considered together, and when inhabited and uninhabited mounds were treated separately. However, distinctive non-random patterns were revealed in the savannah when we distinguished between different age classes. Small, young colonies were aggregated when they coexisted with larger, older colonies, which were more regularly distributed. This indicates that the distribution of older colonies is influenced by intraspecific competition whereas that of younger colonies is influenced by opposing factors that lead to aggregation. This is in accordance with ecological data. Food is a limiting resource for large colonies, while patchily distributed appropriate microclimatic conditions seem to be more important for young colonies. Colonies that had formerly coexisted (i.e. living colonies and recently dead colonies) showed aggregated, random and regular distribution patterns, suggesting several causes of mortality. Colonies that had never had contact with each other were randomly distributed and no specific regulation mechanism was implicated. These results show that different age classes seem to be regulated by different processes and that separation between age classes is necessary to reveal indicative spatial patterns in nearest-neighbour analysis.
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“Such regular spacing (20–120 m between mounds) arises from colonies' exhaustive partitioning of space into non-overlapping foraging areas (Text S1) [20]–[22].”
From Spatial Pattern Enhances Ecosystem Functioning in an African Savanna (2010) · cites this paper as [22]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Korb, J., & Linsenmair, K. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Würzburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Korb, Judith
- Venue
- Oecologia
- Published
- 2001-05
- Volume
- 127
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 324-333
- ISSN
- 0029-8549 (ISSN-L)
- 1432-1939
- OpenAlex
- W2053540946
- Cited by
- 81
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 0.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Oecologia (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Regensburg Publication Server (University of Regensburg) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Keywords
- Macrotermes bellicosus, fungus-growing termites, spatial patterns, nearest neighbor analysis, intraspecific competition, population dynamics, savanna, gallery forest, microclimate, termite mortality, Comoé National Park
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