Termite mounds house a diversity of taxa in oil palm plantations irrespective of understory management

We investigated the effects of oil palm understory vegetation management on termite mound activity and non‐termite inhabitants. We found a diversity of taxa, most of which were unaffected by understory management. Mound volume and termite activity had taxa‐specific effects on abundance. Preserving mounds in oil palm plantations will benefit biodiversity

Termite assemblage structure and function: a study of the importance of termites in lowland equatorial forests

Termites are important ecosystem engineers in tropical and sub-tropical terrestrial regions where they influence ecosystem processes by altering the physical and chemical structure of the habitat. Termites affect nutrient availability by decomposition and comminution (shredding) of organic matter and act as agents of bioturbation as they re-work substrates during the construction of nests, tunnels and runways. At present we have a relatively good understanding of termite diversity patterns in the tropics through the extensive use of the standardised transect sampling protocol by Eggleton et al. (1995). These diversity data suggest that there is a functional difference in termite assemblage structure, and potentially in termite abundance and biomass, among comparable habitats across continents. However due to the lack of comparable abundance and biomass data from South America this has not previously been confirmed. In this thesis I, therefore, collected extensive data on termite taxonomic and functional assemblage structure in a South American site in Peru. The data were used to compare termite abundance and biomass from two comparable sites in Africa (Cameroon) and south east Asia (Malaysia) in order to gain better understanding of the role termites play in ecosystem processes. I found that there was an intercontinental difference in the abundance and biomass of termite feeding-groups mainly due to the dominance of soil-feeding termites in Cameroon and the absence of fungus-growing termites from Peru. The impact of certain lineages on the intercontinental differences suggests that the differences may be due to biogeographical evolution. Moreover, Eggleton et al. (1998) show that larger-bodied soil-feeding termites in Cameroon process more energy per unit area than predicted by their body size. Due to the need for an examination of the allometric relationships in termite assemblages outside Africa and the development of a more sophisticated feeding-group classification I explore the findings in Eggleton et al. (1998) further using population density - body mass relationships in three termite feeding-groups among the three continental sites in Cameroon, Peru and Malaysia. I found that large-bodied soil-feeding termites in Cameroon and large-bodied wood-feeding termites in Peru had higher population densities than expected by their body masses. As the population density - body mass relationship is inverse to that of the energy - body mass relationship the results suggest that the two feeding-groups also use more energy than expected by their body masses. Further, we have a relatively good understanding of the role termites play as ecosystem engineers e.g. in nutrient cycling and distribution, however, compared with our understanding of wood and litter decomposition in tropical forests quantitative data on the impact of termites in soil processes is poorly understood. In this thesis I conducted, to our knowledge, the first in situ soil macrofauna exclusion experiment using translocated soil in Peru to examine the impact of termites on soil C and N loss. I found that termites promote soil C and N loss which may be linked to the increase in microbial activity due to the passage of soil through the termite gut as well as the affect termites have on bioturbation and nutrient distribution. To conclude, in this thesis I present the first intercontinental comparison of abundance and biomass as well as the first in situ soil macrofauna exclusion experiment to date. The link between termite ecology, biogeography and evolution is discussed as well as the contribution of this thesis to the field of termite ecology. </p

Strategies to manage tree pest and disease outbreaks: a balancing act

Abstract Tree diseases are one of the major threats to forests worldwide. As the frequency and severity of disease outbreaks increase, effective prevention and mitigation strategies are urgently needed. Emerging methods are available to tackle this issue, however, trade-offs and potential ecological consequences should be considered for successful forest preservation

The soldierless Apicotermitinae: insights into a poorly known and ecologically dominant tropical taxon

Termites are among the most important animals in tropical ecosystems where they often make up over 10 % of the total animal biomass and enhance ecosystem productivity. While termites in general have been the focus of a reasonable amount of work, this effort is not equally distributed among taxonomic groups. The soil-feeding Apicotermitinae, in particular, have received less attention than other taxonomic groups. In terms of species diversity and abundance, the Apicotermitinae dominate African and Neotropical rainforests, where they generally feed on soil organic fractions. Whereas basal Apicotermitinae possess soldiers, this caste is missing in a large cluster of species, collectively called the Anoplotermes-group, which possibly constitutes a monophyletic lineage. These soldierless Apicotermitinae evolved alternative defensive strategies, such as defensive body rupture through autothysis or dehiscence. As species identification in termites is commonly based on characters of soldiers, the Anoplotermes-group has long been neglected by taxonomists, but alternative diagnostic characters, derived from the worker gut topology and enteric valve structures, are now routinely used. Although species identification based solely on worker characters is feasible and new molecular techniques greatly facilitate taxonomic studies, the biology of soldierless Apicotermitinae remains poorly known. The main objective of this paper is to increase the awareness and understanding of this dominant soil arthropod through a comprehensive review of their lifestyle and ecological importance.SCOPUS: re.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Termite assemblage structure and function: a study of the importance of termites in lowland equatorial forests

Termites are important ecosystem engineers in tropical and sub-tropical terrestrial regions where they influence ecosystem processes by altering the physical and chemical structure of the habitat. Termites affect nutrient availability by decomposition and comminution (shredding) of organic matter and act as agents of bioturbation as they re-work substrates during the construction of nests, tunnels and runways. At present we have a relatively good understanding of termite diversity patterns in the tropics through the extensive use of the standardised transect sampling protocol by Eggleton et al. (1995). These diversity data suggest that there is a functional difference in termite assemblage structure, and potentially in termite abundance and biomass, among comparable habitats across continents. However due to the lack of comparable abundance and biomass data from South America this has not previously been confirmed. In this thesis I, therefore, collected extensive data on termite taxonomic and functional assemblage structure in a South American site in Peru. The data were used to compare termite abundance and biomass from two comparable sites in Africa (Cameroon) and south east Asia (Malaysia) in order to gain better understanding of the role termites play in ecosystem processes. I found that there was an intercontinental difference in the abundance and biomass of termite feeding-groups mainly due to the dominance of soil-feeding termites in Cameroon and the absence of fungus-growing termites from Peru. The impact of certain lineages on the intercontinental differences suggests that the differences may be due to biogeographical evolution. Moreover, Eggleton et al. (1998) show that larger-bodied soil-feeding termites in Cameroon process more energy per unit area than predicted by their body size. Due to the need for an examination of the allometric relationships in termite assemblages outside Africa and the development of a more sophisticated feeding-group classification I explore the findings in Eggleton et al. (1998) further using population density - body mass relationships in three termite feeding-groups among the three continental sites in Cameroon, Peru and Malaysia. I found that large-bodied soil-feeding termites in Cameroon and large-bodied wood-feeding termites in Peru had higher population densities than expected by their body masses. As the population density - body mass relationship is inverse to that of the energy - body mass relationship the results suggest that the two feeding-groups also use more energy than expected by their body masses. Further, we have a relatively good understanding of the role termites play as ecosystem engineers e.g. in nutrient cycling and distribution, however, compared with our understanding of wood and litter decomposition in tropical forests quantitative data on the impact of termites in soil processes is poorly understood. In this thesis I conducted, to our knowledge, the first in situ soil macrofauna exclusion experiment using translocated soil in Peru to examine the impact of termites on soil C and N loss. I found that termites promote soil C and N loss which may be linked to the increase in microbial activity due to the passage of soil through the termite gut as well as the affect termites have on bioturbation and nutrient distribution. To conclude, in this thesis I present the first intercontinental comparison of abundance and biomass as well as the first in situ soil macrofauna exclusion experiment to date. The link between termite ecology, biogeography and evolution is discussed as well as the contribution of this thesis to the field of termite ecology. This thesis is not currently available on ORA

Termite_transect_data_2015

Encounter data of termites in three transects using a standardised sampling method based on Jones and Eggleton (2000)

Data from: The local impact of macrofauna and land-use intensity on soil nutrient concentration and exchangeability in lowland tropical Peru

Agricultural expansion is a major driver of deforestation which has negative consequences for biodiversity and stability. While sustainable farming is known to be beneficial for biodiversity and crop resilience, little is known about the impact of macrofauna and land-use intensity on soil quality. In this study, we examine the relative effects of (1) soil macrofauna and (2) land-use (primary forest, agroforestry, annual crop) on element depletion rates, concentration, and exchangeability in standardised soil. We used microcosms with two different mesh sizes, 0.25mm and 5mm, to exclude and include macrofauna, respectively. The microcosms were incubated for up to a year throughout which samples were collected without replacement. Macrofauna did not have a significant impact on any of the soil parameters which is likely due to the low diversity of termites in the sites. Land-use intensity significantly affected cation depletion rates whose effects increased in order of primary forest<agroforestry<annual crop. At the end of the study soil Mg+2 concentration and Ca/Mg ratio in the agroforestry site differed from other land-use sites. Our results suggest that both bottom-up and top-down interactions have major effects on soil conditions and the results should therefore be used to advice future research and policy around land-use management

The Customer Isn't Always Right—Conservation and Animal Welfare Implications of the Increasing Demand for Wildlife Tourism

<div><p>Tourism accounts for 9% of global GDP and comprises 1.1 billion tourist arrivals per annum. Visits to wildlife tourist attractions (WTAs) may account for 20–40% of global tourism, but no studies have audited the diversity of WTAs and their impacts on the conservation status and welfare of subject animals. We scored these impacts for 24 types of WTA, visited by 3.6–6 million tourists per year, and compared our scores to tourists’ feedback on TripAdvisor. Six WTA types (impacting 1,500–13,000 individual animals) had net positive conservation/welfare impacts, but 14 (120,000–340,000 individuals) had negative conservation impacts and 18 (230,000–550,000 individuals) had negative welfare impacts. Despite these figures only 7.8% of all tourist feedback on these WTAs was negative due to conservation/welfare concerns. We demonstrate that WTAs have substantial negative effects that are unrecognised by the majority of tourists, suggesting an urgent need for tourist education and regulation of WTAs worldwide.</p></div

Welfare and conservation scores for the 24 selected WTA types.

<p><b>BD</b> = Bear dancing, <b>BF</b> = Bear bile farms, <b>BP</b> = Bear parks, <b>BS</b> = Bear sanctuary, <b>CC</b> = Civet coffee, <b>CF</b> = Crocodile farms, <b>DC</b> = Captive dolphin interactions, <b>DM</b> = Dancing macaques, <b>DS</b> = Dolphin sanctuary, <b>DW</b> = Wild dolphin interactions, <b>EP</b> = Elephant parks, <b>ES</b> = Elephant sanctuary, <b>GT</b> = Gorilla trekking, <b>GW</b> = Gibbon watching, <b>HM</b> = Hyena men (Nigeria), L<b>E</b> = Lion encounters, <b>LS</b> = Lion sanctuary, <b>OS</b> = Orang-utan sanctuary, <b>PW</b> = Polar bear watching, <b>SC</b> = Snake charming, <b>SD</b> = Shark cage diving, <b>SF</b> = Sea turtle farm, <b>TF</b> = Tiger farms, <b>TI</b> = Tiger interactions.</p

Flow charts detailing the logic underpinning the allocation of a) conservation scores and b) welfare scores to types of wildlife tourist attractions (WTA types).

<p>Final scores range from -3 to +3 and are indicated below the relevant boxes. LC, NT, VU, EN, CR indicate the IUCN Redlist status of the species (Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered). Please see accompanying information in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0138939#pone.0138939.s001" target="_blank">S1 Appendix</a>.</p