Effects of animal activity on the absorption rate of soils in the southern Karoo, South Africa.

Abstract

The rates of absorption into various microsites in Karoo soils were compared. The absorption of water by hard, bare intershrub soils was significantly increased by the presence of emergence holes of adult cicadas and near nest-mounds of the harvester ant Messor capensis. Both these insects play an important role in raising the amount of water that penetrates into the soil after rains. Illustrates with tablesLanguage: EnglishKeywords: Absorption rates; Heuweltjie; Karoo; Rangeland; Soil-fauna; Trampling; soils; south africa; absorption; cicadas; homoptera; cicadidae; nest mounds; messor capensis; insects; role; rain; mounds; water absorptio