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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Nutrient storage in soils and nests of mound-building Trinervitermes termites in Central Burkina Faso: Consequences for soil fertility
Biology and Fertility of Soils, Volume 43, No. 4, Year 2007
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Description
Nest structures of two termite species (Trinervitermes spp.) with epigeal (above-ground) mounds were analyzed to compare their nutrient status with that of adjacent soils. To take into account soil variability, the observations and samplings were made in three toposequences of different and representative West African savanna soils. The data showed the high degree of adaptation of these termite species to a large range of soil types and environments. Mounds of Trinervitermes geminatus and Trinervitermes trinervius, both grass-feeders, contained more clay, organic matter (OM), and exchangeable cations than the surrounding surface layer soil. The storage of OM and exchangeable cations was determined for T. geminatus nests and compared to the surrounding soil. Despite substantial nutrient storage in mounds, its total weight appeared low when compared to the nutrient storage in the surrounding 0-15 cm of soil surface layer. This illustrates how contradictory points of view on the use of termite mounds in agriculture need to be clarified using a classical approach that takes into account data by species; and this also evaluates the contribution of different termite mounds to nutrient fluxes and storage and the exact stocking rate of living mounds. © 2006 Springer-Verlag.
Authors & Co-Authors
Brossard, Michel
France, Montpellier
Ird Centre de Montpellier
López-Hernández, Danilo
Venezuela, Caracas
Universidad Central de Venezuela
Lepage, Michel G.
France, Paris
École Normale Supérieure
Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou
Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement Ouagadougou
Leprun, Jean Claude
France, Montpellier
Ird Centre de Montpellier
Statistics
Citations: 67
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1007/s00374-006-0121-6
ISSN:
01782762
Research Areas
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Study Locations
Burkina Faso