Termite Communities along A Disturbance Gradient in a West African Savanna.

ABSTRACT: (1) Background: Termites are important ecosystem engineers, crucial for the maintenance of tropical biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. But they are also pests which cause billions of dollars in damage annually to humans. Currently, our understanding of the mechanisms influencing species occurrences is limited and we do not know what distinguishes pest from non-pest species. (2) Method: We analyzed how anthropogenic disturbance (agriculture) affects species occurrences. We tested the hypothesis that strong disturbance functions as a habitat filter and selects for a subset of species which are major pests of crop. Using a cross-sectional approach, we studied termite assemblage composition along a disturbance gradient from fields to 12-year-old fallows in a West African savanna. (3) Resu

SUBMITTER: Schyra J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6358944 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature