Abstract:
Subterranean termites are an important component of below ground biodiversity since
they live in the soil and they provide physical niche opportunities for lower level
organisms determining their community structure. The distribution and abundance of
termite species are used to indicate termite community structure. Soil physical and
chemical properties are often affected by termite activity. Therefore, land use systems
are suggested to be influenced by termites’ density and diversity through the different
operations executed by the farmers and the type of vegetation cover. This study was
instituted to determine termite diversity and abundance in different land cover types
in correlation to soil physical and chemical characteristics. It was carried out over a
period of 6 months during a dry period and a wet season. Two transects of 5m x 40m
and 200m x 600m were employed based on vegetation cover. Our results using
mainly the macrotermitinae termite community structure showed that land cover type
and season significantly affected the termites’ abundance (P=0.005). That termites
created islands of fertility in ecosystems via a type of ecosystem engineering. This
also study concluded that the conversion of forest into farmland negatively affects
termites’ abundance and consequently the soil quality decreases. Therefore,
sustainable use of agro- ecosystems is suggested to focus on the use of organic
manure to conserve termites which are important in improving soil fertility.
