干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Seasonal abundance of the harvester termite, Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen) (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae), and its impact on vegetation in a semi-arid grassland in Zimbabwe

Arid

DOI	10.4001/003.027.0201
	Seasonal abundance of the harvester termite, Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen) (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae), and its impact on vegetation in a semi-arid grassland in Zimbabwe
	Bissett, J. L.1; MacDonald, I. A. W.2; Mitchell, J. D.3
通讯作者	Mitchell, J. D.
来源期刊	AFRICAN ENTOMOLOGY
ISSN	1021-3589
EISSN	1026-4914
出版年	2019
卷号	27 期号:1 页码:201-217
英文摘要	The size of harvester termite Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen) (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae) populations on the clay-rich red-soils of semi-arid grasslands in southwestern Zimbabwe in any particular dry season was found to be strongly influenced by the annual rainfall received the preceding rainy season. The size of the termite population of the antecedent dry season also had an important influence. Populations were found to build up over successive dry years and crashed following a season of substantially above average rainfall to fall further after the next rainy season which was also above average. Termite populations and foraging activity also fluctuated considerably within seasons. There was an increase as the dry season progressed but foraging fell dramatically at the end of the season and remained at low levels throughout the summer months. Foraging was confined to degraded patches in the red-soil veld mosaic in the early dry season with expansion into the other grass communities occurring in the late dry season. Fluctuations in harvester termite populations had a marked effect on the extent of the foraging area and hence on the amounts of grass cover remaining in the degraded, ecotone and sound veld communities of the red-soil mosaic at the end of the dry season. Termite foraging activities serve to maintain the grass sward in a vigorous condition by preventing excessive accumulation of dead foliage on ungrazed sites and they had an important influence on the botanical changes which occurred within each grass community of the mosaic. The main effect was to favour those grass species such as Heteropogon contortus and Themeda triandra, that are intolerant of excessive top-hamper (standing dead grass) and litter accumulation.
英文关键词	termite population fluctuations termite activity foraging area grass sward
类型	Article
语种	英语
国家	Zimbabwe ; South Africa
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:000465610200021
WOS关键词	BEHAVIOR ; INSECTS
WOS类目	Entomology
WOS研究方向	Entomology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/213911
作者单位	1.Pleast Ways, POB MP13, Harare, Zimbabwe; 2.POB 29, ZA-3960 Hluhluwe, South Africa; 3.127 Malan St, ZA-0064 Pretoria, South Africa
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Bissett, J. L.,MacDonald, I. A. W.,Mitchell, J. D.. Seasonal abundance of the harvester termite, Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen) (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae), and its impact on vegetation in a semi-arid grassland in Zimbabwe[J],2019,27(1):201-217.
APA	Bissett, J. L.,MacDonald, I. A. W.,&Mitchell, J. D..(2019).Seasonal abundance of the harvester termite, Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen) (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae), and its impact on vegetation in a semi-arid grassland in Zimbabwe.AFRICAN ENTOMOLOGY,27(1),201-217.
MLA	Bissett, J. L.,et al."Seasonal abundance of the harvester termite, Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen) (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae), and its impact on vegetation in a semi-arid grassland in Zimbabwe".AFRICAN ENTOMOLOGY 27.1(2019):201-217.