Properties of Arboreal Ant and Ground-Termite Nests in relation to Their Nesting Sites and Location in a Tropical-Derived Savanna
Joint Authors
Attama, L. A.
Echezona, B. C.
Igwe, Charles A.
Source
Issue
Vol. 2012, Issue 2012 (31 Dec. 2012), pp.1-11, 11 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2012-02-28
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
11
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Ecosystem engineers such as ants and termites play an important role in the fertility of tropical soils.
Physicochemical analyses were thus carried out on some arboreal ant nests collected from mango (Mangifera indica), bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis), kola (Cola nitida), newbouldia plant (Newbouldia laevis), and oil bean plant (Pentaclethra macrophylla) and on ground nest of termite, Odontotermes sudanensis Sjost.
(Isoptera: Termitidae) in Nigeria.
Arboreal nests, particularly those of M.
indica, were significantly richer in the chemical constituents sampled, compared to those of ground-termite nests or adjacent unaffected soils.
Available water capacity of nests from M.
indica (60.0%) was significantly higher than those of other sites or locations sampled.
While biogenic structures were sandy-loamy in texture, their corresponding adjacent soils were either sandy or sandy-loamy.
Soils worked by ants and termites had greater proportions of silt-sized (17.9 versus 9.7) and clay-sized (19.2 versus 9.3) to the detriment of coarse-sized particles (51.2 versus 60.9) and fine-sand-sized particles (11.7 versus 20.1) relative to the adjacent soils.
Generally, biogenic structures were about 348% richer in P than their corresponding adjacent soils; an attribute, which holds a strong promise in bioremediation and biofortification of soils especially during amendment.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Echezona, B. C.& Igwe, Charles A.& Attama, L. A.. 2012. Properties of Arboreal Ant and Ground-Termite Nests in relation to Their Nesting Sites and Location in a Tropical-Derived Savanna. Psyche،Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-11.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-456097
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Echezona, B. C.…[et al.]. Properties of Arboreal Ant and Ground-Termite Nests in relation to Their Nesting Sites and Location in a Tropical-Derived Savanna. Psyche No. 2012 (2012), pp.1-11.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-456097
American Medical Association (AMA)
Echezona, B. C.& Igwe, Charles A.& Attama, L. A.. Properties of Arboreal Ant and Ground-Termite Nests in relation to Their Nesting Sites and Location in a Tropical-Derived Savanna. Psyche. 2012. Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-11.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-456097
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-456097