The role of termites in an equatorial rain forest ecosystem of West Malaysia

Published Date
January 1979, Volume 38, Issue 3, pp 261–274

Article

Received: 

21 September 1978

DOI: 10.1007/BF00345187

Cite this article as: 

Matsumoto, T. & Abe, T. Oecologia (1979) 38: 261. doi:10.1007/BF00345187

Title 

The role of termites in an equatorial rain forest ecosystem of West Malaysia

II. Leaf litter consumption on the forest floor

Author 

Tadao Matsumoto, 

Takuya Abe

Summary

To estimate the rate of consumption of leaf litter by termites on the forest floor of Pasoh Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, West Malaysia, newly fallen leaves were marked and distributed on the ground. The loss of leaf area due to termites was determined either photometrically or visually. An average of 1.70% of the total surface area of the leaf litter disappeared per week in experiment 1 and 1.25% in experiment 2 in Plot 1, and 2.9% per day in other plots located near the mounds of Macrotermes carbonarius. The amount of leaf litter accumulation in the Ao layer was estimated at about 2.3 t/ha at Plot 1, so it was likely that an amount equivalent to about 32% of the daily leaf-litter fall was transported by M. carbonarius to their mounds in experiment 1 and 22% in experiment 2. It was considered that the termites had an important role in the detritus food chain of the ecosystem.

Japanese Contribution No. 13, IBP Pasoh Project

References

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