Grohmann, Constanze (2014): Table 1: Main characteristics of the BIOTA observatories included in this study & Table 3: Occurrence of termite taxa at the observatories [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.827696, Supplement to: Grohmann, C (2010): Termite mediated heterogeneity of soil and vegetation patternsin a semi‐arid savanna ecosystem in Namibia = Einfluss von Termiten auf Vegetations- und Bodenmuster eines semi-ariden Savannenökosystems in Namibia [dissertation]. Julius‐Maximilians‐Universität Würzburg, 100 pp, urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-54318
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Published: 2014-01-26 • DOI registered: 2014-02-23
Abstract:
Termites are the most important soil ecosystem engineers of semi‐arid and arid habitats. They enhance decomposition processes as well as the subsequent mineralisation of nutrients by bacteria and fungi. Through their construction of galleries, nests and mounds, they promote soil turnover and influence the distribution of nutrients and also alter texture and hydrological properties of soils, thereby affecting the heterogeneity of their ecosystem.
The main aim of the present thesis was to define the impact of termites on ecosys‐tem functioning in a semi‐arid ecosystem. In a baseline study, I assessed the diversity of termite taxa in relation to the amount of precipitation, the vegetation patterns and the land use systems at several sites in Namibia. Subsequently, I focussed on a species that is highly abundant in many African savannas, the fungus growing and mound building species Macro‐termes michaelseni (Sjöstedt, 1914). I asked how this species influences the spatial hetero‐geneity of soil and vegetation patterns. From repeated samplings at 13 sites in Namibia, I obtained 17 termite taxa of 15 genera. While the type of land use seems to have a minor effect on the termite fauna, the mean annual precipitation explained 96% and the Simpson index of vascular plant diversity 81% of the variation in taxa diversity. The number of termite taxa increased with both of these explanation variables.
In contrast to former studies on Macrotermes mounds in several regions of Africa that I reviewed, soil analyses from M. michaelseni mounds in the central Namibian savanna revealed that they contain much higher nitrogen contents when compared to their parent material. Further analyses revealed that nitrate forms a major component of the nitrogen content in termite mounds. As nitrate solves easily in water, evaporation processes are most probably responsible for the transport of solved nitrates to the mound surface and their accumulation there. The analysed mounds in central Namibia contained higher sand propor‐tions compared to the mounds of the former studies. Through the higher percentage of coarse and middle sized pores, water moves more easily in sandy soils compared to more clayey soils. In consequence, evaporation‐driven nitrate accumulation can occur in the studied mounds at high rates. ff...
Project(s):
Coverage:
Median Latitude: -22.573077 * Median Longitude: 16.936923 * South-bound Latitude: -26.400000 * West-bound Longitude: 14.730000 * North-bound Latitude: -18.300000 * East-bound Longitude: 19.260000
Minimum ELEVATION: 188 m a.s.l. * Maximum ELEVATION: 1865 m a.s.l.
Event(s):
Comment:
r: rare occurrence of the taxon at the Observatory; i.e. the taxon was not found during the standardized sampling, but during additional sampling.
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LATITUDE | Latitude | Geocode | |||
| 2 | LONGITUDE | Longitude | Geocode | |||
| 3 | ELEVATION | Elevation | m a.s.l. | Geocode | ||
| 4 | Biome | Biome | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 5 | Subtransect | Subtransect | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 6 | Name | Name | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 7 | Abbreviation | Abbrev | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 8 | Temperature, air, annual mean | MAAT | °C | Grohmann, Constanze | based on global interpolations, mostly from WorldClim (Hijmans et al. 2005; see http://www.worldclim.org) for the period 1950-2000 | |
| 9 | Temperature, annual range | ATR | °C | Grohmann, Constanze | Difference in the mean temperature between the coldest and the warmest month | |
| 10 | Precipitation, annual mean | MAP | mm | Grohmann, Constanze | based on global interpolations, mostly from WorldClim (Hijmans et al. 2005; see http://www.worldclim.org) for the period 1950-2000 | |
| 11 | Precipitation, seasonality | Precip season | % | Grohmann, Constanze | Variability of the precipitation among the means of the 12 months, expressed as coefficient of variation | |
| 12 | Simpson index of diversity | Simpson I | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 13 | Land use | Land use | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 14 | Land use | Land use | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 15 | Trinervitermes sp. | Trinervitermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 16 | Rhadinotermes sp. | Rhadinotermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 17 | Fulleritermes sp. | Fulleritermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 18 | Baucaliotermes hainesi | B. hainesi | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 19 | Promirotermes sp. | Promirotermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 20 | Microcerotermes sp. | Microcerotermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 21 | Lepidotermes sp. | Lepidotermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 22 | Angulitermes sp. | Angulitermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 23 | Amitermes sp. | Amitermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 24 | Odontotermes sp. | Odontotermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 25 | Odontotermes okahandjae | O. okahandjae | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 26 | Odontotermes okahandjae | O. okahandjae | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 27 | Microtermes sp. | Microtermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 28 | Macrotermes sp. | Macrotermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 29 | Allodontermes sp. | Allodontermes sp. | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 30 | Psammotermes allocerus | P. allocerus | Grohmann, Constanze | |||
| 31 | Hodotermes mossambicus | H. mossambicus | Grohmann, Constanze |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-3.0)
Size:
362 data points