JOURNAL of Soil Biology and Ecology

Do Odontotermes obesus (Rambur) exhibit uniformity in their deposition of earthen sheeting across various tree species?

Author:T.G.AVINASH and N.G.KUMAR

Abstract :

Odontotermes obesus (Rambur) (Isoptera: Termitidae) constructs mound nests, and the worker termites forage for various organic residues during favorable conditions. During these foraging activities, the soldiers accompany the workers in different proportions. Since these castes are soft-bodied insects, they create earthen sheeting while foraging to protect themselves from abiotic factors and natural enemies. The present study was conducted in an undisturbed natural grassland ecosystem with sparse trees in a botanical garden. Workers constructed earthen sheeting that was collected at various heights (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, and 270 cm) from the soil surface on the trunks of eucalyptus, silver oak, and teak trees in a 15.70 sq. cm area. The weight of the earthen sheeting deposited by the workers varied from 20.91 g at 0 cm to 5.26 g at 270 cm above the soil surface on the eucalyptus tree trunk. On the silver oak tree, the weight ranged from 14.42 g to 4.73 g. For the teak tree bark, the range was from 10.66 g to 3.96 g.

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