Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Additional categories include the highly polyphagous species and the few specialist
feeders referred to above. As considered in Chapter IV.5.2.1, substantial dietary overlaps
occur between members of the first three groups and dietary shifts may result from food
shortages.
Termite nests occur in the following six main locations:
(i) within the wood of living and dead trees, and in fallen timber;
(ii) subterranean locations;
(iii) epigeal nests;
(iv) intermediate nests on the lower parts of tree trunks, usually in contact with the soil;
(v) arboreal nests; and
(vi) within the nests of other species (Noirot, 1970; Martius, 1994) (Figure III.53).
Abe (1987) integrated the six 'life types' he defined into three broad categories,
although transitional types also occur (Lenz, 1994):
(i) 'One-piece' types. These include the 'dry' and 'damp' or 'wet' wood feeding ter-
mites. In this type, the entire colony generally lives in one piece of wood for the whole of
its existence and normally doesn't attempt to locate additional food resources. However,
some dry wood species may extend their colonies into living wood. Examples include
most
Kalotermitidae,
Termopsidae and
species of
the
genus
Prorhinotermes
(Rhinotermitidae),
(ii) 'Intermediate' types. Species in this group nest predominantly in wood but construct
galleries to exploit other food resources. Australian examples of this group include
Coptotermes acinaciformis
and
Mastotermes darwiniensis.
(iii) 'Separate' types. This grouping comprises the many species that nest apart from
