SOIL ORGANISMS - Soil Ecology - page 316

A range of other specialised vertebrate predators exist; examples include many lizards
(Abensperg-Traun and Steven, 1997a) and small blind snakes of the family Typhlopidae.
Beyond the specialised vertebrate predators, termites are subject to predation by a
wide range of general predators, particularly the swarming alates (Deligne et al., 1981;
Grassé, 1986). Ants are without doubt the most important invertebrate termite predators
and Wheeler (1936) recognised the following five categories of ants in terms of their
relationships with termites:
(i) termitharpactic ants raid termite colonies and are specialised termite predators;
(ii) cleptobiotic ants steal termite prey and other food materials from the termitharpactic
and other ants;
(iii) termitolestic ants occur in termite nests where they prey on eggs and the termites,
especially those that have been injured;
(iv) inquiline ants range from those occupying completely or partially abandoned
termitaria to those that may attack and destroy the host termite population;
(v) termitoxenic ants live among the termites without any evidence of mutual hostility.
Mutualistic relationships between ants and termites are also known. In northeastern
Australia, two ants of the genus Camponotus reportedly defend the epigeal mounds of
the litter-feeding species Amitermes laurensis from attacks by the meat ant Iridomyrmex
sanguineus (Higashi and Ito, 1989). The camponotine ants depend on the termitaria for
their nesting sites and may receive food from the termites in exchange for their defen-
sive activities.

4.3.3 ANTS

Ants may occur in great numbers in soils and on their surfaces. They are considered
as ecosystem engineers since they build a large variety of structures in soils and at