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Guild distribution of some termites from cerrado vegetation in south-east Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Terezinha Abreu Gontijo  and
Denize Junqueira Domingos
Terezinha Abreu Gontijo
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Denize Junqueira Domingos
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CP 2486. CEP 30161 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Abstract

The distributional patterns and food preferences of some cerrado vegetation termites were studied in an area of 2500 m2 in south-east Brazil. All the termitaria were mapped and opened for identification of the species present. Their spatial distribution was studied using the nearest neighbour method (Clark & Evans 1954). We found 46 termite species in 450 nests. The majority of them were wood feeders. The general distribution of termitaria was regular. The distributional patterns of grass and litter feeders were not significantly different from a random distribution. Soil and organic matter feeders were contagiously distributed. The distribution of wood feeders was also contagious. Their spatial distribution was largely influenced by the distribution of the species Nasutitermes sp. 1 and Armitermes euamignathus. These two species occurred in two distinct patches, suggesting resource partitioning.

Keywords

BrazilCerradofood habitfood preferencesavannaspatial distributiontermite
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 7 , Issue 4 , November 1991 , pp. 523 - 529
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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