Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-v2bm5 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-27T07:31:43.197Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Production of metabolic gases by nests of the termite Macrotermes jeanneli in Kenya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

J. P. E. C. Darlington ,
P. R. Zimmerman ,
J. Greenberg ,
C. Westberg  and
P. Bakwin
J. P. E. C. Darlington
Affiliation:
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado 80307, U.S.A.
P. R. Zimmerman
Affiliation:
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado 80307, U.S.A.
J. Greenberg
Affiliation:
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado 80307, U.S.A.
C. Westberg
Affiliation:
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado 80307, U.S.A.
P. Bakwin
Affiliation:
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado 80307, U.S.A.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Nests of a fungus-growing termite Macrotermes jeanneli discharge all their metabolic gases through a single outlet to the atmosphere. This made it possible to measure the production of metabolic gases, and the rates of water loss, for intact nests in the field. Rates of production of carbon dioxide and methane from isolated nest components (different termite castes and intact fungus combs) were measured. Using previously published nest population data and fungus comb weights in relation to nest size, the expected gas production rates for intact nests were calculated. These estimates were compared with direct observations of the gaseous outflow from intact nests. The rates were in reasonable agreement, but some nests emitted excess carbon dioxide, probably produced by respiration of tree roots and non-termite soil organisms. Large nests may have a total gas outflow of 100,000 to 400,000 1 d–1 including 800 to 1500 1 d–1 of CO2 and 0.5 to 1.3 1 d–1 of CH4. Nests lose water at the rate of up, to 13 1 d–1 gross, but allowing for ambient humidity the net water loss was up to about 5 1 d–1. Some of this is metabolic water, but the larger proportion comes from the soil. Area-based estimates of gas production were made for this and two other species of Macrotermes, but they are not accurate because the field distribution and mound density are not adequately known.

Keywords

carbon dioxidediurnal cyclesfungus-growing termitesheatmethanenestsventilationwater
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , July 1997 , pp. 491 - 510
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

Bagine, R. K. N., Darlington, J. P. E. C., Kat, P. & Ritchie, J. M. 1989. Nest structure and genetic differentiation of some morphologically similar species of Macrotermes in Kenya. Sociobiology 15:125–132.Google Scholar
Brauman, A., Kane, M. D., Labat, M. & Breznak, J. A. 1992. Genesis of acetate and methane by gut bacteria of nutritionally diverse termites. Science 257:1384–1387.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Collins, G. F., Bartlett, F. E., Turk, A., Edmonds, S. M., & Mark, A. L. 1965. A preliminary evaluation of gas air tracers. Journal of the Air Pollution Control Association 15:109–112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Collins, N. M. 1977. The population ecology and energetics of Macrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman) Isoptera. Ph.D. thesis, University of London. 339 pp.Google Scholar
Darlington, J. P. E. C. 1984a. Two types of mound built by the termite Macrotermes subhyalinus in Kenya. Insect Science and its Application 5:481–492.Google Scholar
Darlington, J. P. E. C. 1984b. A method for sampling the populations of large termite nests. Annals of Applied Biology 104:427–436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darlington, J. P. E. C. 1990. Populations in nests of the termite Macrotermes subhyalinus in Kenya. Insectes Sociaux 37:158–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darlington, J. P. E. C. 1991. Turnover in the populations within mature nests of the termite Macrotermes michaelseni in Kenya. Insectes Sociaux 38:251–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darlington, J. P. E. C., Zimmerman, P. R. & Wandiga, S. O. 1992. Populations in nests of the termite Macrotermes jeanneli (Grasse) in Kenya. Journal of Tropicical Ecology 8:73–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delmas, R. A., Servant, J., Tathy, J. P., Cros, B. & Labat, M. 1992. Sources and sinks of methane and carbon dioxide exchanges in mountain forest in equatorial Africa. Journal of Geophysical Research 97:6169–6179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drivas, P. J. & Shair, A. 1974. A tracer study of pollutant transport and dispersion in the Los Angeles area. Atmosphere and Environment 8:1155–1163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grassé, P.-P. 1937. Le Bellicositermes jeanneli n. sp. constructeur de grandes termitières a cheminée. Bulletin de la Societé Entomologique de France 42:71–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khalil, M. A. K., Rasmussen, R. A., French, J. R. J. & Holt, J. A. 1990. The influence of termites on atmospheric trace gases: CH4, CO2, CHCl3, N2O, CO, H2, and light hydrocarbons. Journal of Geophysical Research 95:3619–3634.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, K. E. & Wood, T. G. 1971. Termites and soils. Academic Press. 251 pp.Google Scholar
Matsumoto, T. 1977. Respiration of fungus combs and CO2 concentration in the centre of mounds of some termites. Proceedings of the 8th International Congress of the IUSSI, Wageningen, 7977:104–106.Google Scholar
Matsumoto, T. 1978. Population density, biomass, nitrogen and carbon content, energy value and respiration rate of four species of termites in Pasoh Forest Reserve. Malayan Nature Journal 30:197–204.Google Scholar
McComie, L. D. & Dhanarajan, G. 1990. Respiratory rate and energy utilisation by Macrotermes carbonarius (Hagen) (Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae) in Penang, Malaysia. Insect Science and its Application 11:197–204.Google Scholar
Pomeroy, D. E., Bagine, R. K. & Darlington, J. P. E. C. 1991. Fungus-growing termites in East African savannas. Pp. 41–50 in Kayanja, F. I. B. & Edroma, E. L. (eds). African wildlife: research and management. ICSU Press, Paris.Google Scholar
Rohrmann, G. F. 1977. Biomass, distribution and respiration of colony components of Macrotermes ukuzii Fuller (Isoptera; Termitidae; Macrotermitinae). Sociobiology 2:283–295.Google Scholar
Rouland, C., Brauman, A., Labat, M. & Lepage, M. 1993. Nutritional factors affecting methane emission from termites. Chemosphere 26:617–622.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruelle, J. E. 1970. A revision of the termites of the genus Macrotermes from the Ethiopian region (Isoptera: Termitidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology 24:365–444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seiler, W., Conrad, R. & Scharffe, D. 1984. Field studies of methane emission from termites nests into the atmosphere and measurements of methane uptake by tropical soil. Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry 1:171–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sieber, R. & Kokwaro, E. D. 1982. Water intake by the termite Macrotermes michaelseni. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 31:147–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tyler, S. C., Zimmerman, P. R., Cumberbatch, C., Greenberg, J. P., Westberg, C. & Darlington, J. P. E. C. 1988. Measurements and interpretation of δ13C of methane from termites, rice paddies, and wetlands of Kenya. Global Geochemical Cycles 2:341–355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veivers, P. C., Muhlmann, R., Slaytor, M., Leuthold, R. H. & Bignell, D. E. 1991. Digestion, diet and polyethism in two fungus-growing termites: Macrotermes subhyalinus and M. michaelseni. Journal of Insect Physiology 37:675–682.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wandiga, S. O. & Mugedo, J. A. Z. 1987. Methane emissions by tropical termites feeding on soil, wood, grass, and fungus combs. Kenya Journal of Science and Technology, Series A, 8:19–25.Google Scholar
Zimmerman, P. R., Greenberg, J. P., Wandiga, S. O. & Crutzen, P. J. 1982. Termites: A potentially large source of atmospheric methane, carbon dioxide, and molecular hydrogen. Science 218:563–565.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed