Summary
Stable carbon isotope techniques were employed to study the food habits of the termite Macrotermes michaelseni (Isoptera: Termitidae) in a semiarid savanna habitat in Kenya. At Kajiado this species utilized approximately 70% herbaceous vegetation (mostly grass) and 30% woody vegetation, while at Ruiru approximately 64% of the vegetation utilized was woody and 36% herbaceous. Stabel carbon isotope ratios varied between castes within sites, but were consistent with the manner in which carbon flows through termite colonies. δ13C values increased in the sequence: diet→fungus comb→nonreproductive castes→reproductive castes. These results are in agreement with the idea that organic carbon becomes enriched in 13C as it passes through a food chain.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Adamson A (1943) Termites and the fertility of soils. Trop Agric 20:107–112
Arshad MA (1981) Physical and chemical properties of termite mounds of two species of Macrotermes (Isoptera: Termitidae) and the surrounding soils of the semiarid savanna of Kenya. Soil Sci 132:161–174
Arshad MA (1982) Influence of the termite Macrotermes michaelseni (Sjost) on soil fertility and vegetation in a semi-arid savanna ecosystem. Agro-Ecosystems 8:47–58
Boutton TW, Cameron GN, Smith BN (1978) Insect herbivory on C3 and C4 grasses. Oecologia (Berlin) 36:21–32
Boutton TW, Smith BN, Harrison AT (1980) Carbon isotope ratios and crop analyses of Arphia (Orthoptera: Acrididae) species in southeastern Wyoming grassland. Oecologia (Berlin) 45:299–306
Buchanan D, Corcoran B (1959) Sealed tube combustions for the determination of 14C and total carbon. Anal Chem 31:1635–1638
Collins NM (1981) The role of termites in the decomposition of wood and leaf litter in the Southern Guinea savanna of Nigeria. Oecologia (Berlin) 51:389–399
Craig H (1953) The geochemistry of the stable carbon isotopes. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 3:53–92
Craig H (1957) Isotopic standards for carbon and oxygen and correction factors for mass spectrometric analysis of carbon dioxide. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 12:133–149
Darlington JPEC (1977) Nest structure and distribution of the population within the nest of the termite Macrotermes subhyalinus. In: Proceedings of the VIII Congress IUSSI, Wageningen, The Netherlands pp 246–248
DeNiro M, Epstein S (1978) Influence of diet on the distribution of carbon isotopes in animals. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 42:495–506
Farquhar G (1980) Carbon isotope discrimination by plants: Effects of carbon dioxide concentration and temperature via the ratio of intercellular and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. In: Pearman GI (ed) Carbon dioxide and climate: Australian research, Canberra: Aust Acad Sci, pp 105–110
Fry B, Joern A, Parker P (1978) Grasshopper food web analysis: Use of carbon isotope ratios to examine feeding relationships among terrestrial herbivores. Ecology 59:498–506
Glover P, Trump E, Wateridge L (1964) Termitaria and vegetation patterns on the Loita Plains of Kenya. J Ecol 52:367–377
LaFage J, Nutting W (1978) Nutrient dynamics of termites. In: Brian MV (ed) Production ecology of ants and termites, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp 165–233
Lepage M (1978) The impact of the foraging populations of the termite Macrotermes subhyalinus on a semi-arid ecosystem (Kajiado-Kenya). Final Report Int Centre Insect Physiol Ecol
Lepage M (1979) La recolte en strate herbacee de Macrotermes aff subhyalinus (Isoptera: Macrotermitinae) dans un ecosysteme semi-aride (Kajiado-Kenya). CR UIEIS Sct Francaise 7–8 Sept 145–151
Livingstone D, Clayton W (1980) An altitudinal cline in tropical African grass floras and its paleoecological significance. Quat Res 13:293–402
Martin MM (1979) Biochemical implications of insect mycophagy. Biol Rev 54:1–21
McConnaughey T, McRoy C (1979) Food-web structure and the fractionation of carbon isotopes in the Bering Sea. Mar Biol 53:257–262
Mosora F, Lacroix M, Duchesne J (1971) Recherches sur les variations du rapport isotopique 13C/12C en fonction de la respiration et de la nature des tissus, chez les animaux superieurs. CR Acad Sci (Paris) Ser D 273:1752–1753
Rau GH (1980) Carbon-13/carbon-12 variation in subalpine lake aquatic insects: Food source implications. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 37:742–746
Rohrmann G, Rossman A (1980) Nutrient strategies of Macrotermes ukuzii (Isoptera: Termitidae). Pedobiologia 20:61–73
Ruyooka D (1980) Food handling and fungus comb turnover in laboratory and field Macrotermes michaelseni colonies. Int Centre Insect Physiol Ecol Annual Report No 7, Nairobi Kenya, pp 79–80
Smith B, Epstein S (1971) Two categories of 13C/12C ratios for higher plants. Plant Physiol 47:380–384
Smith B, Oliver J, McMillan C (1976) Influence of carbon source, oxygen concentration, light intensity, and temperature on 13C/ 12C ratios in plant tissues. Bot Gaz (Chicago) 137:99–104
Tieszen L, Hein D, Qvortrup S, Troughton J, Imbamba S (1979) Use of δ13C values to determine vegetation selectivity in East African herbivores. Oecologia (Berlin) 37:351–359
Wilson EO (1971) The Insect Societies, Cambridge: Harvard University Press
Wood TG (1978) Food and feeding habits of termites In: Brian MV (ed) Production ecology of ants and termites, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp 55–80
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Boutton, T.W., Arshad, M.A. & Tieszen, L.L. Stable isotope analysis of termite food habits in East African grasslands. Oecologia 59, 1–6 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388065
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388065