Premium
The role of termites in the removal of elephant dung in the Tsavo (East) National Park Kenya
Author(s) -
COE MALCOLM
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2028.1977.tb00377.x
Subject(s) - foraging , dry season , national park , cow dung , wet season , biology , zoology , ecology , agronomy , fertilizer
Summary It has been noted that during the dry season the activity of coprophagous beetles on elephant dung decreases as that of termites increases. The action of termites on seventy plots provided with fresh (wet) dung, dry dung, water, dung liquid and con trols was investigated over a period of 38 days in August‐September 1973. The rate at which termites attack dung is shown to differ significantly from other treatments. It is calculated that all the dung deposited during the period of the study can potentially be removed in 85 days. Measurements of termite foraging activity on the surface of the ground concludes that galleries (<5 days old) cover 0.96% of the surface.