Volume 31, Issue 3, December 2020, Pages 593–601
Akpesse A. Alexandre Moïse1, Coulibaly Tenon2, Agossadou H. Anette3, and Koua K. Herve4
1 Laboratoire de Zoologie et de Biologie Animale, UFR-Biosciences, Université Felix Houphouet Boigny de Cocody, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
2 Department of Animal Biology, UFR Sciences Biologiques, University Peleforo Gon Coulibaly of Korhogo, BP 1328 Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire
3 Laboratoire de Zoologie et de Biologie Animale, UFR-Biosciences, Université Felix Houphouet Boigny de Cocody, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
4 Laboratoire de Zoologie et de Biologie Animale, UFR-Biosciences, Université Felix Houphouet Boigny de Cocody, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
Original language: English
Copyright © 2020 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Conservation biologists are now studying how cultivated areas could be used to maintain good biological diversity. The aim of this study was to assess the assemblage of termites in lemon plantations in the Tiassalé region in southern Côte d'Ivoire. According to the standardized rapid estimation method (RAP) of biodiversity, termites were harvested from a 10-year-old lemon plantation in comparison with the primary forest. Three transects (100 m long and 2 m wide) were carried out in each environment. The results obtained showed that in total, 20 species of termites divided into 13 genera and 6 subfamilies were collected on the two plots. The specific richness was relatively low in the lemon plantation (12) compared to the primary forest (18 species). The Simpson index was higher in the forest (SI = 0.97) than in the plantation (SI = 0.77). The total abundance of termites was higher in the forest (71.33 ind./transect) than in the plantation (38 ind./transect). Fungus-growers were more abundant in the lemon plantation (24.33 ± 2.7 ind./transect) than in the forest which recorded an average abundance of 18.66 ± 2.87 ind./transect. Soil-feeders with 27.33 ± 1.36 ind./transect were more abundant in the forest than in the plantation. Grass-feeders, totally absent from the forest, were observed in the lemon plantation with a relative abundance of 2.66 ± 1.36 ind./transect. The lemon plantation would help restore termite communities in this area heavily disturbed by pineapple cultivation.
Author Keywords: Lemon tree, termites, community, diversity, abundance, Côte d’Ivoire.
Akpesse A. Alexandre Moïse1, Coulibaly Tenon2, Agossadou H. Anette3, and Koua K. Herve4
1 Laboratoire de Zoologie et de Biologie Animale, UFR-Biosciences, Université Felix Houphouet Boigny de Cocody, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
2 Department of Animal Biology, UFR Sciences Biologiques, University Peleforo Gon Coulibaly of Korhogo, BP 1328 Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire
3 Laboratoire de Zoologie et de Biologie Animale, UFR-Biosciences, Université Felix Houphouet Boigny de Cocody, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
4 Laboratoire de Zoologie et de Biologie Animale, UFR-Biosciences, Université Felix Houphouet Boigny de Cocody, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
Original language: English
Copyright © 2020 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Conservation biologists are now studying how cultivated areas could be used to maintain good biological diversity. The aim of this study was to assess the assemblage of termites in lemon plantations in the Tiassalé region in southern Côte d'Ivoire. According to the standardized rapid estimation method (RAP) of biodiversity, termites were harvested from a 10-year-old lemon plantation in comparison with the primary forest. Three transects (100 m long and 2 m wide) were carried out in each environment. The results obtained showed that in total, 20 species of termites divided into 13 genera and 6 subfamilies were collected on the two plots. The specific richness was relatively low in the lemon plantation (12) compared to the primary forest (18 species). The Simpson index was higher in the forest (SI = 0.97) than in the plantation (SI = 0.77). The total abundance of termites was higher in the forest (71.33 ind./transect) than in the plantation (38 ind./transect). Fungus-growers were more abundant in the lemon plantation (24.33 ± 2.7 ind./transect) than in the forest which recorded an average abundance of 18.66 ± 2.87 ind./transect. Soil-feeders with 27.33 ± 1.36 ind./transect were more abundant in the forest than in the plantation. Grass-feeders, totally absent from the forest, were observed in the lemon plantation with a relative abundance of 2.66 ± 1.36 ind./transect. The lemon plantation would help restore termite communities in this area heavily disturbed by pineapple cultivation.
Author Keywords: Lemon tree, termites, community, diversity, abundance, Côte d’Ivoire.
How to Cite this Article
Akpesse A. Alexandre Moïse, Coulibaly Tenon, Agossadou H. Anette, and Koua K. Herve, “Termite communities in lemon tree plantations (Citrus limon, Rutaceae) in the Tiassalé region (South of Côte d'Ivoire),” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 593–601, December 2020.
