Effects of termite sheetings on soil properties under two contrasting soil management practices

[en] Soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics and termite activity have now been widely accepted as key players forimproving soil properties in tropical agro-ecosystems. Numerous studies have described environmental impactsof aboveground termite mounds, while few data are available on temporary structures built for food foraging,called termite sheetings. The effects of termite activity on soil properties resulting from organic matter (OM)amendment under two contrasting management practices were studied in similar pedological and climaticconditions in Southern India (Auroville). Our results showed an increase in bio-available nutrients (K, Mg and P),organic carbon (OC) content, cationic exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable base cations and water pH in thetermite sheetings compared to the underlying and reference soils, in the organic tilledfield. On the other hand,only bio-available K increased in the permanent raised beds. Aggregation processes were improved in termitesheetings for the organic tilledfield, as the amounts of macroaggregates (250μm–2 mm) and protected mi-croaggregates increased, whereas the amount of free microaggregates (50–250μm) decreased. Moreover, termiteactivity favoured SOM storage in termite sheetings by increasing OC content in each aggregate fraction, while nodifferences were observed in the permanent raised beds. Our study demonstrates that termite activity can im-prove nutrient availability, carbon storage and pH conditions in agro-ecosystems but that the magnitude of theeffect likely depends on the agronomic practices in use.

Disciplines :

Environmental sciences & ecology

Author, co-author :

Lejoly, Justine

Cornelis, Jean-Thomas ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Ingénierie des biosystèmes (Biose) > Echanges Eau-Sol-Plantes

Van Ranst, Eric

Jansegers, E

Tarpin, C

Degré, Aurore ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Ingénierie des biosystèmes (Biose) > Echanges Eau-Sol-Plantes

Colinet, Gilles ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Ingénierie des biosystèmes (Biose) > Echanges Eau-Sol-Plantes

Malaisse, François ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Ingénierie des biosystèmes (Biose) > Biodiversité et Paysage

Language :

English

Title :

Effects of termite sheetings on soil properties under two contrasting soil management practices

Publication date :

2019

Journal title :

Pedobiologia

ISSN :

0031-4056

Publisher :

Elsevier, Netherlands

Volume :

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 16 August 2019

Statistics

Number of views

110 (3 by ULiège)

Number of downloads

1 (1 by ULiège)

More statistics

Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
without self-citations

OpenCitations

Bibliography

Abe, S.S., Wakatsuki, T., Possible influence of termites (Macrotermes bellicosus) on forms and composition of free sesquioxides in tropical soils. Pedobiologia 53 (2010), 301–306, 10.1016/j.pedobi.2010.02.002.
Awadzi, T.W., Cobblah, M.A., Breuning-Madsen, H., The role of termites in soil formation in the tropical semi-deciduous forest zone. Ghana. Geogr. Tidsskr. 104 (2004), 27–34, 10.1080/00167223.2004.10649516.
Bagine, R.K.N., Soil translocation by termites of the genus Odontotermes (Holmgren) (Isoptera: Macrotermitinae) in an arid area of Northern Kenya. Oecologia 64 (1984), 263–266.
Baldwin, G., Declerq, B., Auroville farms, forests and botanical gardens Auroville. Prisma, Auroville, 2011.
Bottinelli, N., Jouquet, P., Capowiez, Y., Podwojewski, P., Grimaldi, M., Peng, X., Why is the influence of soil macrofauna on soil structure only considered by soil ecologists?. Soil Tillage Res. 146 (2015), 118–124, 10.1016/j.still.2014.01.007.
Bray, R.H., Kurtz, L.T., Determination of total, organic and available forms of phosphorus. Soil Sci. 59 (1945), 39–46.
Bremner, J., Mulvaney, C., Nitrogen-total. Methods of soil analysis. Part 2, chemical and microbiological. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. 9 (1996), 595–624.
Brune, A., Termite guts: the world's smallest bioreactors. Trends Biotechnol. 16 (1998), 16–21, 10.1016/S0167-7799(97)01151-7.
Cammeraat, L.H., Imeson, A.C., Deriving indicators of soil degradation from soil aggregation studies in southeastern Spain and Southern France. Geomorphology 23 (1998), 307–321, 10.1016/S0169-555X(98)00012-9.
Chhotani, O.B., Fauna of India: isoptera (Termites) volume II. 1997, Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta.
Collins, N.M., The effect of logging on termite (Isoptera) diversity and decomposition processes in lowland tropical forests. Furtado, J.I., (eds.) Tropical Ecology and Development, 1980, International Society of Tropical Ecology, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 113–121.
Decaëns, T., Jiménez, J.J., Gioia, C., Measey, G.J., Lavelle, P., The values of soil animals for conservation biology. Eur. J. Soil Biol. 42 (2006), S23–S38, 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2006.07.001.
de Tombeur, F., Sohy, V., Chenu, C., Colinet, G., Cornelis, J.-T., Effects of permaculture practices on soil physicochemical properties and organic matter distribution in aggregates: a case study of the Bec-Hellouin Farm (France). Front. Environ. Sci., 6, 2018, 116, 10.3389/fenvs.2018.00116.
Devine, S., Markewitz, D., Hendrix, P., Coleman, D., Soil aggregates and associated organic matter under conventional tillage, no-tillage, and forest succession after three decades. PLoS One 9 (2014), 1–12, 10.1371/journal.pone.0084988.
Donovan, S.E., Eggleton, P., Dubbin, W.E., Batchelder, M., Dibog, L., The effect of a soil-feeding termite, Cubitermes fungifaber (Isoptera: termitidae) on soil properties: termites may be an important source of soil microhabitat heterogeneity in tropical forests. Pedobiologia 45 (2001), 1–11.
Erens, H., Mujinya, B.B., Mees, F., Baert, G., Boeckx, P., Malaisse, F., Van Ranst, E., The origin and implications of variations in soil-related properties within Macrotermes falciger mounds. Geoderma 249–250 (2015), 40–50, 10.1016/j.geoderma.2015.03.003.
Eschenbrenner, V., Contribution des termites à la microagrégation des sols tropicaux. Cah. ORSTOM. Série. Pédologie. 22 (1986), 397–408.
FAO, Guidelines for Soil Profile Description (fourth edition). Rome, 2006.
Ferrar, P., Watson, J.A.L., Termites (Isoptera) associated with dung in Australia. Aust. J. Entomol. 9 (1970), 100–102, 10.1111/j.1440-6055.1970.tb00778.x.
Gao, G., Chang, C., Changes in CEC and particle size distribution of soils associated with long-term annual applications of cattle feedlot manure. Soil Sci. 161 (1996), 115–120.
Harit, A., Moger, H., Duprey, J.-L., Gajalakshmi, S., Shahid, Abbasi, A., Subramanian, S., Jouquet, P., Termites can have greater influence on soil properties through the construction of soil sheetings than the production of above-ground mounds. Insectes Soc. 64 (2017), 247–253, 10.1007/s00040-017-0541-3.
Harit, A., Shanbhag, R., Chaudhary, E., Cheik, S., Jouquet, P., Properties and functional impact of termite sheetings. Biol. Fertil. Soils 53 (2017), 743–749, 10.1007/s00374-017-1228-7.
Hole, F.D., Effects of animals on soil. Geoderma 25 (1981), 75–112, 10.1016/0016-7061(81)90008-2.
IS 2720, Methods of Test for Soils, Part 22: Determination of Organic Matter. 1972, Indian Standard, New Dehli.
IUSS Working Group WRB, World reference base for soil resources 2014, update 2015. International Soil Classification System for Naming Soils and Creating Legends for Soil Maps. World Soil Resources Reports No. 106, 2015, FAO, Rome.
Jones, D.T., Eggleton, P., Sampling termite assemblages in tropical forests: testing a rapid biodiversity assessment protocol. J. Appl. Ecol. 37 (2000), 191–203, 10.1046/j.1365-2664.2000.00464.x.
Jouquet, P., Blanchart, E., Capowiez, Y., Utilization of earthworms and termites for the restoration of ecosystem functioning. Appl. Soil Ecol. 73 (2014), 34–40, 10.1016/j.apsoil.2013.08.004.
Jouquet, P., Bottinelli, N., Lata, J.C., Mora, P., Caquineau, S., Role of the fungus-growing termite Pseudacanthotermes spiniger (Isoptera, Macrotermitinae) in the dynamic of clay and soil organic matter content. An experimental analysis. Geoderma 139 (2007), 127–133, 10.1016/j.geoderma.2007.01.011.
Jouquet, P., Chaudhary, E., Raja, A., Kumar, V., Sustainable use of termite activity in agro-ecosystems with reference to earthworms. A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev., 38, 2018, 10.1007/s13593-017-0483-1.
Jouquet, P., Chintakunta, S., Bottinelli, N., Subramanian, S., Caner, L., The influence of fungus-growing termites on soil macro and micro-aggregates stability varies with soil type. Appl. Soil Ecol. 101 (2016), 117–123, 10.1016/j.apsoil.2016.02.001.
Jouquet, P., Dauber, J., Lagerlöf, J., Lavelle, P., Lepage, M., Soil invertebrates as ecosystem engineers: intended and accidental effects on soil and feedback loops. Appl. Soil Ecol. 32 (2006), 153–164, 10.1016/j.apsoil.2005.07.004.
Jouquet, P., Guilleux, N., Chintakunta, S., Mendez, M., Subramanian, S., Shanbhag, R.R., The influence of termites on soil sheeting properties varies depending on the materials on which they feed. Eur. J. Soil Biol. 69 (2015), 74–78, 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2015.05.007.
Jouquet, P., Lepage, M., Velde, B., Termite soil preferences and particle selections: strategies related to ecological requirements. Insectes Soc. 49 (2002), 1–7, 10.1007/s00040-002-8269-z.
Jouquet, P., Mamou, L., Lepage, M., Velde, B., Effect of termites on clay minerals in tropical soils: fungus-growing termites as weathering agents. Eur. J. Soil Sci. 53 (2002), 521–527.
Kaiser, D., Lepage, M., Konate, S., Linsenmair, K.E., Ecosystem services of termites (Blattoidea: termitoidae) in the traditional soil restoration and cropping system Zai in northern Burkina Faso (West Africa). Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 236 (2017), 198–211, 10.1016/j.agee.2016.11.023.
Kleber, M., Eusterhus, K., Keiluweit, M., Mikutta, C., Mikutta, R., Nico, P.S., Chapter one – Mineral–organic associations: formation, properties, and relevance in soil environments. Adv. Agron. 130 (2015), 1–140, 10.1016/BS.AGRON.2014.10.005.
Lal, R., Soil degradation as a reason for inadequate human nutrition. Food Secur. 1 (2009), 45–57, 10.1007/s12571-009-0009-z.
Lavelle, P., Barros, E., Blanchart, E., Brown, G., Desjardins, T., Mariani, L., Rossi, J.P., SOM management in the tropics: why feeding the soil macrofauna?. Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosys. 61 (2001), 53–61, 10.1023/A:1013368715742.
Lavelle, P., Blanchart, E., Martin, A., Spain, A.V., Martin, S., Impact of soil fauna on the properties of soils in the humid tropics. Myths and Science of Soils of the Tropics, 1992, Soil Science Society of America and American Society of Agronomy, Madison, 157–185.
Lehmann, J., Kinyangi, J., Solomon, D., Organic matter stabilization in soil microaggregates: implications from spatial heterogeneity of organic carbon contents and carbon forms. Biogeochemistry 85 (2007), 45–57, 10.1007/s10533-007-9105-3.
Lehmann, J., Kleber, M., The contentious nature of soil organic matter. Nature 528 (2015), 60–68, 10.1038/nature16069.
Léonard, J., Rajot, J.L., Influence of termites on runoff and infiltration: quantification and analysis. Geoderma 104 (2001), 17–40, 10.1016/S0016-7061(01)00054-4.
Lobry de Bruyn, A.L., Conacher, A.J., The role of termites and ants in soil modification: a review. Aust. J. Soil Res. 28 (1990), 55–93, 10.1071/SR9900055.
Malaisse, F., High termitaria. Werger, M.J.A., (eds.) Monographiae Biologicae 31., 1978, Springer, Dordrecht, 1279–1300, 10.1007/978-94-009-9951-0_39.
Mehra, O., Jackson, M., Iron oxide removal from soils and clays by a dithionite-citrate system buffered with sodium bicarbonate. Swineford, A., (eds.) National Conference on Clays and Clay Minerals, Washington DC, 317–327, 1958, Pergamon Press.
Metson, A.J., Methods of Chemical Analysis for Soil Survey Samples. 1956, New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Wellington.
Mora, P., Seuge, C., Chotte, J.L., Rouland, C., Physico-chemical typology of the biogenic structures of termites and earthworms: a comparative analysis. Biol. Fertil. Soils 37 (2003), 245–249, 10.1007/s00374-003-0592-7.
Mujinya, B.B., Mees, F., Erens, H., Dumon, M., Baert, G., Boeckx, P., Ngongo, M., Van Ranst, E., Clay composition and properties in termite mounds of the Lubumbashi area, D.R. Congo. Geoderma 192 (2013), 304–315, 10.1016/j.geoderma.2012.08.010.
Mujinya, B.B., Van Ranst, E., Verdoodt, A., Baert, G., Ngongo, L.M., Termite bioturbation effects on electro-chemical properties of Ferralsols in the Upper Katanga (D.R. Congo). Geoderma 158 (2010), 233–241, 10.1016/j.geoderma.2010.04.033.
Nutting, W.L., Haverty, M.I., LaFage, J.P., Physical and chemical alteration of soil by two subterranean termite species in Sonoran Desert grassland. J. Arid Environ. 12 (1987), 233–239.
Nye, P.H., Some soil-forming processes in the humid tropics: IV. The action of the soil fauna. J. Soil Sci. 6 (1955), 73–83.
Peel, M.C., Finlayson, B.L., Mcmahon, T.A., Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. HESSD Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss 4 (2007), 439–473.
Pleysier, J., Juo, A., A single-extraction method using silver-thiourea for measuring exchangeable cations and effective CEC in soils with variable charges. Soil Sci. 129 (1980), 205–211.
Selvaraj, K., Ramasamy, S., Depositional environment of Cuddalore sandstone formation, Tamil Nadu. J. Geol. Soc. India. 51 (1998), 803–812.
Six, J., Bossuyt, H., Degryze, S., Denef, K., A history of research on the link between (micro) aggregates, soil biota, and soil organic matter dynamics. Soil Tillage Res. 79 (2004), 7–31, 10.1016/j.still.2004.03.008.
Six, J., Elliott, E.T., Paustian, K., Soil macroaggregate turnover and microaggregate formation: a mechanism for C sequestration under no-tillage agriculture. Soil Biol. Biochem. 32 (2000), 2099–2103, 10.1016/S0038-0717(00)00179-6.
Six, J., Elliott, E.T., Paustian, K., Aggregate and soil organic matter dynamics under conventional and no-tillage systems. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 63, 1999, 1350.
Six, J., Elliott, E.T., Paustian, K., Doran, J.W., Aggregation and soil organic matter Accumulation in cultivated and native grassland soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 62 (1998), 1367–1377, 10.2136/sssaj1998.03615995006200050032x.
Soil Survey Staff, Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys. 1999, United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington DC.
Tandon, H.L.S., Methods of Analysis of Soils, Plants, Waters, Fertilisers & Organic Manures, Methods of Analysis of Soils, Plants, Waters, Fertilisers & Organic Manures. 2005, Fertiliser Development and Consultation Organisation, New Delhi.
Trumbore, S.E., Potential responses of soil organic carbon to global environmental change. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 94 (1997), 8284–8291, 10.1073/pnas.94.16.8284.
von Lützow, M., Kögel-Knabner, I., Ekschmitt, K., Flessa, H., Guggenberger, G., Matzner, E., Marschner, B., SOM fractionation methods: relevance to functional pools and to stabilization mechanisms. Soil Biol. Biochem. 39 (2007), 2183–2207, 10.1016/j.soilbio.2007.03.007.
Waters, A., Oades, J., Organic matter in water stable aggregates. Wilson, W.S., (eds.) Advances in Soil Organic Matter Research: the Impact on Agriculture and the Environment, 1991, Woodhead Publishing, 163–174.