PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF TERMITE MOUNDS OF TWO SPECIES OF Macrotermes (ISOPTERA, TERMITIDAE) AND THE SURROUNDING SOILS OF THE SEMIARID SAVANNA OF KENYA

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Abstract
We studied the properties of termite mounds built by two closely related species of Macrotermes to assess whether the two species differed in sorting out soil constituents.Both species selectively preferred fine soil separates to construct the main hive (central part of mound), which is built almost entirely from particles less than 0.5 millimeters, but distinct differences were evident in the micromorphological composition of the multichambered nursery, which is a predominant structure of the hives. Macrotermes subhyalinus builds the nursery from loosely packed mineral particles; M. michaelseni packs the soil particles more tightly. The variable degree of repacking mineral grains by the two species thus determines the relative strengths of their hives.Exchangeable bases, organic carbon, and nitrogen are generally higher in the mound samples than in the surrounding subsoil. Low carbon-to-nitrogen ratios in the main hives appear to be related to their high clay contents. We studied the properties of termite mounds built by two closely related species of Macrotermes to assess whether the two species differed in sorting out soil constituents. Both species selectively preferred fine soil separates to construct the main hive (central part of mound), which is built almost entirely from particles less than 0.5 millimeters, but distinct differences were evident in the micromorphological composition of the multichambered nursery, which is a predominant structure of the hives. Macrotermes subhyalinus builds the nursery from loosely packed mineral particles; M. michaelseni packs the soil particles more tightly. The variable degree of repacking mineral grains by the two species thus determines the relative strengths of their hives. Exchangeable bases, organic carbon, and nitrogen are generally higher in the mound samples than in the surrounding subsoil. Low carbon-to-nitrogen ratios in the main hives appear to be related to their high clay contents. © Williams & Wilkins 1981. All Rights Reserved.

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