Some aspects of the biology and pedological significance of mound-building termites in a red and yellow earth landscape near charters towers, north Queensland

Abstract

The five species of mound-building termites occurring in red and yellow earths in a semi-arid woodland near Charters Towers, north Queensland, were found to be Amitevmes vitiosus Hill, Dvepanotermes vubviceps (Froggatt), Nasutitevmes longipennis (Hill), Tumulitevmes pastinatov (Hill), and Tumulitevmes sp, indet.; their distributions and associations with nine other inquiline termite species are discussed. Amitermes vitiosus mounds accounted for 68% of all the mounds examined. Although no significant difference was found in total numbers of mounds per hectare between soils, significantly more mounds of harvester than forager termite species were found on the yellow earths. The number of termite mounds per hectare was estimated at 283 and the total soil material in all the mounds, if spread evenly over the ground, would form a layer 1.25 mm thick. Some of the uncertainties involved in the determination of the amount of soil reworked by termites are discussed. Conservatively estimated rates of accumulation of soil of 0.50-0.025 mm/year indicate that one generation of termite mounds could rework up to 20 t/ha of soil. The 20 cm thick sandy loam A horizons of both the red and yellow earths may have accumulated from the erosional degradation of termite mounds over the past 8000 years.