Modification of soils in Nigerian savanna by soil-feeding Cubitermes (isoptera,termitidae)

Soil-feeding termites ingest humified, organic-rich soil. The soil faeces are used for nest construction and mounds of two species of Cubitermes contained more soil, clay, exchangeable Ca and Mg, available P, total N and organic C than adjacent topsoil. Available P increased by 1.4–6.0 times. Mounds of a plant-debris feeding termite, Trinervitermes, contained significantly more of these fractions, with the exception of available P, than adjacent topsoil. The modification of Trinervitermes mounds by Cubitermes resulted in a 2-fold increase in available P, whereas organic C remained the same and N increased by 1.5-times. The relatively large increase in available P resulting from soil feeding termites could be attributed to the high pH regime in their hind-guts.