Influence of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline on termite assemblages
Paper Details
Influence of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline on termite assemblages
Abstract
The study of Chad-Cameroon pipeline disturbances on termite assemblages was conducted in 9 sites in the savannah and forest ecosystems, five years following the completion of the works. In each site an experimental design was made up of four transect belts, 100 m long by 2 m wide, two in the disturbed zone and two in the undisturbed zone . Soil samples were taken in the fifth, ninth and fifteenth sections of each of the transect belt to measure the impact of the work on soil texture and chemical properties. Furthermore, termites were inventoried in the whole transect belt. The pipeline construction disrupted significantly the soil textural parameters, bulk density, water properties and soil organic matter. In all 36 transects, 99 termite species were collected. The overall species richness decreased in the disturbed zone but the overall density was not changed. However, the abundance of wood feeding termites significantly increased whereas the species richness and abundance of soil feeding termites decreased. The relatively small difference in termite assemblages between disturbed and undisturbed areas is greatly explained by the fact that ecosystems crossed by the pipeline were already noticeably degraded before the pipeline installation.
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