Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

Research Article

Properties of Arboreal Ant and Ground-Termite Nests in relation to Their Nesting Sites and Location in a Tropical-Derived Savanna

Table 6

Interaction effects of soil engineers’ nesting substrates (sites) and soil locations on the mean values of some physicochemical properties of soil engineers’ biogenic structures and their adjacent soils.

Soil engineer

Nesting site

Soils locations

C¹ (%)

N¹ (%)

SOM¹ (%)

Base¹ sat. (%)

CEC

Exchangeable bases

pH value

(mg/kg)

Particle size (%)¹

Textural class

Ca²⁺

Mg²⁺

K⁺

Na²⁺

H₂O

KCl

Clay

Silt

Fine sand

Coarse sand

Ant

C. nitida

Adj. soil

0.6_a

0.09_a

1.1_a

36.2_b

12.2_a

1.9_sb

1.30_a

0.12_a

0.47_a

6.8_sb

6.2_sb

17.9_s

6.0_a

33.5_a

54.5_a

B. structure

14.0_b

0.65_a

24.2_b

45.6_b

43.6_c

8.4_c

9.10_e

1.06_b

0.54_a

6.8_sb

6.5_b

90.0_b

19.0_b

16.0_sb

0.5_a

64.5_a

Ant

I. gabonensis

Adj. soil

0.5_a

0.08_a

0.8_a

48.9_b

18.0_a

1.7_ab

4.00_c

0.14_a

0.48_a

6.7_sb

6.3_b

10.9_a

6.0_a

7.0_a

23.0_a

64.0_a

B. structure

17.8_b

1.69_b

30.7_c

23.6_a

72.6_d

3.9_b

7.50_d

3.33_c

0.54_a

6.8_sb

6.4_b

97.5_b

26.0_b

29.0_b

0.0_a

45.0_a

SCL

Ant

M. indica

Adj. soil

0.7_a

0.11_a

1.2_a

8.9_a

36.6_bc

1.1_a

1.10_a

1.10_b

0.41_a

6.7_sb

5.7_sb

9.5_a

14.0_a

14.0_sb

7.0_a

65.0_a

B. structure

13.3_b

0.82_a

22.9_b

36.4_b

41.8_c

3.2_ab

2.80_b

3.27_c

0.51_a

6.4_sb

5.7_sb

76.6_b

21.0_b

16.0_sb

13.5_a

49.5_a

SCL

Ant

N. leavis

Adj. soil

0.7_a

0.08_a

1.4_a

26.2_a

25.0_a

2.5_ab

1.70_a

0.17_a

0.51_a

7.4_b

6.4_b

18.8_a

6.0_a

11.0_a

20.0_a

63.0_a

B. structure

13.2_b

0.79_a

31.5_c

46.1_b

66.0_d

9.7_c

7.30_d

1.89_bc

0.58_a

7.2_b

6.4_b

75.2_b

15.5_b

21.0_b

14.5_a

49.0_a

Ant

P. macrophylla

Adj. soil

1.0_a

0.14_a

1.7_a

16.8_a

28.6_b

1.7_ab

1.40_a

0.18_a

0.48_a

6.1_a

5.4_a

13.4_a

13.0_a

10.0_a

22.0_a

55.0_a

B. structure

15.6_b

2.41_b

27.2_b

23.2_a

43.6_c

2.6_ab

3.20_b

3.37_c

0.51_a

7.5_b

7.0_b

72.1_b

18.0_b

14.0_sb

16.5_a

51.5_a

Termite

Ground

Adj. soil

1.0_a

0.11_a

1.7_a

13.5_a

31.8_b

1.1_a

0.70_a

0.08_a

0.40_a

6.1_a

5.9_sb

25.9_a

11.0_a

10.0_a

15.0_a

64.0_a

B. structure

1.5_a

0.27_a

3.4_a

28.4_b

40.6_a

1.8_ab

1.30_a

0.33_a

0.51_a

6.4_sb

5.4_a

21.4_a

16.0_b

9.0_a

26.0_a

49.0_a

-value

12.96

14.55

10.31

4.20

4.97

22.20

9.86

44.89

0.34

11.91

9.67

10.45

4.77

9.66

2.62

0.68

—

d.f.

—

value

0.001

0.008

0.003

0.001

0.883

0.001

0.004

0.001

0.053

0.641

—

AWC: available water capacity; DR: dispersion ratio; S: sand; SL: sandy loam; SCL: sandy clay loam; LS: loamy sand; B. structure: biogenic structure;
P: phosphorus. C: carbon; N: nitrogen; CEC: cation exchange capacity.
¹Results of angular transformed data presented in the original scale.
Values within a column followed by the same letter are not significantly different.