Out of the forest: how termites live inside and outside tropical rainforests

Most tropical termites evolved in tropical rain forest, yet they are ecologically dominant in tropical grassy biomes where they are vital decomposers and ecosystem engineers. The colonisation of these areas is not without potential costs; termites need to adjust to a highly variable, drier climate, from one that is highly buffered and wet. This project will explore how termites have adapted to these new environments and examine the explanatory power of an ecophysiological approach to species distributions, using a natural precipitation gradient across west Africa.

The project will examine climatic factors affecting termites, and their adaptations to them, using data from individual termites and colonies. Four sites across a precipitation gradient in Ghana will be sampled: wet & dry forest, wet & dry savanna. Termites will be collected using standard sampling methods. The thermal and desiccation tolerances of selected species will be determined. Mounds will also be examined to see if these structures provide any additional buffering services. Species distribution models based on climate will be developed and compared against a pure eco-physiological model.

This project will help us understand better the controls to termite distributions using novel physiological data and we will be able to predict how species may shift in their distribution under human-disturbance and climate change. The project will also connect with the newly funded Royal Society /DFiD funded Soil Fauna in Africa (SoFIA) programme.