Urban Entomology Laboratory, Vector Control Research Unit, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.
J Econ Entomol. 2010 Apr;103(2):437-42. doi: 10.1603/ec09259.
Moisture is an important physical factor for the survival of termites. The effects of different moisture levels (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25%) of a sand substrate on the behavior of laboratory groups of Microcerotermes crassus Snyder and Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Termitidae: Rhinotermitidae) were evaluated. Moisture content of sand affected wood consumption and influenced termite distribution across a moisture gradient for M. crassus. Changing the moisture parameters affected the location preference of C. gestroi, but the effect on wood consumption was not significant. Nonetheless, M. crassus and C. gestroi showed a similar distribution pattern of association with particular moisture levels.
水分是白蚁生存的一个重要物理因素。本研究评估了沙基中不同水分水平（0、5、10、15、20 和 25%）对实验室饲养的粗角鼻白蚁（Microcerotermes crassus Snyder）和台湾乳白蚁（Coptotermes gestroi（Wasmann））（等翅目：白蚁科：鼻白蚁科）行为的影响。沙的水分含量影响了木材的消耗，并影响了粗角鼻白蚁在水分梯度上的分布。改变水分参数会影响台湾乳白蚁的位置偏好，但对木材消耗的影响不显著。尽管如此，粗角鼻白蚁和台湾乳白蚁与特定水分水平的关联分布模式相似。
