Li Hou-Feng, Yeh Hsin-Ting, Chiu Chun-I, Kuo Chih-Yu, Tsai Ming-Jer
1Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, 250, Guoguang Rd., Taichung 402, Taiwan (
4School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, National Taiwan University, 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan.
Environ Entomol. 2016 Jun 1;45(3):577-581. doi: 10.1093/ee/nvw019.
Termites are a key functional group in the forest ecosystem, but they damage trees. To investigate the termite infestation pattern on the whole tree, we cut 108 blackboard trees, Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br., and 50 Japanese cedars, Cryptomeria japonica (L. f.) D. Don, into sections. The bark surface and cross sections of the tree trunk were examined along the axes. A high percentage of blackboard trees (92.6%) was infested by fungus-growing termites, Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki), but damage was limited to the bark surface at a 2-m height. The infestation rate of dampwood termites, Neotermes koshunensis (Shiraki), was only 4.6% (5/108), and all infestations were associated with trunk wounds. N. koshunensis was found at significantly higher portion of a tree than O. formosanus. Among 50 Japanese cedars, 20 living trees were not infested by any termites, but 26 of the 30 dead trees were infested by subterranean termites, Reticulitermes flaviceps (Oshima), which excavated tunnels in the trunk. The infestation rate at basal sections was higher than that at distal sections. Only one Japanese cedar tree was infested by another dampwood termite, Glyptotermes satsumensis (Matsumura). The two dominant termite species, O. formosanus and R. flaviceps, had subterranean nests and infested trees from bottom up. The two primitive termites N. koshunensis and G. satsumensis had low infestation rates and are most likely to infest trees by alates from top down. The niche segregation in trees of three termite families, Kalotermitidae, Rhinotermitidae, and Termitidae, was distinct.
白蚁是森林生态系统中的一个关键功能类群，但它们会对树木造成损害。为了研究整棵树上的白蚁侵害模式，我们将108棵黑板树（盆架树，Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.）和50棵日本柳杉（Cryptomeria japonica (L. f.) D. Don）锯成段。沿着树干的轴线检查树皮表面和横截面。大量的黑板树（92.6%）受到培菌白蚁（黑翅土白蚁，Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki)）的侵害，但损害仅限于2米高处的树皮表面。湿木白蚁（恒春新白蚁，Neotermes koshunensis (Shiraki)）的侵害率仅为4.6%（5/108），且所有侵害都与树干伤口有关。恒春新白蚁在树上的分布位置明显高于黑翅土白蚁。在50棵日本柳杉中，20棵活树未受到任何白蚁的侵害，但30棵死树中有26棵受到地下白蚁（黄胸散白蚁，Reticulitermes flaviceps (Oshima)）的侵害，这些白蚁在树干中挖掘隧道。基部截面的侵害率高于远端截面。只有一棵日本柳杉受到另一种湿木白蚁（萨摩木白蚁，Glyptotermes satsumensis (Matsumura)）的侵害。两种优势白蚁物种，黑翅土白蚁和黄胸散白蚁，有地下巢穴，并从底部向上侵害树木。两种原始白蚁，恒春新白蚁和萨摩木白蚁，侵害率较低，最有可能通过有翅成虫从顶部向下侵害树木。木白蚁科、鼻白蚁科和白蚁科的三种白蚁在树木中的生态位分离明显。
