@article{fdi:010075132,
  title = {{L}inking termite feeding preferences and soil physical functioning in southern-{I}ndian woodlands},
  author = {{C}heik, {S}. and {S}hanbhag, {R}. {R}. and {H}arit, {A}. and {B}ottinelli, {N}icolas and {S}ukumar, {R}. and {J}ouquet, {P}ascal},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}ermites are undoubtedly amongst the most important soil macroinvertebrate decomposers in semi-arid environments in {I}ndia. {H}owever, in this specific type of environment, the influence of termite foraging activity on soil functioning remains unexplored. {T}herefore, this study examines the link between the quality of litter and the functional impact of termite feeding preferences on soil properties and soil hydraulic conductivity in a deciduous forest in southern {I}ndia. {D}ifferent organic resources (elephant dung: "{ED}", elephant grass: "{EG}", acacia leaves: "{AL}" and layers of cardboard: "{CB}") were applied on repacked soil cores. {ED} appeared to be the most attractive resource to {O}dontotermes obesus, leading to a larger amount of soil sheeting (i.e., the soil used by termites for covering the litter they consume), more numerous and larger holes in the ground and a lower soil bulk density. {A}s a consequence, {ED} increased the soil hydraulic conductivity (4-fold) compared with the control soil. {T}hus, this study highlights that the more {O}. obesus prefers a substrate, the more this species impacts soil dynamics and water infiltration in the soil. {T}his study also shows that {ED} can be used as an efficient substrate for accelerating the infiltration of water in southern-{I}ndian soils, mainly through the production of galleries that are open on the soil surface, offering new perspectives on termite management in this environment.},
  keywords = {{O}dontotermes obesus ; sheeting ; termite foraging activity ; litter quality ; organic resource consumption ; soil water dynamic ; {INDE} ; {BANGALORE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{I}nsects},
  volume = {10},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {art. 4 [11 p.]},
  ISSN = {2075-4450},
  year = {2019},
  DOI = {10.3390/insects10010004},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010075132},
}