Abstract
The role of termites as decomposers is undisputed at the level of the tropical forest floor (Martius 1994; Bignell and Eggleton 2000). The family Termitidae is especially diverse, with many taxa, collectively considered as soil feeders, feeding at a definite level in the humification gradient. Yet, the fundamental source of food for termites is wood, which can be exploited in several ways. Two extreme strategies are illustrated by small-colony dry-wood termites (family Kalotermitidae) and large-colony Nasutitermes (family Termitidae).
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Acknowledgments
Special thanks are due to the organizers of the IBISCA-Panama project (Yves Basset, Bruno Corbara, Héctor Barrios), the supporting institutions (Pro-Natura International, Océan Vert, l’Université Blaise Pascal, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), la Universidad de Panamá), and fund providers (Solvin-Solvay S.A., STRI, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Smithsonian Institution (Walcott fund), the European Science Foundation, and the Global Canopy Programme). Authors received additional support from the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.–FNRS), through personal grants to YR and a predoctoral fellowship to TB.
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Roisin, Y., Bourguignon, T., Leponce, M. (2013). Nutrient Recycling Starts in the Canopy: The Secretive Action of Termites. In: Lowman, M., Devy, S., Ganesh, T. (eds) Treetops at Risk. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7161-5_44
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7161-5_44
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