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Biodiversity inventories, indicator taxa and effects of habitat modification in tropical forest
Abstract
Despite concern about the effects of tropical forest disturbance and clearance on biodiversity,, data on impacts, particularly on invertebrates, remain scarce. Here we report a taxonomically diverse inventory on the impacts of tropical forest modification at one locality. We examined a gradient from near-primary, through old-growth secondary and plantation forests to complete clearance, for eight animal groups (birds, butterflies, flying beetles, canopy beetles, canopy ants, leaf-litter ants, termites and soil nematodes) in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, south-central Cameroon. Although species richness generally declined with increasing disturbance, no one group serves as a good indicator taxon for changes in the species richness of other groups. Species replacement from site to site (turnover) along the gradient also differs between taxonomic groups. The proportion of `morphospecies' that cannot be assigned to named species and the number of `scientist-hours' required to process samples both increase dramatically for smaller-bodied taxa. Data from these eight groups indicate the huge scale of the biological effort required to provide inventories of tropical diversity, and to measure the impacts of tropical forest modification and clearance.
... To protect fauna and minimize loss of diversity is important prior knowledge of biodiversity, as only by knowing the biological components it is possible to develop management actions, aiming to recover, conserve or preserve its integrity (Lawton et al., 1998). However, surveying all species requires time and financial resources, making the task unattainable in the short term (Lawton et al., 1998;Margules & Pressey, 2000). ...
... To protect fauna and minimize loss of diversity is important prior knowledge of biodiversity, as only by knowing the biological components it is possible to develop management actions, aiming to recover, conserve or preserve its integrity (Lawton et al., 1998). However, surveying all species requires time and financial resources, making the task unattainable in the short term (Lawton et al., 1998;Margules & Pressey, 2000). ...
Surrogate groups are used to find indicator groups and are a fast and effective way to assess biodiversity. For a surrogate group to be efficient, it needs to have strong congruence between different or similar groups. Understanding the surrogate groups in this area with high deforestation rates is extremely important to avoid or minimize the loss of biodiversity, which is severely threatened. The objective was to evaluate the congruence between fish assemblages, Heteroptera, and Odonata in streams in the Amazon–Cerrado transition area. The results showed weak congruence between Odonata and Heteroptera for both data sets. Discordant Odonata and fish showed weak but significant congruence with the abundance data, and with the incidence data the congruence was not significant. A similar result was obtained in the analysis of fish and Heteroptera, which were not congruent with any of the data sets used. The variance partition test, with abundance data, showed that both environmental and spatial variations are responsible for structuring the Heteroptera community, diverging from fish and Odonata did not respond to any of the variations verified, with incidence and abundance data, showing no relationship with environmental and spatial variations. Suggesting Odonata as a surrogate group for this region.
... It is reported that major native plant and animal species are disappearing from their habitat due to concrete constructions, strong lights, excess noise, etc. in urban areas. It has been suggested that re-vegetation of urban gardens and parks with native nectaring and host plants may fulfil the previous loss at least to some extent (Lawton et al 1998;Kuussaari et al 1996;Chandra et al 2007;Mukherjee et al. 2015). Thus, there is a scope to restore ecological balance by using in-situ or ex-situ conservation of both native plant and animal species. ...
... The insect order lepidoptera is considered as one of the most prevalent and widely familiar taxonomic group in the world. Butterflies belong to "Flagship taxa" in biodiversity inventories (New et al., 1995;Lawton et al., 1998). Larsen (1987) describes that among the insects butterflies are the most studied group. ...
Butterfly gardens have enough potential to act as a measure for butterfly conservation especially in the urban and semiurban landscapes. In the present article different aspects of butterfly garden and its role in butterfly conservation have
been discussed. To evaluate the role of butterfly garden in butterfly conservation a short term study was conducted in a
butterfly garden located inside the Eco-Park, Rajarhat, New town, Kolkata metropolis, West Bengal, India. A total of
2513 individual of butterflies belonging to 30 species and 5 families were recorded during the 6 month study period. It
was evident from the study that availability of larval host plant and nectaring plants along with proper landscaping in
butterfly gardens may attract butterflies even in urban areas and play significant role in conservation of butterflies as well
as other wildlife.
... The discovery potential of new species is significant, particularly for projects conducted in the canopy and in little explored regions, but taxonomists' study time is often long and varies depending on the groups (Lawton et al., 1998;Fontaine et al., 2012). The current approach of integrative taxonomy partly overcomes the taxonomic impediment (Meierotto et al., 2019) by using DNA barcoding and metabarcoding for species identification. ...
Large tropical trees are rightly perceived as supporting a plethora of organisms. However, baseline data about the variety of taxa coexisting on single large tropical trees are lacking and prevent a full understanding of both the magnitude of biodiversity and the complexity of interactions among organisms in tropical rainforests. The two main aims of the research program "Life on Trees" (LOT) are (1) to establish baseline knowledge on the number of eukaryote species supported/hosted by the above-ground part of a single tropical tree and (2) to understand how these communities of organisms are assembled and distributed on or inside the tree. To achieve the first goal, we integrated a set of 36 methods for comprehensively sampling eukaryotes (plants, fungi, animals, protists) present on a tropical tree. The resulting LOT protocol was conceived Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 02 frontiersin.org and implemented during projects in the Andean Amazon region and is proposed here as a guideline for future projects of a similar nature. To address the second objective, we evaluated the microclimatic differences between tree zones and tested state-of-the-art terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and positioning technologies incorporating satellite and fixed base station signals (dGNSS). A marked variation in temperature and relative humidity was detected along a 6-zones Johansson scheme, a tree structure subdivision system commonly used to study the stratification of epiphytic plants. Samples were collected from these six zones, including three along the trunk and three in the canopy. To better understand how different tree components (e.g., bark, leaves, fruits, flowers, dead wood) contribute to overall tree biodiversity, we categorized observations into communities based on Johansson zones and microhabitats. TLS was an essential aid in understanding the complex tree architecture. By contrast, the accuracy of positioning samples in the tree with dGNSS was low. Comprehensively sampling the biota of individual trees offers an alternative to assessing the biodiversity of fewer groups of organisms at the forest scale. Large old tropical trees provide a wealth of microhabitats that encompass a wide range of ecological conditions, thereby capturing a broad spectrum of biodiversity.
... richness and conservation significance ( Pearman 2002;Bensizerare et al .2013).The accessibility of food and food exploitation trend (Rosenberg 1990; Palmer et al .2003) in a particular habitat govern distribution of birds ( Evans and Dugan 1984) and community organization ( Bonilla et al .2012) .Evaluation of foraging guilds and habitat preferences among avifauna are integral in decoding their responses to dynamic habitats and consequently their conservation policies ( Lawton et al .1998;Sekercioglu 2006). ...
The study was conducted in Southern landscape of Kashmir valley, India .During the current study in the selected transects spanning over a period of one year (August 2021to July 2022), n= 49 species of birds spread over 14 orders and 28 families were observed during the field investigation. In the entire landscape order passeriformes was found to be predominant order amongst all the orders with an overall representation of n=23 species and family Muscicapidae was found to be dominant family amongst all the families with an aggregation of n=7 species .Transect wise highest species diversity was recorded in transect Ⅱ with Shanon-weiner diversity index value of 2.77 followed by transect Ⅰ with a species diversity index of 2.74.The least species diversity was observed in transect Ⅳ with a diversity index value of 2.42. Statistical analysis through ANOVA showed no significant difference in the mean bird diversity between the transect (F = 0.59 , F Crit = 2.75 , df = 3,62 , p-value = 0.62 (> 0.05). On comparing the mean avifauna diversity in different seasons by employing ANOVA , it was revealed that there is no statistically significant difference in the mean avifauna diversity in different seasons (F=3.14, F Crit = 3.49, df = 3,12, p-value 0.06) (p-value > 0.05) During the current study in the selected transects ,the most predominant species in terms of abundance in the entire landscape of South Kashmir valley were recorded to be Passer Domesticus, Columba livia, Acridotheres tristis , Corvus splendens, Pycnonotus leucogenys and Hirundo rustica .The predominance of these species has been established by other researchers during their field surveys in other parts of jammu and Kashmir and is thus ample clear that these species have successfully adapted to challenging environments and have thrived in extreme hostile conditions ranging from high altitude dominated forest habitat to highly urbanized settings and are also living in close proximity with human settlements
... Among the approximately 6,000 identi ed Thysanoptera species (Mound 2005), some contribute as pollinators or biological control agents (Mound and Kibby 1998;Trdan et al. 2005); while others are recognized as invasive pests in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry (Kirk 2002 ). The diagnosis of invasive species must be rapid, cost-effective, technically accessible, and precise (Darling and Blum 2007), as traditional morphological approaches can be time-intensive (Lawton et al. 1998;Nee and Lawton 1996), hampered by limited taxonomic expertise (Mallet and Willmott 2003), or challenged by the di culty of diagnosing early life stages (Besansky et al. 2003). These limitations have motivated researchers to enhance DNA-based tools for species identi cation (Darling and Blum 2007). ...
Thysanoptera (thrips), sap-sucking insect pests, cause significant plant damage and facilitate the spread of plant-pathogenic viruses through their feeding behavior. Molecular techniques, an emerging field within entomology, offer a reliable means of identifying thrips species (Insecta, Thysanoptera). DNA barcoding, utilizing standardized gene regions such as the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI), presents a rapid and objective method for the species identification of thrips and other insects. This method is precise, widely utilized in scientific research, and has gained immense popularity as an exciting approach for species diagnosis in recent years. The accurate identification of thrips is crucial for effective pest management, given their significant impact on agriculture. The objective was to develop a specific DNA isolation method for thrips species to enhance the accuracy of identification procedures. Advances in this methodology could significantly improve the classification and management of thrips within entomology. Another goal of this study was to employ DNA barcoding methods with concise primers for molecular identification. This encompassed the evaluation of one species from the Aeolothripidae ( Rhipidothrips gratiosus Uzel, 1895), three species from the Phlaeothripidae ( Haplothrips andresi Priesner, 1931; Haplothrips distinguendus (Uzel, 1895); Haplothrips reuteri (Karny 1907)), and eight species from the Thripidae family ( Neohydatothrips gracilicornis (Williams, 1916), Sitothrips arabicus Priesner, 1931, Anaphothrips obcurus (Müller, 1776), Kakothrips priesneri Pelikan, 1965, Pezothrips nigriventris (Pelikan, 1956), Stenothrips graminum Uzel, 1895). Specimens were collected from Yalvaç (Isparta) in western Turkiye and Selçuklu (Konya) in central Turkiye in 2020. The results of this study confirm the efficacy of employing concise primers in DNA barcoding, proving to be a highly effective and precise technique for diagnosing thrips species. Moreover, the DNA barcode system shows significant potential to enhance the accuracy of thrips species identification, especially when supported by an expanded repository of sequence information. Notably, the motified DNA isolation method substantially increases specificity in this context.
1. A wide variety of light sources are employed to trap moths, differing in brightness and spectrum. Relatively little is known about how these factors affect the resulting sample. 2. We analyse 7 moth trap bulb types using 10 years of records from the Garden Moth Scheme to provide the largest and most comprehensive comparison of moth trap bulb types to date. 3. 125W Mercury Vapour (MV) bulbs collected the largest samples. The next largest samples were collected by 60W Actinic bulbs (67.80% of 125W MV catch), followed by 15W Actinic (56.66%), 80W MV (55.91%), 40W Actinic (49.12%), 20W Actinic (36.56%) and 6W Actinic (34.33%). 4. We demonstrate that MV bulbs, which emit a larger proportion of long wavelength radiation, collected a distinct fauna to Actinic bulbs, which emit primarily short-wave radiation. Species composition also varied between Actinic bulbs which differ in brightness, with brighter Actinic traps tending to collect a larger proportion of large-winged species. 5. We provide robust support for the ‘mobility hypothesis’ whereby large-winged, strong flying moths are more strongly affected by artificial light (in moth traps or from other sources), suggesting selective pressure against large winged species in landscapes affected by artificial light at night (ALAN). Our findings have significant consequences for survey design, citizen science projects, and for understanding the impact of ALAN on the moth community.
Мета роботи: провести акустичні дослідження фонових видів птахів під час весняної міграції у Буковинських Карпатах для встановлення видового складу орнітофауни, його подібності на різних точках моніторингу та уточнення термінів весняного прильоту. Матеріалом, що аналізується в роботі є звукові файли (n=600) загальною тривалістю 181 хв., записані в рамках Панєвропейської схеми моніторингу фонових видів птахів (The Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme) у квітні 2023 року на 9 точках в Буковинських Карпатах. Використовуючи прості функції, отримані зі звукових записів, спеціальний додаток BirdNET-Analyzer здатен достатньо точно перевіряти великі набори даних на наявність звуків окремих видів птахів. Крім того, ми представляємо метод, заснований на виявленні початку музичної ноти, для визначення кількості звуків, притаманних певному виду, у записі. Додатково аналізували дані з використанням програмного забезпечення Raven Pro. Отримані сонограми порівнювали із наявними в базі xeno-canto. Визначали подібність видового складу орнітофауни на різних точках моніторингу за бінарними індексами подібності Жаккара та Серенсена-Чекановського, а також коефіцієнтом Стугрена-Радулеску. При розшифруванні звукових сигналів інструментарієм показано їх приналежність 54-м видам птахів, з яких 10-виявлені вперше, для регіону досліджень та достовірно підтверджені в процесі аналізу (перевірка сонограм за допомогою програми RavenPro та порівняння із еталонними сонограмами).
Global climate change due to anthropogenic factors is one of the main threats
faced by natural ecosystems. To protect ecosystems from these threats, it is
essential to study biodiversity within them to determine when to implement
measures aimed at species conservation. Birds can serve as indicators in ecosystems. Today, there are technologies that allow for the monitoring of large areas
in a cost-effective and efficient manner. In our work, we have for the first time
studied the species diversity of birds in the Bukovinian Carpathians using sound
recordings obtained with a Song Meter Micro acoustic receiver, provided by the
Frankfurt Zoological Society in Ukraine, which has been supporting protected
areas for 20 years. The goal: to conduct acoustic research on background bird
species during the spring migration in the Bukovinian Carpathians to determine
the species composition of the ornithofauna, its similarity at different monitoring points, and to clarify the timing of spring arrival. The material analyzed in
the work consists of sound files (n=600) with a total duration of 181 minutes,
recorded in April 2023 as part of The Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme at 9 points in the Bukovinian Carpathians. Using simple functions
derived from sound recordings, the specialized application BirdNET-Analyzer is
able to accurately check large data sets for the presence of sounds of individual
bird species. Additionally, we present a method based on detecting the onset of
a musical note to determine the number of sounds characteristic of a particular
species in the recording. Data were also analyzed using Raven Pro software.
The resulting sonograms were compared with those available in the xeno-canto
database. The similarity of species composition at different monitoring points
was determined using binary similarity indices of Jaccard and Sørensen-Czekanowski, as well as the Stugren-Radulescu coefficient. The identification of
sound signals using tools showed their belonging to 54 bird species, 10 of which
were detected for the first time for the study region and reliably confirmed in the
analysis process (verification of sonograms using RavenPro software and comparison with reference sonograms)
Aims: The first systematic attempt to assess and document the butterfly richness on the lush green campus of Navsari Agricultural University (NAU) campus. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Navsari Agricultural University (NAU) and was performed from September 2020 to December 2022. Methodology: The opportunistic surveys were conducted on a monthly basis in the different pre-determined existing paths on the campus. Butterflies were sited, identified, and photographed during the surveys. The Identification of the species was carried out using field books and later confirmed by photographs taken during each survey referencing different available literature and online databases. The species identified were listed and classified into respective families. Results: A total of 83 butterfly species belonging to 5 families were recorded at Navsari Agricultural University (NAU), Navsari, Gujarat between September 2020 to December 2022. 13 butterfly species recorded are protected under scheduled categories of Wildlife protection act, 1972, while 4 species listed under the IUCN red list viz. Euploea core under the Least concerned category, Hypolimnas misippus under the Least concerned category, Junonia almana under the Least concerned category, and Castalius rosimon under the vulnerable category were recorded. The Navsari Agricultural University campus hosts a wide variety of plant species, providing essential food and egg-laying sites for butterflies, which in turn plays a crucial role in determining the diversity and abundance of butterfly species found in the area. Conclusion: From this study, it is evident that Navsari Agricultural University (NAU), Navsari, Gujarat has a diverse butterfly fauna.
This study evaluates the vulnerability of natural heritage in the Northeast Ecuadorian Amazon (NEA), from the perspective of intrinsic vulnerability. Therefore, two proxy indicators of vulnerability were established: (i) the ecological integrity vulnerability index (EIVI), indicating the potential loss of ecological integrity, assessed by protection status (2018); (ii) the biological diversity vulnerability index (BVI), deriving the potential loss of biological diversity, using land cover/land use (2014). Biodiversity values were derived with land cover-related biodiversity data, and (iii) and compared with spatial congruence/correlation between (i) and (ii). The EIVI was directly derived using protection status, which defines vulnerability levels by ranking them according to corresponding levels of anthropic development allowance. A robust relationship between land use classes and species richness was found for both endemic vascular plants in neotropical regions and multi-taxa in tropical forests worldwide, validating the BVI. Furthermore, the moderate spatial correlation between protection status and land cover (r = 0.52) may be partially explained by 3,060 km2 of unprotected primary forest. Overall, 42 % of the NEA have a high degree of congruence between potential biodiversity and protection status. In conclusion, this study provides insights into nature conservation efforts in areas with sparse biodiversity data using readily available geographic information.
A collection of 13 papers which were presented at a symposium reporting the major findings to date of the Royal Society's Southeast Asian Rain Forest Research Programme, initiated in 1985. Research is concentrated at Danum Valley in Sabah, Malaysia, and aims to gain understanding of the influence of the creation of gaps of various sizes and kinds upon the flora and fauna of closed-canopy forest. The studies include forest hydrology, the effects of selective logging on animal populations, and the implications for the design of logging systems where bird, insect and vertebrate conservation is an aim. The proceedings are also available as a book from the Royal Society of London. -M.Amos
The book offers conservationists' perceptions of how fast tropical forests are being lost and the consequences for biological diversity, examining extinction rate predictions derived from models of habitat loss and fragmentation, and from direct observation. The individual contributions were presented at a workshop held during the 18th general assembly of the IUCN in Perth, Australia, in 1990. The text of a resolution adopted by participants is reproduced prior to the foreword. The chapters then discuss: deforestation and species extinction in tropical moist forests; species conservation in managed tropical forests; how many species there will be; whether species-area curves predict extinction in fragmented forest; species extinctions in tropical forests; habitat alteration and species loss in Brazilian forests; and the influence of deforestation and selective logging operations on plant diversity in Papua New Guinea. (See 93L/04010-04015, 04043 and 04054). -J.W.Cooper
http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/forest/?645/Conserving-Biological-Diversity-in-Managed-Tropical-Forests
1. We measured beta diversity, or turnover in species composition, in each of 15 taxa (including plants, vertebrates and invertebrates), along two common transects: N-S and W-E arrays of 50X50 km squares across Britain. Comparing taxa, we asked whether high beta diversity is associated with poor powers of dispersal. Within taxa, we asked whether turnover increases consistently with geographic distance. 2. Beta diversity on this scale was found to be low in all groups. Total (transect) species richness increased by only 3-13% per 50X50 km square, relative to the average value of local (within-square) richness; or by 0.6-6% per square, relative to the maximum value of local richness. Among taxa, beta diversity showed no tendency to be higher in poorer dispersers. 3. In nearly all taxa, beta diversity as defined by Whittaker (1960) increased linearly with distance on the N-S transect. However, this was shown to be largely the effect of gradients in alpha (local, within-square) diversity. Moreover, distance is highly correlated with environmental (climatic) dissimilarity, providing an alternative explanation for distance effects. 4. We conclude that in the British biota, turnover at this scale is more the product of range and habitat restriction than of dispersal limitation; and that turnover is a relatively minor component of regional diversity, because of the predominance of strong gradients in alpha diversity.
1. The rate of deforestation in West Africa was around 2% (12000 km2) per annum during the 1980s, and recent evidence from Cameroon suggests that the rate of deforestation there has increased during the 1990s, In contrast, only 360 km2 of plantation forests were established annually during the mid-1980s in West African countries.2. Recent research in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve in southern Cameroon has examined contrasting silvicultural techniques for regenerating degraded forest with West African tree species such as Terminalia ivorensis. These techniques included complete clearance, where all existing trees were felled and these and all other vegetation removed from the plots; and partial clearance methods (partial manual clearance, partial mechanical clearance and line planting), where tree-felling resulted in a reduction of 50% of the canopy cover. 3. This paper describes a study of the impact of these techniques on arthropod abundance and the damage caused to T. ivorensis by insect pests within the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve. 4. The amount of damage caused by leaf-mining insects, the abundance of gall-forming mites, and the number of trees affected by shoot borers were not affected by silvicultural practice. The amount of damage caused by leaf-chewing insects was greater in the line planting plots than the complete clearance plots, but the leaf area removed by insects rarely exceeded 6%. It is concluded that the degree of forest clearance before establishing plantations of T. ivorensis does not markedly affect the amount of damage caused by arthropod pests at the spatial scale at which this study was carried out. 5. Arthropod abundance was assessed by insecticide knockdown fogging in two study sites within the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve. A mean total of 196 arthropods m-2 was recorded, ants being the most common arthropod group (63%), followed by adult Diptera (10%) and then Hymenoptera other than ants (4%), Homoptera (4%), Thysanoptera (4%), adult Coleoptera (3%) and other groups (13%).6. Ants, Diptera, Araneae, Thysanoptera, Homoptera, Coleoptera and Orthoptera were significantly more abundant in the partial manual clearance plot than the complete clearance plot in one or both of the study sites. Because several of these groups are composed mainly of predatory and parasitic species, it is possible that, despite the pest damage results summarized above, the long-term likelihood of pest outbreaks occurring on T. ivorensis is lower in partial clearance than complete clearance plantations. However, our current lack of knowledge of the species composition of different arthropod groups limits the relevance of these findings.
Twenty-two plots were studied in the humid coastal lowlands of Northern PNG to describe succession of plants, birds, butterflies and reptiles from gardens to forest. The first axis of a detrended correspondence analysis of floristic lists from twenty vegetated plots was strongly positively correlated with estimates of time since gardening, canopy height and cover, total basal area of stems greater than 3 m in height, leaf litter, and total concentrations of S, C and N in the top 5 cm of soil. Grass cover, soil pH and available K were negatively correlated. Burning of slashed secondary forest was found to increase to soil P, available Ca, cation exchange capacity, electrical conductivity, S, C and N to levels in primary forests. Bird, butterfly and reptile species diversity increased along the successional gradient. This response was least marked with reptiles. Niche breadths of these faunal groups decreased with later successional stages. The primary forests support birds which are specialist feeders, particularly frugivores, nectarivores and branch gleaners. Obligate granivores were restricted to a grassy early successional plot, which was identified as an outlier in the analysis and which had atypical soil attributes. A substantial number of plant species was restricted to, or occurred in, early successional stages, in contrast to the small proportion of animal species that used such sites. This may reflect a long history of intermediate disturbance (i.e. forest gaps) and relatively little widespread disturbance. This specialization renders the fauna vulnerable to increasing anthropogenic habitat modification.
1. The butterfly fauna of lowland monsoon forest on Buru, Indonesia was compared in unlogged forest and forest that had been selectively logged 5 years previously. 2. Seven variables relating to vegetation structure were measured in each habitat. Tree density and percentage cover of vegetation in the canopy and understorey were significantly higher, and vegetation cover 2 m above the ground was significantly lower, in unlogged forest. There were no differences between sites in the mean heights or girths of trees, but the ranges of both heights and girths were lower in logged forest. Percentage cover of vegetation at ground level was similar at the two sites. 3. Species richness, abundance and evenness of butterflies and an index of taxonomic distinctiveness were all significantly higher in unlogged forest. Two endemic species and a further four species with distributions restricted to Maluku Province were recorded only in unlogged forest. 4. Species abundance data for butterflies at both sites fitted a log-series distribution. Data for unlogged forest also fitted a log-normal distribution, whereas those for logged forest did not. This indicated the presence of a more complex butterfly community in unlogged forest. 5. These results indicate that the distributional pattern of species abundance of tropical butterflies may be used as an indicator of forest disturbance, and that selective logging of tropical forests in SE Asia may be associated with a significant decrease in biodiversity of butterflies, at least during the first 5 years of forest regeneration.
Thirty-three species of termites were found in a riparian forest in the Southern Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria. Their total abundance and biomass was 2646 m-2 and 6.90 g m-2, respectively. The dominant trophic group was the soil-feeders (2369 m-2 and 6.18 g m-2), although the wood-feeders (28 m-2 and 0.03 g m-2) were underestimated by excluding the arboreal-nesting Nasutitermes and Microcerotermes, and likewise the fungus-growers (249 m-2 and 0.69 g m-2) by excluding the mound-building Macrotermes. Only three of the 20 species of soil-feeders constructed epigeal nests (mounds), the rest being subterranean. Nearly all species were most abundant in the upper 25 cm; some species moved to deeper levels in the dry season although there were no differences in abundance of species between wet and dry seasons. An adjacent cultivated area, cleared of forest, supported only eight species with an overall abundance of 1151 m-2 and biomass of 5.38 g m-2. The most significant quantitative changes resulting from clearing and cultivation were the decrease in abundance of soil-feeders to 81 m-2 and the increase in abundance (from very rare) of the wood-feeding Amitermes evuncifer to 832 m-2. Thirty-one species were found in a semi-deciduous forest in the forest zone. The abundance and biomass of the subterranean population was 3163 m-2 and 8.0 g m-2, respectively, and, in contrast to the riparian forest, the dominant trophic group was the wood-feeders (2530 m-2), fungus-growers comprised 428 m-2 with soil-feeders (205 m-2) being uncommon. The relative abundance of the different trophic groups of termites in Neotropical, Ethiopian, and Oriental forests is discussed in relation to ecological factors (forest type) and the zoogeographical distribution of the different taxa.