Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

Research Article

Properties of Arboreal Ant and Ground-Termite Nests in relation to Their Nesting Sites and Location in a Tropical-Derived Savanna

Table 3

Interaction effects of soil engineers’ nesting substrates (sites) and soil locations on the values of some soil properties of biogenic structures and their adjacent soils.


Soil engineer	Nesting site	Soil location	AWC¹ (%)	DR	Calgon dispersed			Water dispersed
Soil engineer	Nesting site	Soil location	AWC¹ (%)	DR	Clay	Clay + silt	Silt	Clay	Clay + silt	Silt

Ant	C. nitida	Adj. soil	30.3_a	0.65_a	6.5_a	12.0_a	5.6_a	7.2_a	7.8_a	0.56_a
		B. structure	54.2_a	0.68_a	19.6_a	13.0_a	15.6_b	23.2_a	27.8_a	4.56_a
Ant	I. gabonensis	Adj. soil	31.0_a	0.68_a	6.5_a	13.0_a	6.6_a	7.2_a	8.8_a	1.56_a
		B. structure	29.7_a	0.74_a	26.5_a	55.0_a	28.6_c	34.2_a	40.8_a	6.56_a
Ant	M. indica	Adj. soil	40.0_a	0.75_a	14.5_a	33.0_a	13.6_ab	15.2_a	20.8_a	6.06_a
		B. structure	83.9_a	0.75_a	21.5_a	37.0_a	15.5_b	17.2_a	28.8_a	11.56_a
Ant	N. leavis	Adj. Soil	36.2_a	0.63_a	6.5_a	15.0_a	8.6_a	7.2_a	8.8_a	1.56_a
		B. structure	50.9_a	0.77_a	16.6_a	35.0_a	13.6_ab	13.7_a	30.8_a	9.56_a
Ant	P. macrophylla	Adj. soil	39.9_a	0.73_a	13.5_a	23.0_a	9.6_ab	11.2_a	16.7_a	5.56_a
		B. structure	53.5_a	1.60_a	18.5_a	32.0_a	13.6_ab	32.2_a	50.8_a	8.56_a
Termite	Ground	Adj. soil	38.4_a	0.72_a	11.5_a	20.0_a	8.6_ab	9.2_a	13.8_a	4.56_a
		B. structure	50.8_a	0.70_a	16.5_a	25.0_a	8.6_ab	12.2_a	17.8_a	5.56_a
		-value	0.92	2.44	0.68	2.62	3.75	0.55	0.89	2.14
		d.f.	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
		value	0.489	0.066	0.641	0.053	0.013	0.737	0.502	0.099

AWC: available water capacity; DR: dispersion ratio; B. structure: biogenic structure; Adj. soil: adjacent soil.
¹Results of angular transformed data presented in the original scale.
Values within a column followed by the same letter are not significant different.