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Article: Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest

TitleTermites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest
Authors
Issue Date2019
PublisherAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science. The Journal's web site is located at http://sciencemag.org
Citation
Science, 2019, v. 363 n. 6423, p. 174-177 How to Cite?
AbstractTermites perform key ecological functions in tropical ecosystems, are strongly affected by variation in rainfall, and respond negatively to habitat disturbance. However, it is not known how the projected increase in frequency and severity of droughts in tropical rainforests will alter termite communities and the maintenance of ecosystem processes. Using a large-scale termite suppression experiment, we found that termite activity and abundance increased during drought in a Bornean forest. This increase resulted in accelerated litter decomposition, elevated soil moisture, greater soil nutrient heterogeneity, and higher seedling survival rates during the extreme El Niño drought of 2015–2016. Our work shows how an invertebrate group enhances ecosystem resistance to drought, providing evidence that the dual stressors of climate change and anthropogenic shifts in biotic communities will have various negative consequences for the maintenance of rainforest ecosystems.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/274282
ISSN
2023 Impact Factor: 44.7
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 11.902
ISI Accession Number ID

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorAshton, LA-
dc.contributor.authorGriffiths, HM-
dc.contributor.authorParr, CL-
dc.contributor.authorEvans, TA-
dc.contributor.authorDidham, RK-
dc.contributor.authorHasan, F-
dc.contributor.authorTeh, YA-
dc.contributor.authorTin, HS-
dc.contributor.authorVairappan, CS-
dc.contributor.authorEggleton, P-
dc.date.accessioned2019-08-18T14:58:41Z-
dc.date.available2019-08-18T14:58:41Z-
dc.date.issued2019-
dc.identifier.citationScience, 2019, v. 363 n. 6423, p. 174-177-
dc.identifier.issn0036-8075-
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/274282-
dc.description.abstractTermites perform key ecological functions in tropical ecosystems, are strongly affected by variation in rainfall, and respond negatively to habitat disturbance. However, it is not known how the projected increase in frequency and severity of droughts in tropical rainforests will alter termite communities and the maintenance of ecosystem processes. Using a large-scale termite suppression experiment, we found that termite activity and abundance increased during drought in a Bornean forest. This increase resulted in accelerated litter decomposition, elevated soil moisture, greater soil nutrient heterogeneity, and higher seedling survival rates during the extreme El Niño drought of 2015–2016. Our work shows how an invertebrate group enhances ecosystem resistance to drought, providing evidence that the dual stressors of climate change and anthropogenic shifts in biotic communities will have various negative consequences for the maintenance of rainforest ecosystems.-
dc.languageeng-
dc.publisherAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science. The Journal's web site is located at http://sciencemag.org-
dc.relation.ispartofScience-
dc.rightsScience. Copyright © American Association for the Advancement of Science.-
dc.rightsThis is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science on vol. 363, 11 January 2019, DOI: 10.1126/science.aau9565-
dc.titleTermites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest-
dc.typeArticle-
dc.identifier.emailAshton, LA: lashton@hku.hk-
dc.identifier.authorityAshton, LA=rp02353-
dc.description.naturepostprint-
dc.identifier.doi10.1126/science.aau9565-
dc.identifier.pmid30630931-
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-85059818519-
dc.identifier.hkuros301598-
dc.identifier.volume363-
dc.identifier.issue6423-
dc.identifier.spage174-
dc.identifier.epage177-
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000455320600050-
dc.publisher.placeUnited States-
dc.identifier.f1000734841728-
dc.identifier.issnl0036-8075-

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