Analysis of biological factors affecting tropical-forest soil respiration

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25850104
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Forest science
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: YAMADA Akinori 長崎大学, 水産・環境科学総合研究科(水産), 准教授 (40378774)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 熱帯林 / 土壌呼吸 / シロアリ / アリ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Soil respiration from tropical forest floor is a most important component of carbon budget on the earth, whereas biological factors affecting spatial and temporal variation of the soil respiration have been still poorly understood. Here, effects of nests of the superabundant tropical-soil animas, namely termites and ants, on the soil respiration were investigated in a Thai tropical forest. Large nests of fungus-growing termites were shown to cause a local and strong variation around the nests. In addition, an analysis of major and dominant species of termites and ants indicated that their impact on soil respiration is much larger than that have been expected in previous studies.

Free Research Field

森林生態学