小良人工阔叶混交林中白蚁对枯枝落叶的消耗作用

ROLE OF TERMITES IN DECOMPOSITION OF SOIL LITTER UNDER THE ARTIFICIAL BROAD LEAF MIXED FOREST IN XIAO LIANG

1. The experiment was carried out in the locality in coastland of Guangdong province, a part of northern edge of the tropics. The tested araes were three varied artificial broad leaf mixed forests. There were varied density of termites. The weight of litter consumed by termites was obtained by comparison of the tested results of both groups, a group of test based on violation by termites and a group of control. The litter was added to all test installations monthly in a quantity close to the natural quantity of of litter fall. The main species of termite was Macrotermes barneyi.2. The annual decomposed quantity of soil litter was in a positive correlation with the following statistics of termites:density index, met times in the control tests, and the index of trunk with the sheetings number.3. The annual litter fall in three tested areas were 1089.6, 550.3 and 541.3 g/ m2, respectively, and the annual decomposed lates were 94.31%, 97.0% and 82.07%, respectively.4. The annual feeding rates of soil litter by termites were 40.8%, 24.5% and 15.3% respectively. Their annual feeding weights, converted into the quantity of the natural litter fall, were 444.5g/m2, 135.0g/m2 and 82.8g/m2, resectively.The results showed that the termites play a significant role in the processes of energy conversion and material circulation for this kind of mixed forest mainly composed of Acacia auriculaefomis, a species of tough leaf tree.