Change in termite communities along a chronosequence of mango tree orchards in the north of Côte d’Ivoire

Termites constitute the major component of the macrofauna of the soil, and influence the structure of the soil, in tropical regions. This study aimed to estimate their assemblages in a chronosequence of mango tree orchards in the north of Côte d’Ivoire and compare them with those in unmanaged savanna. Using a standardized method of rapid biodiversity estimation, termites were collected in seven age classes of mango tree orchards (class 1: <5 years; class 2: 5–9 years; class 3: 10–14 years; class 4: 15–19 years; class 5: 20–24 years; class 6: 25–29 years; class 7: 30 years and over) and compared with termites collected from the savanna. Results show that the species richness was lowest in the young orchards of class 1 (9 species), and increased with the age of the orchards to reach its maximum in the old orchards of class 7 (28 species); these latter were comparable in richness with the savanna (26 species). The Shannon index (H’) and the evenness (E) follow the same trend as the species richness. The orchards of classes 1 and 2 were more dissimilar to the savanna. In contrast, termites were well represented in the savanna and in the old orchard of classes 6 and 7. Rhinotermitinae and Cubitermitinae subfamilies, absent in the young orchards of classes 1 and 2, were very abundant in the old orchards (classes 6 and 7). Overall, the findings of this study show that only the old mango orchards sustain termite diversity that comes close to that of the savanna. In this region, the cessation of agricultural activities in mango orchards favors the reconstitution of termite communities and presumably the restoration of the ecosystem services provided by termites. Thus it would be possible to combine agriculture and the conservation soil biodiversity.