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Seasonality in mature nests of the termiteMacrotermes michaelseni in Kenya

Effet des saisons sur les nids matures du termiteMacrotermes michaelseni au Kenya

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Summary

Mature nests ofMacrotermes michaelseni were sampled at approximately monthly intervals over two years. A single large brood of reproductives was produced each year, which took about seven months from egg-laying to maturity, and sometimes remained in the nest for several more months before flighting was complete. The sterile population of the nest was remarkably constant through the year, showing no response to the seasonal rainfall pattern or to the presence of the developing reproductive brood in the nest. Some changes were observed in the course of a severe drought, resulting in a gradual reduction in the sterile populations of nests, and in the overall termite population of the area.

Resume

Des nids adultes deMacrotermes michaelseni sont échantillonnés pendant deux années sur une base approximativement mensuelle. Un seul couvain important de sexués est produit chaque année, avec un intervalle de sept mois entre la ponte des œufs et la maturité. Ce couvain peut demeurer parfois plusieurs mois dans le nid jusqu'à la fin des essaimages. La population stérile du nid reste remarquablement constante au cours de l'année, sans montrer de modification qui serait due à la saison des pluies ou à la présence des nymphes en croissance. Lors d'une période de grande sécheresse, on assiste à une diminution graduelle des populations stériles des nids, ainsi que de l'ensemble de la population de termites sur l'aire étudiée.

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  1. J. P. E. C. Darlington

    Present address: Section of Entomology, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya

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  1. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya

    J. P. E. C. Darlington

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Darlington, J.P.E.C. Seasonality in mature nests of the termiteMacrotermes michaelseni in Kenya. Ins. Soc 33, 168–189 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02224596

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02224596

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