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Nutritional preferences of wood-feeding termites inhabiting floodplain forests of the Amazon River, Brazil

1998/09/01 by Norma Cecilia Rodriguez BUSTAMANTE, Norma Cecília Rodriguez Bustamante, Christopher MARTIUS +1
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Psychology · #Amazon rainforest #Animal and Plant Science Education #Biology #Ecology #Floodplain #Geography #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Plant and animal studies #Termitidae

paper · pdf · doi:10.1590/1809-43921998283307

openalex publication_date 1998/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22

Abstract

The alimentary preferences of five species of wood-feeding termites of the genus Nasutitermes that coexist in the inundated forests of the floodplains of the Amazon river várzea for species of fresh wood and for wood in different stages of decomposition was evaluated in laboratory tests. Wood of low density was generally preferred; the decay stages were preferred over fresh wood. The five termite species differ in the amplitude of their choices, indicating a strong differentiation in food choice among them. Differences in feeding preferences may be a niche-separating factor for these five Nasutitermes species of the floodplains.

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