ECOLOGICAL STUDIES ON TILE SYMBIOSIS OF TER ITOMYCES ...

After approximately I week In the next (Colling, 1977) the food-
store in Ingested by the te=itess, passes. through the Cut and. the
1980
faecal pellets are deposited to form the fresh edge of the fungus combe
The fungi isolated from the comb are again those-commonly found In the
soils except for Termit2=ces which is the =oat coc=n species Isolated
from the fresh comb by the direct isolation method*
The mean number of fungal propagules present in the foodstore in
very much greater than that occurring in either the comb or nest structure
(Table 5.2.7). There is approximately 230 x 103 g-l dry"weight foodstoreq
compared to 10*5 x 103 U-1 dry weight fungus comb and 16*5 x 103 gýl dry
weight nest structures This large drop from foodstore to fungus comb
indicates that passage through the termite gut must have greatly reduced
the viability and number of the spores, as all the material present *a
foodstore Iz. deposjte4 on the rpngua comb after passage through the t; ute
There is no significant, difference between the. numbers of-the fungi
(excluding Ternit2MLcps) In the different zones of the co, -vb,
Table 5*2.9 oives the species of fungl'that were'found on the
dilution plates* It is not a complete species list but those not
included were found very Infrequently* 7h, e species isolated are ones
that have been found as, common soil fungi in the kkkwA soils (McDonald
1968,1970)e The changes in species diversity of the different parts
of the system can be seen. in comparing the total number of species
found In each of the different materialso
The most diverse population In the nest structure vhich as It
consists of soil to probably to be expected* The foodstore and fresh
Comb cc)mo next with ix reduction In species n=bcr from freshq to middle
to old comb indicating a _'progresaive
reduction In sPecies number with