Data from: Short-term changes in the structure of termite assemblages associated with slash-and-burn agriculture in Côte d'Ivoire

Termites are major decomposers in tropical regions and play critical roles
in many soil-related processes. Studies conducted in Asia and the
Neotropics suggest that habitat modification can strongly affect termite
assemblages, but data on termite communities from forests in Africa,
especially West Africa, are scarce. Here, we measured the short-term
impact of slash-and-burn agriculture on termite assemblages in an
agricultural region of central Côte d'Ivoire. We assessed termite
diversity and relative abundance in four habitat types: secondary forest,
cleared forest, burned forest, and crop fields. The secondary forest had
higher species richness compared with the other habitats, but all habitat
types had similar assemblage structures. Fungus-growing termites were the
most abundant feeding group in all habitats. Soil feeders were most
abundant in secondary forest, intermediately abundant in cleared and
burned forests, and almost entirely absent in crop fields. Wood-feeding
species showed clear responses to burning; their abundances decreased
after fire. We conclude that slash-and-burn agriculture does not appear to
severely erode the diversity of termite assemblages. This could be due to
the dominance of ecologically versatile fungus growers or to the
relatively long time between clearing and burning. However, forest
clearing negatively affects soil feeders, with the Apicotermitinae most
affected by canopy loss.