Dataset from: Termite mounds house a diversity of taxa in oil palm plantations irrespective of understory management

We investigated the effects of oil palm understory vegetation management on termite mound activity and non-termite inhabitants. We found a diversity of taxa, most of which were unaffected by understory management. Mound volume and termite activity had taxa-specific effects on abundance. Preserving mounds in oil palm plantations will benefit biodiversity.

Methods
We sampled termite mounds in mature oil palm plantations that varied in their understory management (three treatments). We measured mound height and radius and destructively hand-searched the mounds. We recorded the presence of termites (all mounds were Macrotermes gilvus), and anything else readily visible by eye. We identified the snakes to species, spiders to family, and recorded the presence of ants, centipedes, scorpions, beetles, cockroaches, and earthworms.