Code and dataset for 'Land-use intensification degrades ecosystem functioning by facilitating the replacement of beneficial termite species with harmful species'

Global land-use intensification is destroying natural ecosystems, degrading ecosystem functions, and facilitating the spread of invasive pests, allowing these harmful species to outcompete beneficial keystone species. Well known as ecosystem engineers, termites [Arthropoda: Insecta] are the dominant invertebrates in tropical and subtropical ecosystems and include keystone species and invasive pests, making them an ideal model for studying the global effects of land use on biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, it remains unknown how land-use intensification alters termite communities and thus ecosystem function at the global scale. We use standardised survey data collected from three continents to present a global study revealing how the ecosystem functions and dysfunctions of termite-mediated decomposition and tree mortality are affected by the replacement of beneficial fungus growing termite species with harmful lower termite species. Notably in Asia, land-use intensification (e.g. deforestation) reduced the beneficial effects of decomposition and nutrient cycling mediated by fungus-growing termites, and increased the harmful effects of wood-feeding lower termites which are common pests of trees and infrastructure. Negative correlations in the abundance and α-/β-diversity between these two functional groups [fungus-growing termites and wood-feeding lower termites] bear the hallmark of interspecific competition and niche partitioning. Pairwise interactions between these different groups throughout a forested archipelago confirmed that deforestation reduced decomposition and increased tree mortality among remaining trees. Conserving pristine forests and restoring degraded forests will ensure that fungus-growing termites dominate wood-feeding lower termites, which will benefit ecosystem functioning and reduce the impact and likelihood of pest invasions.