Life History Strategies of woody species in relation to proximity of termite mounds in an African savanna

Termite mounds are nutrient ‘hotspots’ that influence the structure and composition of the vegetation on the mounds. Due to high nutrient concentration in the termitarea vegetation, these plants are highly palatable and thus are more heavily utilized by herbivores. High herbivory on the mounds reduces plant biomass, meaning these plants are less susceptible to fire. This study proposes that trees on and off termite mounds exhibit different life history strategies (LHS) based on these factors. LHS can be inferred from measuring certain characteristics, such as plant functional traits (PFTs): plant height, number of stems, bark thickness, spinescense, and branch ramification. There are no significant differences in functional traits on and off mounds except for the number of stems and average number of spines, but this seems to be species dependent. Dichrostachys cinerea had on average more stems on the mound than off the mound (6.4+/- 1.049 and 3.297+/- 0.440 respectively) and Acacia exuvialis had more spines (12.982 +/-.423). These findings suggest that the life history strategies of specific species dictate the PFT’s of a plant, rather than its location on or off the mound.