Food habits of sympatric termite species (Isoptera, Macrotermitinae) as determined by stable carbon isotope analysis in a Guinean savanna (Lamto, Côte d'Ivoire)

ABSTRACTThe food habits of four hypogeous Macrotermitinae species were studied using stable carbon isotope analysis in several biotopes of a humid savanna of West Africa (Lamto, Côte d'Ivoire). The proportion of woody and herbaceous material in the diet of the different species was determined by measuring the 13C natural abundance in the fungus comb. The diet varied with season and biotope, especially tree density. The results confirm the flexibility of the food habits of the fungus-growing termites as a consequence of their exosymbiosis with the fungus Termitomyces sp.