THE FREQUENCY OF TERMITE (ISOPTERA) DAMAGE TO TREE SPECIES IN NAMAKUTWA FOREST, TANZANIA

In a study to investigate the level of termite damage on the dry, semi -deciduous Namakutwa forest in Tanzania, 982 trees were sampled. The f orest is secondary and has been allowed to regenerate without interfer ence. Approximately 15% of the sampled trees had been damaged beneath the bark level by termites. This is an unexpected level of damage for an indigenous forest, as it is widely assumed that termites do not nat urally damage indigenous trees species. The damage was biased towards the less numerous trees. A significant inverse correlation (p<0.004) w as shown between the proportion of trees of each tree species in the s ample that was found to be damaged, and the frequency of that tree spe cies within the sample. It appears from these results that termite fee ding preferences might play a role in determining the tree species com position of the forest.