Enhanced carbon storage in semi-arid soils through termite activity

Termites are keystone species in natural ecosystems and their role in the C cycle is potentially substantial but poorly understood. Large (20-40 m) mounds (heuweltjies) of the harvester termite Microhodotermes viator occupy up to a quarter of the semi-arid west coast region of South Africa but their C storage potential is unknown. This study determined the organic and inorganic C fractions, C stocks, and their correlation with each other, depth, and biogenic features in these mounds. Trenches (30-60 m) were excavated through 3 mounds: Buffels River (m.a.p < 100 mm), Klawer (m.a.p 100-200 mm) and Piketberg (m.a.p 300-400 mm) and grid sampled. Mound soils had significantly higher soil organic carbon (SOC) and inorganic carbon (SIC) than surrounding soils. Total C was strongly correlated (rho> 0.9; p < 0.001) with SIC in the arid mounds and SOC (rho > 0.75; p < 0.001) in the higher rainfall mound. There was no consistent relationship between SOC and SIC distributions throughout the mounds, which is likely related to solubility-linked translocations of carbonates. For all mounds, SOC was highest in topsoils with a second clear peak in subsoils (>1 m) that was associated with biogenic features, termite channels and burrows. Subsoils contributed substantially (36-41 %) to the total C stock. Total C stocks for the intermediate rainfall mound (Klawer) were estimated at 14.6 tons per mound, with 1.1 tons SOC. In this region, mounds occupy 27 % of the total area but contribute 44 % of the total SOC stock to a depth of 80 cm. This highlights the disproportionate contribution termite mounds make to carbon stocks of these semi-arid environments and demonstrates the importance of deep (<1 m) soil carbon for C modelling. Termite activity needs to be recognized as a major contributor to C stock variability both laterally and at depth and accounted for in land-use change (CO2-LULUCF) models.

Automated summary

The mounds of Microhodotermes viator in the South African west coast region have the potential to store a substantial amount of organic and inorganic carbon, and they play an important role in the carbon cycle.