Effects of different planting patterns of rubber forest on termite diversity

Land-use change is a major driving factor of biodiversity loss. Xishuangbanna is facing severe land-using change problems, and a large area of natural forests conversing to rubber plantations leads to a drastic decrease in species diversity. To explore the different modes of rubber plantations affecting termite diversity, termite diversity and community structure were investigated in four types of rubber plantation and one nature forest. The results showed that: (1) 125821 termite individuals were collected, which belonging to 18 species, 6 genera, and 1 subfamilies of Termitidae. (2) The species richness and Shannon diversity index of termites in natural forests and rubber forests with different planting patterns were shown as follows: natural forest > monoculture rubber > rubber Moghania > rubber-tea polyculture > jungle rubber. The species richness of termite in natural forest was significantly higher than that in other rubber forests, but there was no significant difference between different rubber planting patterns. (3) The structure of termite community was as follows: the natural forest was significantly different from the four rubber plantation forests; Rubber-tea polyculture forest was significantly different from monoculture rubber forest, but there was no significant difference among other forest types. (4) The termite indicator species in nature forest were Macrotermes berneyi and Havilanditermes orthonasus, and Pericapritermes latignathus in rubber-tea plantation. The results show that the planting rubber has a great negative impact on the diversity and community structure of termites, but the rubber forests with different planting patterns does not significantly improve the termite abundance and diversity. It is suggested that the effect of intercropping economic plants in monoculture rubber forest on the diversity and community structure of termites deserves further study.