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Determinants Of Termite Species Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, And Functional Diversity In The Amazonian Forest, Cristian De Sales Dambros

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The distribution of species in space is determined by the species dispersal capacity, adaptation to environmental conditions, and response to predators and competitors. To determine the importance of dispersal limitation, environmental filtering, and species interactions on the distribution of species in the Brazilian Amazonian forest, I sampled termites in a large area of Brazil. I investigated patterns in species occurrence that could indicate competition and predation structuring termite communities, and analyzed the association of termite abundance and species richness with the density of ant predators. The spatial distribution of termites, and their association with climatic and edaphic conditions were also …