Comparative palynology of Macrotermes sp.
mounds and Vespula vulgaris nests
on the University of Lagos campus, Akoka:
preliminary study
| 1 | Laboratory of Paleobotany/ Palynology, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Akoka |
| 2 | Department of Biology, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| 3 | Entomology Unit, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos |
Online publication date: 2017-12-19
Publication date: 2017-12-19
Acta Palaeobotanica 2017; 57(2): 397–406
ABSTRACT
In order to assess the environmental indicator potential of wasp nests and termite mounds, the
palynomorph content of three randomly selected Macrotermes sp. mounds (termitaria) and two Vespula vulgaris
nests collected on the University of Lagos campus were examined. Palynological analysis showed the presence
of 298 well-preserved palynomorphs showing characteristic morphological features. The recovered palynomorphs
included pollen, pteridophyte spores and fungal spores, along with insect parts (106), diatoms (7) and a protist
(1). The pollen assemblage of termite mounds comprised 78 pollen and pteridophyte spores, with Poaceae and
Arecaceae pollen as dominants. In the wasp nest the pollen assemblage comprised 28 pollen and spore taxa, with
Poaceae and Arecaceae pollen also dominant. Both mounds and nests had, besides diatoms, six pollen and spore
taxa: Poaceae, Amaranthaceae, Pteridophyte spores, Arecaceae, Raffia sp. and Rhizophora sp. Vegetational
grouping of the recovered pollen and spores indicated five phytoecological groups: secondary forest, mangrove
swamp forest, freshwater, open vegetation and Poaceae. In statistical analyses, termite mounds had a higher
species richness value (2.08 as compared to 1.99 from the wasp nests), while the wasp nests had a higher species
diversity value (0.997 as compared to 0.845 from the termite mounds). Pollen analyses of the termite mounds
and wasp nests suggest that both could be useful tools in environmental studies. This is the first attempt to
evaluate the potential of termite mounds and wasps nest as natural pollen accumulators in Nigeria. The results
suggest new possibilities for the use of the pollen records preserved in termite mounds and wasp nests for environmental
studies.
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