Study of biodiversity of termites associated with urban trees and damage assessment from different localities in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract Termites are eusocial insects living in colonies, found across the globe, specifically in the tropics as invertebrate decomposers. Only 3% of species are leading pests causing damage to agriculture, forestry and structures. The diverse ecological conditions of Pakistan made it favorable for termites to be found across the country. The loss of urban trees due to high termite infestation is one of the fundamental problems in deteriorating urban landscapes. However, only a rare study has been performed in Pakistan to investigate the biodiversity, feeding preference and damage assessment of termites in urban tree plantations. This study focuses on surveying mango and citrus trees planted at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. The main sites/areas of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, selected for surveying included horticulture square 9 and 32, botanical garden, plant pathology research areas and mango and citrus orchards located in UAF. Total of eleven species of termites, including Odontotermes obesus, Odontotermes guptai, Odontotermes gurdaspurensis, Odontotermes horai, Odontotermes assmuthi, Microtermes mycophagus, Microtermes unicolor, Microceroterms championi, Microtermes obesi, Coptotermes heimi and Heterotermes indicola were recorded. Termite infestation, diversity and damage were studied on living and dead-standing trees. Simpson and Shannon diversity indices were calculated to understand species richness, evenness, and dominancy. The maximum percentage of termites was recorded during August and from horticulture square 9. The overall value of diversity on the Simpson scale was 90% and on the Shannon scale was 88%. The maximum diversity found was 78% in September on the Simpson scale and 99% in April on the Shannon scale. Overall, 1363 trees were examined, out of which 272(20%) were severely damaged. This preliminary data would be helpful in devising sustainable termite management strategiesin urban ecosystem.