title: Nitrogen fixation by intact colonies of the termite Nasutitermes corniger.
abstract: Whole colonies of the arboreal termite Nasutitermes corniger (lsoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae) from a Costa Rican rainforest were assayed for nitrogen fixation by the acetylene reduction method, using a 21-1 test chamber. Nitrogenase activity was positively correlated with termite biomass for the nexts examined, providing the experiment was performed within 2 h of removal of the colony from the field. Total colony fixation rates of 0.25-1.0 mg N per colony per hour indicate a nitrogen doubling time of 200-600 days, thereby making possible complete replacement of the nest population 1-2 times per year.
authors.affiliation: La Selva Field Station of the Organization for Tropical Studies, Heredia Province, Costa Rica.|Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, 11794, Stony Brook, Long Island, New York, USA.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Prestwich
authors.affiliation: La Selva Field Station of the Organization for Tropical Studies, Heredia Province, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Bentley