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Research Paper | Biochemistry Science | Ivory Coast | Volume 12 Issue 7, July 2023
The Influence of Geographical Location of the nest on Chemical Composition of Termite Macrotermes Bellicosus Fungus Comb Collected in Cote d'Ivoire
Amessan Izihidem Amelie | Gnangui Sophie Nadege | Komade Thierry [2] | Kouame Lucien Patrice [2]
Abstract: Macrotermitinae grow Termitomyces spp. in their mounds on a substrate called fungus comb or fungus garden, which is elaborated with plant material. The combs are an important food source for these termites and a substrate for the Termitomyces. When the fungus garden fails to be created by the termites, they eventually run out of food and are unable to survive. This study aims to determine the influence of the geographical area on the chemical composition of fungus comb of the Macrotermes bellicosus termite of C?te d?Ivoire. Fungus comb of M. bellicossus were collected from termite mounds at sites in ten different localities in C?te d'Ivoire. The results obtained showed that the humidity levels of fungus comb are between 46.73 ? 0.7% to 48.73 ? 1.59%. In addition, fungus comb of the nest of the M. bellicosus termite are acidic and the pH values tend towards 4.1 regardless of the origin of the samples. Considering the major compounds determined in the fungus comb, namely cellulose, lignin, proteins and ash, their rate varies from one site to another. The cellulose rate varies from 26.04 ? 1.46% to 28.33 ? 1.34%, while that of lignin is between 15.59 ? 0.98% to 18.64 ? 1.13%. However, the fungus comb is devoid of fat. The principal component analysis (PCA) of the compounds made it possible to distinguish three groups of fungus comb. The first group is made up of fungus comb of the localities of Abidjan (ABJ), Abengourou (ABG), Adiak? (ADK), Du?kou? (DUE) and M?agui (MEA). The second group comes from Korogho (KRG), Niakaramadougou (NIA), Toumodi (TMD) and Bondoukou (BDK). The last group comes from the locality of Bouak? (BKE). These different groups are distinguished by their geographical location characterized by vegetation, climate and soil.
Keywords: Temite, fungus comb, chemical composition, localities, Cote d'Ivoire
Edition: Volume 12 Issue 7, July 2023,
Pages: 71 - 81