Samples of soil and termite species Cornitermes cumulans (Kollar, 1832) (termite mounds) were compared with respect to chemical and biological properties to evaluate the influence of termites in some soil properties. The study was conducted in Pinheiral, Rio de Janeiro state in areas of managed pasture, native grassland, and eucalyptus plantations. The samples were collected from 60 adjacent termitaria and soil over a year, in four seasons. Microbial biomass was higher in the termitaria than in the soil in most of the areas and seasons evaluated, and fractionation showed that most of the carbon is found in the humic form.
Cornitermes cumulans; microbial biomass; organic fractions