1
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Siebert J, Sünnemann M, Hautier Y, Risch AC, Bakker JD, Biederman L, Blumenthal DM, Borer ET, Bugalho MN, Broadbent AAD, Caldeira MC, Cleland E, Davies KF, Eskelinen A, Hagenah N, Knops JMH, MacDougall AS, McCulley RL, Moore JL, Power SA, Price JN, Seabloom EW, Standish R, Stevens CJ, Zimmermann S, Eisenhauer N. Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1220. [PMID: 38040868 PMCID: PMC10692199 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05607-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Covering approximately 40% of land surfaces, grasslands provide critical ecosystem services that rely on soil organisms. However, the global determinants of soil biodiversity and functioning remain underexplored. In this study, we investigate the drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity in grasslands across a wide range of climatic conditions on five continents. We apply standardized treatments of nutrient addition and herbivore reduction, allowing us to disentangle the regional and local drivers of soil organism activity. We use structural equation modeling to assess the direct and indirect effects of local and regional drivers on soil biological activities. Microbial and detritivore activities are positively correlated across global grasslands. These correlations are shaped more by global climatic factors than by local treatments, with annual precipitation and soil water content explaining the majority of the variation. Nutrient addition tends to reduce microbial activity by enhancing plant growth, while herbivore reduction typically increases microbial and detritivore activity through increased soil moisture. Our findings emphasize soil moisture as a key driver of soil biological activity, highlighting the potential impacts of climate change, altered grazing pressure, and eutrophication on nutrient cycling and decomposition within grassland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Siebert
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Marie Sünnemann
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anita C Risch
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Community Ecology, Zuercherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan D Bakker
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Lori Biederman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50010, USA
| | - Dana M Blumenthal
- USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources & Systems Research Unit, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Miguel N Bugalho
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves", School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Arthur A D Broadbent
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Maria C Caldeira
- Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Elsa Cleland
- Ecology, Behavior and Evolution Section, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr. #0116, La Jolla, California, 92093-0116, USA
| | - Kendi F Davies
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Anu Eskelinen
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Ecology and Genetics Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Physiological Diversity, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicole Hagenah
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Johannes M H Knops
- Health & Environmental Sciences Department, Xi'an Jiatong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Andrew S MacDougall
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Rebecca L McCulley
- Department of Plant & Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Joslin L Moore
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, VIC, 3084, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 25 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Sally A Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Jodi N Price
- School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, 2640, Australia
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Rachel Standish
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia
- Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Carly J Stevens
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Stephan Zimmermann
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Zuercherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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2
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Eisenhauer N, Ochoa-Hueso R, Huang Y, Barry KE, Gebler A, Guerra CA, Hines J, Jochum M, Andraczek K, Bucher SF, Buscot F, Ciobanu M, Chen H, Junker R, Lange M, Lehmann A, Rillig M, Römermann C, Ulrich J, Weigelt A, Schmidt A, Türke M. Ecosystem consequences of invertebrate decline. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4538-4547.e5. [PMID: 37757832 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Human activities cause substantial changes in biodiversity.1,2 Despite ongoing concern about the implications of invertebrate decline,3,4,5,6,7 few empirical studies have examined the ecosystem consequences of invertebrate biomass loss. Here, we test the responses of six ecosystem services informed by 30 above- and belowground ecosystem variables to three levels of aboveground (i.e., vegetation associated) invertebrate community biomass (100%, 36%, and 0% of ambient biomass) in experimental grassland mesocosms in a controlled Ecotron facility. In line with recent reports on invertebrate biomass loss over the last decade, our 36% biomass treatment also represented a decrease in invertebrate abundance (-70%) and richness (-44%). Moreover, we simulated the pronounced change in invertebrate biomass and turnover in community composition across the season. We found that the loss of invertebrate biomass decreases ecosystem multifunctionality, including two critical ecosystem services, aboveground pest control and belowground decomposition, while harvested plant biomass increases, likely because less energy was channeled up the food chain. Moreover, communities and ecosystem functions become decoupled with a lower biomass of invertebrates. Our study shows that invertebrate loss threatens the integrity of grasslands by decoupling ecosystem processes and decreasing ecosystem-service supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Raúl Ochoa-Hueso
- Department of Biology, IVAGRO, University of Cádiz, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario (CeiA3), Campus Del Rio San Pedro, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain; Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, 6700 AB Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Yuanyuan Huang
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kathryn E Barry
- Ecology and Biodiversity; Department of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University Padualaan, 8 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Alban Gebler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Carlos A Guerra
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jes Hines
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Malte Jochum
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Karl Andraczek
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Solveig Franziska Bucher
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Plant Biodiversity Group, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - François Buscot
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Marcel Ciobanu
- Institute of Biological Research, Branch of the National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, 48 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Hongmei Chen
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Robert Junker
- Evolutionary Ecology of Plants, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Markus Lange
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Anika Lehmann
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr. 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Altensteinstr. 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias Rillig
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr. 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Altensteinstr. 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christine Römermann
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Plant Biodiversity Group, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Josephine Ulrich
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Plant Biodiversity Group, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anja Schmidt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Manfred Türke
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biological and Medical Imaging, Helmholtz Munich, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
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3
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Luo B, Huang M, Wang W, Niu J, Shrestha M, Zeng H, Ma L, Degen AA, Liao J, Zhang T, Bai Y, Zhao J, Fraser LH, Shang Z. Ant nests increase litter decomposition to mitigate the negative effect of warming in an alpine grassland ecosystem. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230613. [PMID: 37369352 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Warming can decrease feeding activity of soil organisms and affect biogeochemical cycles. The ant Formica manchu is active on the nest surface and prefers a hot, dry environment; therefore, warming may provide a favourable environment for its activities. We hypothesized that F. manchu benefit from warming and mitigate the negative effects of warming on litter decomposition. We examined the effects of ant nests (nest absence versus nest presence) and warming (+1.3 and +2.3°C) on litter decomposition, soil properties and the plant community in alpine grassland. Decomposition stations with two mesh sizes were used to differentiate effects of microorganisms (0.05 mm) and macroinvertebrates (1 cm) on decomposition. Ant nests increased litter decomposition with and without macroinvertebrates accessing the decomposition station when compared to plots without ant nests. Only litter decomposition in ant nests with macroinvertebrates having access to the decomposition station was not affected negatively by warming. Plots with ant nests had greater soil carbon, nutrient contents and plant growth than plots without ant nests, regardless of warming. Our results suggest that ant nests maintain ecosystem processes and functions under warming. Consequently, a management strategy in alpine grasslands should include the protection of these ants and ant nests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binyu Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Mei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenyin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiahuan Niu
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, People's Republic of China
| | - Mani Shrestha
- Department of Disturbance Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Haijun Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - A Allan Degen
- Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of Negev, Beer Sheva 8410500, Israel
| | - Jingkang Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, and College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanfu Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingxue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Lauchlan H Fraser
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada V2C 0C8
| | - Zhanhuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
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4
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Yin R, Qin W, Wang X, Xie D, Wang H, Zhao H, Zhang Z, He JS, Schädler M, Kardol P, Eisenhauer N, Zhu B. Experimental warming causes mismatches in alpine plant-microbe-fauna phenology. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2159. [PMID: 37061533 PMCID: PMC10105701 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37938-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term observations have shown that many plants and aboveground animals have changed their phenology patterns due to warmer temperatures over the past decades. However, empirical evidence for phenological shifts in alpine organisms, particularly belowground organisms, is scarce. Here, we investigate how the activities and phenology of plants, soil microbes, and soil fauna will respond to warming in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, and whether their potential phenological changes will be synchronized. We experimentally simulate an increase in soil temperature by 2-4 °C according to future projections for this region. We find that warming promotes plant growth, soil microbial respiration, and soil fauna feeding by 8%, 57%, and 20%, respectively, but causes dissimilar changes in their phenology during the growing season. Specifically, warming advances soil faunal feeding activity in spring and delays it in autumn, while their peak activity does not change; whereas warming increases the peak activity of plant growth and soil microbial respiration but with only minor shifts in their phenology. Such phenological asynchrony in alpine organisms may alter ecosystem functioning and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Yin
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenkuan Qin
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xudong Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, and College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, and College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hongyang Zhao
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenhua Zhang
- Qinghai Haibei National Field Research Station of Alpine Grassland Ecosystem, and Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Jin-Sheng He
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, and College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Martin Schädler
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieder-Strasse 4, 06110, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paul Kardol
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750-07, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901-83, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Biao Zhu
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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5
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Birkhofer K, Fliessbach A, Gavín-Centol MP, Hedlund K, Ingimarsdóttir M, Jørgensen HB, Kozjek K, Meyer S, Montserrat M, Moreno SS, Laraño JM, Scheu S, Serrano-Carnero D, Truu J, Kundel D. Conventional agriculture and not drought alters relationships between soil biota and functions. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23975. [PMID: 34907218 PMCID: PMC8671559 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03276-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil biodiversity constitutes the biological pillars of ecosystem services provided by soils worldwide. Soil life is threatened by intense agricultural management and shifts in climatic conditions as two important global change drivers which are not often jointly studied under field conditions. We addressed the effects of experimental short-term drought over the wheat growing season on soil organisms and ecosystem functions under organic and conventional farming in a Swiss long term trial. Our results suggest that activity and community metrics are suitable indicators for drought stress while microbial communities primarily responded to agricultural practices. Importantly, we found a significant loss of multiple pairwise positive and negative relationships between soil biota and process-related variables in response to conventional farming, but not in response to experimental drought. These results suggest a considerable weakening of the contribution of soil biota to ecosystem functions under long-term conventional agriculture. Independent of the farming system, experimental and seasonal (ambient) drought conditions directly affected soil biota and activity. A higher soil water content during early and intermediate stages of the growing season and a high number of significant relationships between soil biota to ecosystem functions suggest that organic farming provides a buffer against drought effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Birkhofer
- Department of Ecology, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 6, 03046, Cottbus, Germany.
| | - Andreas Fliessbach
- Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), 5070, Frick, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | - Katja Kozjek
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden
| | - Svenja Meyer
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marta Montserrat
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea "La Mayora" - Universidad de Málaga- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Málaga, Spain
| | - Sara Sánchez Moreno
- Department of Environment and Agronomy, National Center Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Moya Laraño
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, EEZA-CSIC, 04120, Almería, Spain
| | - Stefan Scheu
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Diego Serrano-Carnero
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea "La Mayora" - Universidad de Málaga- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Málaga, Spain
| | - Jaak Truu
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, 51010, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Dominika Kundel
- Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), 5070, Frick, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
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6
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Gottschall F, Cesarz S, Auge H, Kovach KR, Mori AS, Nock CA, Eisenhauer N. Spatiotemporal dynamics of abiotic and biotic properties explain biodiversity–ecosystem‐functioning relationships. ECOL MONOGR 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Felix Gottschall
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig 04103 Germany
- Institute of Biology Leipzig University Leipzig 04103 Germany
| | - Simone Cesarz
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig 04103 Germany
- Institute of Biology Leipzig University Leipzig 04103 Germany
| | - Harald Auge
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig 04103 Germany
- Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Halle 06120 Germany
| | - Kyle R. Kovach
- Chair of Geobotany Faculty of Biology University of Freiburg Freiburg 79104 Germany
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Akira S. Mori
- Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences Yokohama National University Yokohama 240‐8501 Japan
| | - Charles A. Nock
- Chair of Geobotany Faculty of Biology University of Freiburg Freiburg 79104 Germany
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta T6G 2R3 Canada
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig 04103 Germany
- Institute of Biology Leipzig University Leipzig 04103 Germany
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7
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Sünnemann M, Alt C, Kostin JE, Lochner A, Reitz T, Siebert J, Schädler M, Eisenhauer N. Low‐intensity land‐use enhances soil microbial activity, biomass and fungal‐to‐bacterial ratio in current and future climates. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marie Sünnemann
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Institute of Biology Leipzig University Leipzig Germany
| | - Christina Alt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Faculty of Biology Technical University Dresden Dresden Germany
| | - Julia E. Kostin
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Faculty of Management Science and Economics Leipzig University Leipzig Germany
| | - Alfred Lochner
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Institute of Biology Leipzig University Leipzig Germany
| | - Thomas Reitz
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Department of Soil Ecology Helmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Halle Germany
| | - Julia Siebert
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Institute of Biology Leipzig University Leipzig Germany
| | - Martin Schädler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Halle Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Institute of Biology Leipzig University Leipzig Germany
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8
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Kostin JE, Cesarz S, Lochner A, Schädler M, Macdonald CA, Eisenhauer N. Land-use drives the temporal stability and magnitude of soil microbial functions and modulates climate effects. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 31:e02325. [PMID: 33709490 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Soil microbial community functions are essential indicators of ecosystem multifunctionality in managed land-use systems. Going forward, the development of adaptation strategies and predictive models under future climate scenarios will require a better understanding of how both land-use and climate disturbances influence soil microbial functions over time. Between March and November 2018, we assessed the effects of climate change on the magnitude and temporal stability of soil basal respiration, soil microbial biomass and soil functional diversity across a range of land-use types and intensities in a large-scale field experiment. Soils were sampled from five common land-use types including conventional and organic croplands, intensive and extensive meadows, and extensive pastures, under ambient and projected future climate conditions (reduced summer precipitation and increased temperature) at the Global Change Experimental Facility (GCEF) in Bad Lauchstädt, Germany. Land-use and climate treatment interaction effects were significant in September, a month when precipitation levels slightly rebounded following a period of drought in central Germany: compared to ambient climate, in future climate treatments, basal respiration declined in pastures and increased in intensive meadows, functional diversity declined in pastures and croplands, and respiration-to-biomass ratio increased in intensive and extensive meadows. Low rainfall between May and August likely strengthened soil microbial responses toward the future climate treatment in September. Although microbial biomass showed declining levels in extensive meadows and pastures under future climate treatments, overall, microbial function magnitudes were higher in these land-use types compared to croplands, indicating that improved management practices could sustain high microbial ecosystem functioning in future climates. In contrast to our hypothesis that more disturbed land-use systems would have destabilized microbial functions, intensive meadows and organic croplands showed stabilized soil microbial biomass compared to all other land-use types, suggesting that temporal stability, in addition to magnitude-based measurements, may be useful for revealing context-dependent effects on soil ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia E Kostin
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Faculty of Management Science and Economics, Leipzig University, Grimmaische Straße 12, Leipzig, 04109, Germany
| | - Simone Cesarz
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Alfred Lochner
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Martin Schädler
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Street 4, Halle, 06120, Germany
| | - Catriona A Macdonald
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, New South Wales, 2751, Australia
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
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9
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Eisenhauer N, Buscot F, Heintz-Buschart A, Jurburg SD, Küsel K, Sikorski J, Vogel HJ, Guerra CA. The multidimensionality of soil macroecology. GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY : A JOURNAL OF MACROECOLOGY 2021; 30:4-10. [PMID: 33692654 PMCID: PMC7116881 DOI: 10.1111/geb.13211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The recent past has seen a tremendous surge in soil macroecological studies and new insights into the global drivers of one-quarter of the biodiversity of the Earth. Building on these important developments, a recent paper in Global Ecology and Biogeography outlined promising methods and approaches to advance soil macroecology. Among other recommendations, White and colleagues introduced the concept of a spatial three-dimensionality in soil macroecology by considering the different spheres of influence and scales, as soil organism size ranges vary from bacteria to macro- and megafauna. Here, we extend this concept by discussing three additional dimensions (biological, physical, and societal) that are crucial to steer soil macroecology from pattern description towards better mechanistic understanding. In our view, these are the requirements to establish it as a predictive science that can inform policy about relevant nature and management conservation actions. We highlight the need to explore temporal dynamics of soil biodiversity and functions across multiple temporal scales, integrating different facets of biodiversity (i.e., variability in body size, life-history traits, species identities, and groups of taxa) and their relationships to multiple ecosystem functions, in addition to the feedback effects between humans and soil biodiversity. We also argue that future research needs to consider effective soil conservation policy and management in combination with higher awareness of the contributions of soil-based nature's contributions to people. To verify causal relationships, soil macroecology should be paired with local and globally distributed experiments. The present paper expands the multidimensional perspective on soil macroecology to guide future research contents and funding. We recommend considering these multiple dimensions in projected global soil biodiversity monitoring initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - François Buscot
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle, Germany
| | - Anna Heintz-Buschart
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle, Germany
| | - Stephanie D. Jurburg
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kirsten Küsel
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Johannes Sikorski
- Leibniz-Institut DSMZ-Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Hans-Jörg Vogel
- Department of Soil System Science, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle, Germany
| | - Carlos A. Guerra
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
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10
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Ulrich J, Bucher SF, Eisenhauer N, Schmidt A, Türke M, Gebler A, Barry K, Lange M, Römermann C. Invertebrate Decline Leads to Shifts in Plant Species Abundance and Phenology. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:542125. [PMID: 33042175 PMCID: PMC7527414 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.542125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Climate and land-use change lead to decreasing invertebrate biomass and alter invertebrate communities. These biotic changes may affect plant species abundance and phenology. Using 24 controlled experimental units in the iDiv Ecotron, we assessed the effects of invertebrate decline on an artificial grassland community formed by 12 herbaceous plant species. More specifically, we used Malaise traps and sweep nets to collect invertebrates from a local tall oatgrass meadow and included them in our Ecotron units at two different invertebrate densities: 100% (no invertebrate decline) and 25% (invertebrate decline of 75%). Another eight EcoUnits received no fauna and served as a control. Plant species abundance and flowering phenology was observed weekly over a period of 18 weeks. Our results showed that invertebrate densities affected the abundance and phenology of plant species. We observed a distinct species abundance shift with respect to the invertebrate treatment. Notably, this shift included a reduction in the abundance of the dominant plant species, Trifolium pratense, when invertebrates were present. Additionally, we found that the species shifted their flowering phenology as a response to the different invertebrate treatments, e.g. with decreasing invertebrate biomass Lotus corniculatus showed a later peak flowering time. We demonstrated that in addition to already well-studied abiotic drivers, biotic components may also drive phenological changes in plant communities. This study clearly suggests that invertebrate decline may contribute to already observed mismatches between plants and animals, with potential negative consequences for ecosystem services like food provision and pollination success. This deterioration of ecosystem function could enhance the loss of insects and plant biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Ulrich
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anja Schmidt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Manfred Türke
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alban Gebler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kathryn Barry
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Markus Lange
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Christine Römermann
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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11
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Yin R, Kardol P, Thakur MP, Gruss I, Wu GL, Eisenhauer N, Schädler M. Soil functional biodiversity and biological quality under threat: intensive land use outweighs climate change. SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY 2020; 147:107847. [PMID: 32884602 PMCID: PMC7116016 DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and land use intensification are the two most common global change drivers of biodiversity loss. Like other organisms, the soil meso-fauna are expected to modify their functional diversity and composition in response to climate and land use changes. Here, we investigated the functional responses of Collembola, one of the most abundant and ecologically important groups of soil invertebrates. This study was conducted at the Global Change Experimental Facility (GCEF) in central Germany, where we tested the effects of climate (ambient vs. 'future' as projected for this region for the years between 2070 and 2100), land use (conventional farming, organic farming, intensively-used meadow, extensively-used meadow, and extensively-used pasture), and their interactions on the functional diversity (FD), community-weighted mean (CWM) traits (life-history, morphology), and functional composition of Collembola, as well as the Soil Biological Quality-Collembola (QBS-c) index. We found that land use was overwhelmingly the dominant driver of shifts in functional diversity, functional traits, and functional composition of Collembola, and of shifts in soil biological quality. These significant land use effects were mainly due to the differences between the two main land use types, i.e. cropland vs. grasslands. Specifically, Collembola functional biodiversity and soil biological quality were significantly lower in croplands than grasslands. However, no interactive effect of climate × land use was found in this study, suggesting that land use effects on Collembola were independent of the climate change scenario. Overall, our study shows that functional responses of Collembola are highly vulnerable to land use intensification under both climate scenarios. We conclude that land use changes reduce functional biodiversity and biological quality of soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
- Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06110 Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paul Kardol
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901-83 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Madhav P. Thakur
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Iwona Gruss
- Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06110 Halle (Saale), Germany
- Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Department of Plant Protection, Plac Grunwaldzki 24 A, 50363 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Gao-Lin Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Schädler
- Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06110 Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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12
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Beaumelle L, De Laender F, Eisenhauer N. Biodiversity mediates the effects of stressors but not nutrients on litter decomposition. eLife 2020; 9:55659. [PMID: 32589139 PMCID: PMC7402682 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the consequences of ongoing biodiversity changes for ecosystems is a pressing challenge. Controlled biodiversity-ecosystem function experiments with random biodiversity loss scenarios have demonstrated that more diverse communities usually provide higher levels of ecosystem functioning. However, it is not clear if these results predict the ecosystem consequences of environmental changes that cause non-random alterations in biodiversity and community composition. We synthesized 69 independent studies reporting 660 observations of the impacts of two pervasive drivers of global change (chemical stressors and nutrient enrichment) on animal and microbial decomposer diversity and litter decomposition. Using meta-analysis and structural equation modeling, we show that declines in decomposer diversity and abundance explain reduced litter decomposition in response to stressors but not to nutrients. While chemical stressors generally reduced biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, detrimental effects of nutrients occurred only at high levels of nutrient inputs. Thus, more intense environmental change does not always result in stronger responses, illustrating the complexity of ecosystem consequences of biodiversity change. Overall, these findings provide strong evidence that the consequences of observed biodiversity change for ecosystems depend on the kind of environmental change, and are especially significant when human activities decrease biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Beaumelle
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Frederik De Laender
- Research Unit of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Namur Institute of Complex Systems, and Institute of Life, Earth, and the Environment, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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13
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Thakur MP. Climate warming and trophic mismatches in terrestrial ecosystems: the green–brown imbalance hypothesis. Biol Lett 2020. [DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic climate change can give rise to trophic mismatches in food webs owing to differential responses of consumer and resource organisms. However, we know little about the community and ecosystem level consequences of trophic mismatches in food webs. Terrestrial food webs are broadly comprised of two types of food webs: green food webs aboveground and brown food webs belowground between which mass and energy flow mainly via plants. Here, I highlight that the extent of warming-induced trophic mismatches in green and brown food webs differ owing to a greater stasis in brown food webs, which could trigger an imbalance in mass and energy flow between the two food webs. I then discuss the consequences of green–brown imbalance on terrestrial ecosystems and propose research avenues that can help understand the relationships between food webs and ecosystem functions in a warmer world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhav P. Thakur
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
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14
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Siebert J, Ciobanu M, Schädler M, Eisenhauer N. Climate change and land use induce functional shifts in soil nematode communities. Oecologia 2019; 192:281-294. [PMID: 31781868 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04560-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Land-use intensification represents one major threat to the diversity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. In the face of concurrent climate change, concerns are growing about the ability of intensively managed agroecosystems to ensure stable food provisioning, as they may be particularly vulnerable to climate extreme-induced harvest losses and pest outbreaks. Extensively managed systems, in contrast, were shown to mitigate climate change based on plant diversity-mediated effects, such as higher functional redundancy or asynchrony of species. In this context, the maintenance of soils is essential to sustain key ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, pest control, and crop yield. Within the highly diverse soil fauna, nematodes represent an important group as their trophic spectrum ranges from detritivores to predators and they allow inferences to the overall state of the ecosystem (bioindicators). Here, we investigated the effects of simulated climate change and land-use intensity on the diversity and abundance of soil nematode functional groups and functional indices in two consecutive years. We revealed that especially land use induced complex shifts in the nematode community with strong seasonal dynamics, while future climate led to weaker effects. Strikingly, the high nematode densities associated with altered climatic conditions and intensive land use were a consequence of increased densities of opportunists and potential pest species (i.e., plant feeders). This coincided with a less diverse and less structured community with presumably reduced capabilities to withstand environmental stress. These degraded soil food web conditions represent a potential threat to ecosystem functioning and underline the importance of management practices that preserve belowground organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Siebert
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. .,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Marcel Ciobanu
- Institute of Biological Research, Branch of the National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, 48 Republicii Street, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Martin Schädler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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