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Potapov AM, Drescher J, Darras K, Wenzel A, Janotta N, Nazarreta R, Kasmiatun, Laurent V, Mawan A, Utari EH, Pollierer MM, Rembold K, Widyastuti R, Buchori D, Hidayat P, Turner E, Grass I, Westphal C, Tscharntke T, Scheu S. Rainforest transformation reallocates energy from green to brown food webs. Nature 2024; 627:116-122. [PMID: 38355803 PMCID: PMC10917685 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07083-y] [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: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Terrestrial animal biodiversity is increasingly being lost because of land-use change1,2. However, functional and energetic consequences aboveground and belowground and across trophic levels in megadiverse tropical ecosystems remain largely unknown. To fill this gap, we assessed changes in energy fluxes across 'green' aboveground (canopy arthropods and birds) and 'brown' belowground (soil arthropods and earthworms) animal food webs in tropical rainforests and plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia. Our results showed that most of the energy in rainforests is channelled to the belowground animal food web. Oil palm and rubber plantations had similar or, in the case of rubber agroforest, higher total animal energy fluxes compared to rainforest but the key energetic nodes were distinctly different: in rainforest more than 90% of the total animal energy flux was channelled by arthropods in soil and canopy, whereas in plantations more than 50% of the energy was allocated to annelids (earthworms). Land-use change led to a consistent decline in multitrophic energy flux aboveground, whereas belowground food webs responded with reduced energy flux to higher trophic levels, down to -90%, and with shifts from slow (fungal) to fast (bacterial) energy channels and from faeces production towards consumption of soil organic matter. This coincides with previously reported soil carbon stock depletion3. Here we show that well-documented animal biodiversity declines with tropical land-use change4-6 are associated with vast energetic and functional restructuring in food webs across aboveground and belowground ecosystem compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton M Potapov
- Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
- Insitute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
| | | | - Kevin Darras
- Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Arne Wenzel
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Noah Janotta
- Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rizky Nazarreta
- Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Kasmiatun
- Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | | | - Amanda Mawan
- Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Endah H Utari
- Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | | | - Katja Rembold
- Botanical Garden of University of Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Damayanti Buchori
- Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
- Centre for Transdisciplinary and Sustainability Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Purnama Hidayat
- Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Edgar Turner
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ingo Grass
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Catrin Westphal
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Scheu
- Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttigen, Göttingen, Germany
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Terlau JF, Brose U, Eisenhauer N, Amyntas A, Boy T, Dyer A, Gebler A, Hof C, Liu T, Scherber C, Schlägel UE, Schmidt A, Hirt MR. Microhabitat conditions remedy heat stress effects on insect activity. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:3747-3758. [PMID: 37186484 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic global warming has major implications for mobile terrestrial insects, including long-term effects from constant warming, for example, on species distribution patterns, and short-term effects from heat extremes that induce immediate physiological responses. To cope with heat extremes, they either have to reduce their activity or move to preferable microhabitats. The availability of favorable microhabitat conditions is strongly promoted by the spatial heterogeneity of habitats, which is often reduced by anthropogenic land transformation. Thus, it is decisive to understand the combined effects of these global change drivers on insect activity. Here, we assessed the movement activity of six insect species (from three orders) in response to heat stress using a unique tracking approach via radio frequency identification. We tracked 465 individuals at the iDiv Ecotron across a temperature gradient up to 38.7°C. In addition, we varied microhabitat conditions by adding leaf litter from four different tree species to the experimental units, either spatially separated or well mixed. Our results show opposing effects of heat extremes on insect activity depending on the microhabitat conditions. The insect community significantly decreased its activity in the mixed litter scenario, while we found a strong positive effect on activity in the separated litter scenario. We hypothesize that the simultaneous availability of thermal refugia as well as resources provided by the mixed litter scenario allows animals to reduce their activity and save energy in response to heat stress. Contrary, the spatial separation of beneficial microclimatic conditions and resources forces animals to increase their activity to fulfill their energetic needs. Thus, our study highlights the importance of habitat heterogeneity on smaller scales, because it may buffer the consequences of extreme temperatures of insect performance and survival under global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jördis F Terlau
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angelos Amyntas
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Boy
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Alexander Dyer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Alban Gebler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian Hof
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Life Science Systems, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Tao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Christoph Scherber
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ulrike E Schlägel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anja Schmidt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Myriam R Hirt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
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3
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Warnke L, Hertel D, Scheu S, Maraun M. Opening up new niche dimensions: The stoichiometry of soil microarthropods in European beech and Norway spruce forests. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10122. [PMID: 37223311 PMCID: PMC10202621 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Niche theory fundamentally contributed to the understanding of animal diversity. However, in soil, the diversity of animals seems enigmatic since the soil is a rather homogeneous habitat, and soil animals are often generalist feeders. A new approach to understand soil animal diversity is the use of ecological stoichiometry. The elemental composition of animals may explain their occurrence, distribution, and density. This approach has been used before in soil macrofauna, but this study is the first to investigate soil mesofauna. Using inductively coupled plasma optic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), we analyzed the concentration of a wide range of elements (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Zn) in 15 soil mite taxa (Oribatida, Mesostigmata) from the litter of two different forest types (beech, spruce) in Central Europe (Germany). Additionally, the concentration of carbon and nitrogen, and their stable isotope ratios (15N/14N, 13C/12C), reflecting their trophic niche, were measured. We hypothesized that (1) stoichiometry differs between mite taxa, (2) stoichiometry of mite taxa occurring in both forest types is not different, and (3) element composition is correlated to trophic level as indicated by 15N/14N ratios. The results showed that stoichiometric niches of soil mite taxa differed considerably indicating that elemental composition is an important niche dimension of soil animal taxa. Further, stoichiometric niches of the studied taxa did not differ significantly between the two forest types. Calcium was negatively correlated with trophic level indicating that taxa incorporating calcium carbonate in their cuticle for defense occupy lower trophic positions in the food web. Furthermore, a positive correlation of phosphorus with trophic level indicated that taxa higher in the food web have higher energetic demand. Overall, the results indicate that ecological stoichiometry of soil animals is a promising tool for understanding their diversity and functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Warnke
- JFB Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Dietrich Hertel
- Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, Plant Ecology and Ecosystems ResearchUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- JFB Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land UseUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Mark Maraun
- JFB Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
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4
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Njoroge DM, Dossa GGO, Ye L, Lin X, Schaefer D, Tomlinson K, Zuo J, Cornelissen JHC. Fauna access outweighs litter mixture effect during leaf litter decomposition. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160190. [PMID: 36402317 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Decomposition rates of litter mixtures reflect the combined effects of litter species diversity, litter quality, decomposers, their interactions with each other and with the environment. The outcomes of those interactions remain ambiguous and past studies have reported conflicting results (e.g., litter mixture richness effects). To date, how litter diversity and soil fauna interactions shape litter mixture decomposition remains poorly understood. Through a sixteen month long common garden litter decomposition experiment, we tested these interaction effects using litterbags of three mesh sizes (micromesh, mesomesh, and macromesh) to disentangle the contributions of different fauna groups categorized by their size at Wuhan botanical garden (subtropical climate). We examined the decomposition of five single commonly available species litters and their full 26 mixtures combination spanning from 2 to 5 species. In total, 2325 litterbags were incubated at the setup of the experiment and partly harvested after 1, 3, 6, 9, and 16 months after exposure to evaluate the mass loss and the combined effects of soil fauna and litter diversity. We predicted that litter mixture effects should increase with increased litter quality dissimilarity, and soil fauna should enhance litter (both single species litter and litter mixtures) decomposition rate. Litter mass loss ranged from 26.9 % to 87.3 %. Soil fauna access to litterbags accelerated mass loss by 29.8 % on average. The contribution of soil mesofauna did not differ from that of soil meso- and macrofauna. Incubation duration and its interactions with litter quality dissimilarities together with soil fauna determined the litter mixture effect. Furthermore, the litter mixture effect weakened as the decomposition progresses. Faunal contribution was broadly additive to the positive mixture effect irrespective of litter species richness or litter dissimilarity. This implies that combining the dissimilarity of mixture species and contributions of different soil fauna provides a more comprehensive understanding of mixed litter decomposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Mburu Njoroge
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of sciences (UCAS), Beijing 100049, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Gbadamassi G O Dossa
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China; Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Menglun 666303, China.
| | - Luping Ye
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiaoyuan Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of sciences (UCAS), Beijing 100049, China
| | - Douglas Schaefer
- Centre for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
| | - Kyle Tomlinson
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Juan Zuo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Menglun 666303, China.
| | - Johannes H C Cornelissen
- Systems Ecology, A-LIFE, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Zhang B, Chen H, Deng M, Li X, Chen TW, Liu L, Scheu S, Wang S. Multidimensional stoichiometric mismatch explains differences in detritivore biomass across three forest types. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:454-465. [PMID: 36477808 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13859] [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: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The ecological stoichiometry theory provides a framework to understand organism fitness and population dynamics based on stoichiometric mismatch between organisms and their resources. Recent studies have revealed that different soil animals occupy distinct multidimensional stoichiometric niches (MSNs), which likely determine their specific stoichiometric mismatches and population responses facing resource changes. The goals of the present study are to examine how long-term forest plantations affect multidimensional elemental contents of litter and detritivores and the population size of detritivores that occupy distinct MSNs. We evaluated the contents of 10 elements of two detritivore taxa (lumbricid earthworms and julid millipedes) and their litter resources, quantified their MSNs and the multidimensional stoichiometric mismatches, and examined how such mismatch patterns influence the density and total biomass of detritivores across three forest types spanning from natural forests (oak forest) to plantations (pine and larch forests). Sixty-year pine plantations changed the multidimensional elemental contents of litter, but did not influence the elemental contents of the two detritivore taxa. Earthworms and millipedes exhibited distinct patterns of MSNs and stoichiometric mismatches, but they both experienced severer stoichiometric mismatches in pine plantations than in oak forests and larch plantations. Such stoichiometric mismatches led to lower density and biomass of both earthworms and millipedes in pine plantations. In other words, under conditions of low litter quality and severe stoichiometric mismatches in pine plantations, detritivores maintained their body elemental contents but decreased their population biomass. Our study illustrates the success in using the multidimensional stoichiometric framework to understand the impact of forest plantations on animal population dynamics, which may serve as a useful tool in addressing ecosystem responses to global environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Haozhen Chen
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Mingqin Deng
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Li
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ting-Wen Chen
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Soil Biology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Lingli Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Stefan Scheu
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Iannino A, Fink P, Vosshage ATL, Weitere M. Resource-dependent foraging behaviour of grazers enhances effects of nutrient enrichment on algal biomass. Oecologia 2023; 201:479-488. [PMID: 36607451 PMCID: PMC9944008 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05308-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Both the quantity and nutritional quality of food resources can strongly influence the foraging movements of herbivores, which in turn determine the strength of top-down control on primary producer biomass. Nutrient enrichment can alter the biomass and nutritional quality of primary producers, but the consequences for the foraging of herbivores and hence for top-down control are still poorly understood. In this study, we combined a two-factorial experiment (two nutrient levels × grazing by the freshwater gastropod Ancylus fluviatilis) with video analyses tracking grazers' movements to investigate nutrient enrichment effects on spatial ranges of grazing activity and algal biomass removal. Natural stream biofilms were grown in phosphorus-enriched (P+) and phosphorus-poor flumes (P-) for two weeks before A. fluviatilis were added to the flumes and allowed to graze on biofilm for an additional 2 weeks. Total periphyton biomass was enhanced by P+ and reduced by grazer presence. However, the total grazer effect depended on the nutrient level: at the end of the experiment, on average 95% of algal cover were removed by grazing in the P- flumes versus 26% in the P+ flumes. Fast movements of A. fluviatilis were detected significantly more often in the P- treatment, whereas grazers were detected resting more often in the P+ treatment. Our results demonstrate that nutrient enrichment can increase primary producer biomass both directly and indirectly by limiting the foraging ranges of herbivores. The resulting feedback loop between reduced grazing activity and increased plant biomass might in turn exacerbate eutrophication effects on habitat structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Iannino
- Department of River Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Brückstraße 3a, 39114, Magdeburg, Germany
- Workgroup Aquatic Chemical Ecology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47B, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Patrick Fink
- Department of River Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Brückstraße 3a, 39114, Magdeburg, Germany.
- Workgroup Aquatic Chemical Ecology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47B, 50674, Cologne, Germany.
- Department of Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis and Management, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Brückstraße 3a, 39114, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Alexander Tim Ludwig Vosshage
- Department of River Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Brückstraße 3a, 39114, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Markus Weitere
- Department of River Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Brückstraße 3a, 39114, Magdeburg, Germany
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7
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Ockenden A, Northcott GL, Tremblay LA, Simon KS. Disentangling the influence of microplastics and their chemical additives on a model detritivore system. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 307:119558. [PMID: 35654254 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) can negatively impact freshwater organisms via physical effects of the polymer itself and/or exposure to chemicals added to plastic during production to achieve desired characteristics. Effects on organisms may result from direct exposure to plastic particles and/or chemical additives or effects may manifest as indirect effects through ecological interactions between organisms (e.g., reduced food availability that impairs a consumer). To disentangle these issues, we used a simplified freshwater food web interaction comprising microbes and macroinvertebrate detritivores to evaluate the toxicity of 1) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) MPs without added chemicals (virgin), 2) the common chemical additive dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and 3) PVC MPs with incorporated DBP. Exposure to virgin PVC MPs (0.33 and 3.3 mg/L) caused negligible ecological effect with the exception of reduced macroinvertebrate feeding rates at 3.3 mg/L. Exposure to DBP (1 mg/L) both individually and when incorporated into the PVC MPs negatively impacted all tested endpoints, including microbial and macroinvertebrate respiration, feeding rate and assimilation efficiency. DBP leached rapidly from the MPs into the water, and also accumulated in macroinvertebrates and their food, providing multiple routes of exposure. Our findings suggest that additives which are intentionally incorporated into MPs could play a key role in MP toxicity and contribute to the disruption of key ecological interactions underpinning ecosystem processes, such as leaf litter decomposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Ockenden
- School of Environment, University of Auckland, Science Centre, Building 302, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand.
| | - Grant L Northcott
- Northcott Research Consultants Limited, 20 River Oaks Place, Hamilton, 3200, New Zealand.
| | - Louis A Tremblay
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Building 110, 3A Symonds Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand; Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street, The Wood, Nelson, 7010, New Zealand.
| | - Kevin S Simon
- School of Environment, University of Auckland, Science Centre, Building 302, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand.
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Meehan ML, Turnbull KF, Sinclair BJ, Lindo Z. Predators minimize energy costs, rather than maximize energy gains under warming: Evidence from a microcosm feeding experiment. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L. Meehan
- Department of Biology Western University 1151 Richmond Street, N6A 3K7 London Ontario Canada
| | - Kurtis F. Turnbull
- Department of Biology Western University 1151 Richmond Street, N6A 3K7 London Ontario Canada
| | - Brent J. Sinclair
- Department of Biology Western University 1151 Richmond Street, N6A 3K7 London Ontario Canada
| | - Zoë Lindo
- Department of Biology Western University 1151 Richmond Street, N6A 3K7 London Ontario Canada
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9
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Potapov AM. Multifunctionality of belowground food webs: resource, size and spatial energy channels. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1691-1711. [PMID: 35393748 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The belowground compartment of terrestrial ecosystems drives nutrient cycling, the decomposition and stabilisation of organic matter, and supports aboveground life. Belowground consumers create complex food webs that regulate functioning, ensure stability and support biodiversity both below and above ground. However, existing soil food-web reconstructions do not match recently accumulated empirical evidence and there is no comprehensive reproducible approach that accounts for the complex resource, size and spatial structure of food webs in soil. Here I build on generic food-web organisation principles and use multifunctional classification of soil protists, invertebrates and vertebrates, to reconstruct a 'multichannel' food web across size classes of soil-associated consumers. I infer weighted trophic interactions among trophic guilds using feeding preferences and prey protection traits (evolutionarily inherited traits), size and spatial distributions (niche overlaps), and biomass-dependent feeding. I then use food-web reconstruction, together with assimilation efficiencies, to calculate energy fluxes assuming a steady-state energetic system. Based on energy fluxes, I propose a number of indicators, related to stability, biodiversity and multiple ecosystem-level functions such as herbivory, top-down control, translocation and transformation of organic matter. I illustrate this approach with an empirical example, comparing it with traditional resource-focused soil food-web reconstruction. The multichannel reconstruction can be used to assess 'trophic multifunctionality' (analogous to ecosystem multifunctionality), i.e. simultaneous support of multiple trophic functions by the food web, and compare it across communities and ecosystems spanning beyond the soil. With further empirical validation of the proposed functional indicators, this multichannel reconstruction approach could provide an effective tool for understanding animal diversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in soil. This tool hopefully will inspire more researchers to describe soil communities and belowground-aboveground interactions comprehensively. Such studies will provide informative indicators for including consumers as active agents in biogeochemical models, not only locally but also on regional and global scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton M Potapov
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 33, 119071, Moscow
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10
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Jochum M, Barnes AD, Brose U, Gauzens B, Sünnemann M, Amyntas A, Eisenhauer N. For flux's sake: General considerations for energy-flux calculations in ecological communities. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:12948-12969. [PMID: 34646445 PMCID: PMC8495806 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Global change alters ecological communities with consequences for ecosystem processes. Such processes and functions are a central aspect of ecological research and vital to understanding and mitigating the consequences of global change, but also those of other drivers of change in organism communities. In this context, the concept of energy flux through trophic networks integrates food-web theory and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning theory and connects biodiversity to multitrophic ecosystem functioning. As such, the energy-flux approach is a strikingly effective tool to answer central questions in ecology and global-change research. This might seem straight forward, given that the theoretical background and software to efficiently calculate energy flux are readily available. However, the implementation of such calculations is not always straight forward, especially for those who are new to the topic and not familiar with concepts central to this line of research, such as food-web theory or metabolic theory. To facilitate wider use of energy flux in ecological research, we thus provide a guide to adopting energy-flux calculations for people new to the method, struggling with its implementation, or simply looking for background reading, important resources, and standard solutions to the problems everyone faces when starting to quantify energy fluxes for their community data. First, we introduce energy flux and its use in community and ecosystem ecology. Then, we provide a comprehensive explanation of the single steps towards calculating energy flux for community data. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges and exciting research frontiers for future energy-flux research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Jochum
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyLeipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | | | - Ulrich Brose
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiodiversityUniversity of JenaJenaGermany
| | - Benoit Gauzens
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiodiversityUniversity of JenaJenaGermany
| | - Marie Sünnemann
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyLeipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | - Angelos Amyntas
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiodiversityUniversity of JenaJenaGermany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyLeipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
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11
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Potapov AM, Pollierer MM, Salmon S, Šustr V, Chen T. Multidimensional trophic niche revealed by complementary approaches: Gut content, digestive enzymes, fatty acids and stable isotopes in Collembola. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1919-1933. [PMID: 33914342 PMCID: PMC8453724 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Trophic niche differentiation may explain coexistence and shape functional roles of species. In complex natural food webs, however, trophic niche parameters depicted by single and isolated methods may simplify the multidimensional nature of consumer trophic niches, which includes feeding processes such as food choice, ingestion, digestion, assimilation and retention. Here we explore the correlation and complementarity of trophic niche parameters tackled by four complementary methodological approaches, that is, visual gut content, digestive enzyme, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses-each assessing one or few feeding processes, and demonstrate the power of method combination. Focusing on soil ecosystems, where many omnivore species with cryptic feeding habits coexist, we chose Collembola as an example. We compiled 15 key trophic niche parameters for 125 species from 40 studies. We assessed correlations among trophic niche parameters and described variation of these parameters in different Collembola species, families and across life-forms, which represent microhabitat specialisation. Correlation between trophic niche parameters was weak in 45 out of 64 pairwise comparisons, pointing at complementarity of the four methods. Jointly, the results indicated that fungal- and plant-feeding Collembola assimilate storage, rather than structural polysaccharides, and suggested bacterial feeding as a potential alternative feeding strategy. Gut content and fatty acid analyses suggested alignment between ingestion and assimilation/retention processes in fungal- and plant-feeding Collembola. From the 15 trophic niche parameters, six were related to Collembola family identity, suggesting that not all trophic niche dimensions are phylogenetically structured. Only three parameters were related to the life-forms, suggesting that species use various feeding strategies when living in the same microenvironments. Consumers can meet their nutritional needs by varying their food choices, ingestion and digestion strategies, with the connection among different feeding processes being dependent on the consumed resource and consumer adaptations. Multiple methods reveal different dimensions, together drawing a comprehensive picture of the trophic niche. Future studies applying the multidimensional trophic niche approach will allow us to trace trophic complexity and reveal niche partitioning of omnivorous species and their functional roles, especially in cryptic environments such as soils, caves, deep ocean or benthic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton M. Potapov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and EvolutionRussian Academy of SciencesMoscowRussia
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Melanie M. Pollierer
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Sandrine Salmon
- Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleDépartement Adaptations du VivantUMR 7179 MECADEVBrunoyFrance
| | - Vladimír Šustr
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of SciencesInstitute of Soil BiologyČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | - Ting‐Wen Chen
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of SciencesInstitute of Soil BiologyČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
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12
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Zheng J, Brose U, Gravel D, Gauzens B, Luo M, Wang S. Asymmetric foraging lowers the trophic level and omnivory in natural food webs. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1444-1454. [PMID: 33666227 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Food webs capture the trophic relationships and energy fluxes between species, which has fundamental impacts on ecosystem functioning and stability. Within a food web, the energy flux distribution between a predator and its prey species is shaped by food quantity-quality trade-offs and the contiguity of foraging. But the distribution of energy fluxes among prey species as well as its drivers and implications remain unclear. Here we used 157 aquatic food webs, which contain explicit energy flux information, to examine whether a predator's foraging is asymmetric and biased towards lower or higher trophic levels, and how these patterns may change with trophic level. We also evaluate how traditional topology-based approaches may over- or under-estimate a predator's trophic level and omnivory by ignoring the asymmetric foraging patterns. Our results demonstrated the prevalence of asymmetric foraging in natural aquatic food webs. Although predators prefer prey at higher trophic levels with potentially higher food quality, they obtain their energy mostly from lower trophic levels with a higher food quantity. Both tendencies, that is, stronger feeding preference for prey at higher trophic levels and stronger energetic reliance on prey at lower trophic levels are alleviated for predators at higher trophic levels. The asymmetric foraging lowers trophic levels and omnivory at both species and food web levels, compared to estimates from traditional topology-based approaches. Such overestimations by topology-based approaches are most pronounced for predators at lower trophic levels and communities with higher number of trophic species. Our study highlights the importance of energy flux information in understanding the foraging behaviour of predators as well as the structural complexity of natural food webs. The increasing availability of flux-based food web data will thus provide new opportunities to reconcile food web structure, functioning and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zheng
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ulrich Brose
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Dominique Gravel
- Département de Biologie, Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Benoit Gauzens
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Mingyu Luo
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
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13
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Warming and leaf litter functional diversity, not litter quality, drive decomposition in a freshwater ecosystem. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20333. [PMID: 33230213 PMCID: PMC7684280 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77382-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Environment, litter composition and decomposer community are known to be the main drivers of litter decomposition in aquatic ecosystems. However, it remains unclear whether litter quality or functional diversity prevails under warming conditions. Using tank bromeliad ecosystems, we evaluated the combined effects of warming, litter quality and litter functional diversity on the decomposition process. We also assessed the contribution of macroinvertebrates and microorganisms in explaining litter decomposition patterns using litter bags made with different mesh sizes. Our results showed that litter decomposition was driven by litter functional diversity and was increasingly higher under warming, in both mesh sizes. Decomposition was explained by increasing litter dissimilarities in C and N. Our results highlight the importance of considering different aspects of litter characteristics (e.g., quality and functional diversity) in order to predict the decomposition process in freshwater ecosystems. Considering the joint effect of warming and litter traits aspects allow a more refined understanding of the underlying mechanisms of climate change and biodiversity shifts effects on ecosystem functioning.
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14
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Grass I, Kubitza C, Krishna VV, Corre MD, Mußhoff O, Pütz P, Drescher J, Rembold K, Ariyanti ES, Barnes AD, Brinkmann N, Brose U, Brümmer B, Buchori D, Daniel R, Darras KFA, Faust H, Fehrmann L, Hein J, Hennings N, Hidayat P, Hölscher D, Jochum M, Knohl A, Kotowska MM, Krashevska V, Kreft H, Leuschner C, Lobite NJS, Panjaitan R, Polle A, Potapov AM, Purnama E, Qaim M, Röll A, Scheu S, Schneider D, Tjoa A, Tscharntke T, Veldkamp E, Wollni M. Trade-offs between multifunctionality and profit in tropical smallholder landscapes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1186. [PMID: 32132531 PMCID: PMC7055322 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15013-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Land-use transitions can enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers but potential economic-ecological trade-offs remain poorly understood. Here, we present an interdisciplinary study of the environmental, social and economic consequences of land-use transitions in a tropical smallholder landscape on Sumatra, Indonesia. We find widespread biodiversity-profit trade-offs resulting from land-use transitions from forest and agroforestry systems to rubber and oil palm monocultures, for 26,894 aboveground and belowground species and whole-ecosystem multidiversity. Despite variation between ecosystem functions, profit gains come at the expense of ecosystem multifunctionality, indicating far-reaching ecosystem deterioration. We identify landscape compositions that can mitigate trade-offs under optimal land-use allocation but also show that intensive monocultures always lead to higher profits. These findings suggest that, to reduce losses in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, changes in economic incentive structures through well-designed policies are urgently needed. Identifying economic and ecological trade-offs of land-use transitions is important to ensure sustainability. Here, Grass et al. find biodiversity-profit trade-offs in tropical land-use transitions in Sumatra, and show that targeted landscape planning is needed to increase land-use efficiency while ensuring socio-ecological sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Grass
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 13, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany. .,Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstrasse 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Christoph Kubitza
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Neuer Jungfernstieg 21, 20354, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Vijesh V Krishna
- International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Carretera México-Veracruz Km. 45, El Batán, Mexico
| | - Marife D Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Mußhoff
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter Pütz
- Chair of Statistics, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Göttingen, Humboldtallee 3, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jochen Drescher
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katja Rembold
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Botanical Garden of the University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eka Sulpin Ariyanti
- Magister of Environmental of Science, University of Lampung, Lampung, 35145, Indonesia
| | - Andrew D Barnes
- School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Nicole Brinkmann
- Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,EcoNetLab, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger-Str. 159, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Bernhard Brümmer
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Damayanti Buchori
- Center for Transdisciplinary and Sustainability Sciences, IPB University, Bogor Agricultural University, Jalan Pajajaran, Bogor, 16128, Indonesia
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kevin F A Darras
- Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstrasse 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Heiko Faust
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Human Geography, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstr. 5, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lutz Fehrmann
- Forest Inventory and Remote Sensing, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 5, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jonas Hein
- Institute of Geography, Kiel University, Ludewig-Meyn-Str. 14, 24118, Kiel, Germany
| | - Nina Hennings
- Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Purnama Hidayat
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agriculture University, Jln. Kamper, Kampus IPB Dramaga, Bogor, 16880, Indonesia
| | - Dirk Hölscher
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Malte Jochum
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Experimental Interaction Ecology, 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
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martyna M Kotowska
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Valentyna Krashevska
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Holger Kreft
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Leuschner
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Neil Jun S Lobite
- Animal Biology Division, Institute of Biological Science, University of the Philippines, Los Baños, 4031, Philippines
| | - Rawati Panjaitan
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agriculture University, Jln. Kamper, Kampus IPB Dramaga, Bogor, 16880, Indonesia
| | - Andrea Polle
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anton M Potapov
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 33, 119071, Moscow, Russia
| | - Edwine Purnama
- Forest Inventory and Remote Sensing, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 5, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Matin Qaim
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Röll
- Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Aiyen Tjoa
- Agriculture Faculty, Tadulako University, Jl. Soekarno Hatta km.09, Tondo, Palu, Indonesia
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstrasse 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Meike Wollni
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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15
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Marx JM, Rall BC, Phillips HRP, Brose U. Opening the black box of plant nutrient uptake under warming predicts global patterns in community biomass and biological carbon storage. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jori M. Marx
- German Inst. for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle – Jena – Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, DE‐04103 Leipzig, Germany, and: Inst. of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller Univ. Jena Jena Germany
| | - Björn C. Rall
- German Inst. for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle – Jena – Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, DE‐04103 Leipzig, Germany, and: Inst. of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller Univ. Jena Jena Germany
| | - Helen R. P. Phillips
- German Inst. for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle – Jena – Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, DE‐04103 Leipzig, Germany, and: Inst. of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller Univ. Jena Jena Germany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- German Inst. for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle – Jena – Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, DE‐04103 Leipzig, Germany, and: Inst. of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller Univ. Jena Jena Germany
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16
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Potapov AM, Klarner B, Sandmann D, Widyastuti R, Scheu S. Linking size spectrum, energy flux and trophic multifunctionality in soil food webs of tropical land-use systems. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1845-1859. [PMID: 31111468 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Many ecosystem functions depend on the structure of food webs, which heavily relies on the body size spectrum of the community. Despite that, little is known on how the size spectrum of soil animals responds to agricultural practices in tropical land-use systems and how these responses affect ecosystem functioning. We studied land-use-induced changes in below-ground communities in tropical lowland ecosystems in Sumatra (Jambi province, Indonesia), a hot spot of tropical rainforest conversion into rubber and oil palm plantations. The study included ca. 30,000 measured individuals from 33 high-order taxa of meso- and macrofauna spanning eight orders of magnitude in body mass. Using individual body masses, we calculated the metabolism of trophic guilds and used food web models to calculate energy fluxes and infer ecosystem functions, such as decomposition, herbivory, primary and intraguild predation. Land-use change was associated with reduced abundance and taxonomic diversity of soil invertebrates, but strong increase in total biomass and moderate changes in total energy flux. These changes were due to increased biomass of large-sized decomposers in soil, in particular earthworms, with their share in community metabolism increasing from 11% in rainforest to 59%-76% in jungle rubber, and rubber and oil palm plantations. Decomposition, that is the energy flux to decomposers, stayed unchanged, but herbivory, primary and intraguild predation decreased by an order of magnitude in plantation systems. Intraguild predation was very important, being responsible for 38% of the energy flux in rainforest according to our model. Conversion of rainforest into monoculture plantations is associated by an uneven loss of size classes and trophic levels of soil invertebrates resulting in sequestration of energy in large-sized primary consumers and restricted flux of energy to higher trophic levels. Pronounced differences between rainforest and jungle rubber reflect sensitivity of rainforest soil animal communities to moderate land-use changes. Soil communities in plantation systems sustained high total energy flux despite reduced biodiversity. The high energy flux into large decomposers but low energy fluxes into other trophic guilds suggests that trophic multifunctionality of below-ground communities is compromised in plantation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton M Potapov
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Bernhard Klarner
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dorothee Sandmann
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rahayu Widyastuti
- Department of Soil Sciences and Land Resources, Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Stefan Scheu
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, Göttingen, Germany
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17
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Butler OM, Lewis T, Rezaei Rashti M, Maunsell SC, Elser JJ, Chen C. The stoichiometric legacy of fire regime regulates the roles of micro‐organisms and invertebrates in decomposition. Ecology 2019; 100:e02732. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Orpheus M. Butler
- Griffith School of Environment and Science and the Australian Rivers Institute Griffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
| | - Tom Lewis
- Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and University of the Sunshine Coast Sippy Downs Queensland Australia
| | - Mehran Rezaei Rashti
- Griffith School of Environment and Science and the Australian Rivers Institute Griffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
| | - Sarah C. Maunsell
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Boston Massachusetts USA
| | - James J. Elser
- Flathead Lake Biological Station University of Montana Polson Montana USA
| | - Chengrong Chen
- Griffith School of Environment and Science and the Australian Rivers Institute Griffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
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18
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Frauendorf TC, MacKenzie RA, Tingley RW, Frazier AG, Riney MH, El-Sabaawi RW. Evaluating ecosystem effects of climate change on tropical island streams using high spatial and temporal resolution sampling regimes. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:1344-1357. [PMID: 30712279 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is expected to alter precipitation patterns worldwide, which will affect streamflow in riverine ecosystems. It is vital to understand the impacts of projected flow variations, especially in tropical regions where the effects of climate change are expected to be one of the earliest to emerge. Space-for-time substitutions have been successful at predicting effects of climate change in terrestrial systems by using a spatial gradient to mimic the projected temporal change. However, concerns have been raised that the spatial variability in these models might not reflect the temporal variability. We utilized a well-constrained rainfall gradient on Hawaii Island to determine (a) how predicted decreases in flow and increases in flow variability affect stream food resources and consumers and (b) if using a high temporal (monthly, four streams) or a high spatial (annual, eight streams) resolution sampling scheme would alter the results of a space-for-time substitution. Declines in benthic and suspended resource quantity (10- to 40-fold) and quality (shift from macrophyte to leaf litter dominated) contributed to 35-fold decreases in macroinvertebrate biomass with predicted changes in the magnitude and variability in the flow. Invertebrate composition switched from caddisflies and damselflies to taxa with faster turnover rates (mosquitoes, copepods). Changes in resource and consumer composition patterns were stronger with high temporal resolution sampling. However, trends and ranges of results did not differ between the two sampling regimes, indicating that a suitable, well-constrained spatial gradient is an appropriate tool for examining temporal change. Our study is the first to investigate resource to community wide effects of climate change on tropical streams on a spatial and temporal scale. We determined that predicted flow alterations would decrease stream resource and consumer quantity and quality, which can alter stream function, as well as biomass and habitat for freshwater, marine, and terrestrial consumers dependent on these resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Therese C Frauendorf
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Richard A MacKenzie
- Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Hilo, Hawaii
| | - Ralph W Tingley
- Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | | | - Michael H Riney
- Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District, Yreka, California
| | - Rana W El-Sabaawi
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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19
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González AL, Céréghino R, Dézerald O, Farjalla VF, Leroy C, Richardson BA, Richardson MJ, Romero GQ, Srivastava DS. Ecological mechanisms and phylogeny shape invertebrate stoichiometry: A test using detritus‐based communities across Central and South America. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Angélica L. González
- Biology Department & Center for Computational and Integrative Biology Rutgers University Camden New JerseyUSA
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Régis Céréghino
- EcoLab, Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (UMR 5245Université de Toulouse, CNRS Toulouse France
| | - Olivier Dézerald
- Biology Department & Center for Computational and Integrative Biology Rutgers University Camden New JerseyUSA
| | - Vinicius F. Farjalla
- Department of Ecology, Biology InstituteFederal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha do Fundão Rio de Janeiro Brazil
| | - Céline Leroy
- IRDUMR AMAP (botAnique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des végétations) Montpellier France
- UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles) Kourou France
| | - Barbara A. Richardson
- Edinburgh UK
- Luquillo LTER, Inst. for Tropical Ecosystem StudiesUniv. of Puerto Rico Río Piedras Puerto Rico
| | - Michael J. Richardson
- Edinburgh UK
- Luquillo LTER, Inst. for Tropical Ecosystem StudiesUniv. of Puerto Rico Río Piedras Puerto Rico
| | - Gustavo Q. Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia (IB)Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) Campinas‐SP Brazil
| | - Diane S. Srivastava
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
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20
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Trophic transfer from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems: a test of the biogeochemical niche hypothesis. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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21
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Weitere M, Erken M, Majdi N, Arndt H, Norf H, Reinshagen M, Traunspurger W, Walterscheid A, Wey JK. The food web perspective on aquatic biofilms. ECOL MONOGR 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Markus Weitere
- Department River Ecology; Helmholtz Centre of Environmental Research - UFZ; Brückstrasse 3a 39114 Magdeburg Germany
| | - Martina Erken
- Department River Ecology; Helmholtz Centre of Environmental Research - UFZ; Brückstrasse 3a 39114 Magdeburg Germany
| | - Nabil Majdi
- Department of Animal Ecology; University of Bielefeld; Konsequenz 45 33615 Bielefeld Germany
| | - Hartmut Arndt
- General Ecology; Zoological Institute; Cologne Biocenter; University of Cologne; Zülpicher Strasse 47b 50674 Cologne Germany
| | - Helge Norf
- Department River Ecology; Helmholtz Centre of Environmental Research - UFZ; Brückstrasse 3a 39114 Magdeburg Germany
- Department Aquatic Ecosystem Analyses and Management; Helmholtz Centre of Environmental Research - UFZ; Brückstrasse 3a 39114 Magdeburg Germany
| | - Michael Reinshagen
- General Ecology; Zoological Institute; Cologne Biocenter; University of Cologne; Zülpicher Strasse 47b 50674 Cologne Germany
| | - Walter Traunspurger
- Department of Animal Ecology; University of Bielefeld; Konsequenz 45 33615 Bielefeld Germany
| | - Anja Walterscheid
- General Ecology; Zoological Institute; Cologne Biocenter; University of Cologne; Zülpicher Strasse 47b 50674 Cologne Germany
| | - Jennifer K. Wey
- Department River Ecology; Helmholtz Centre of Environmental Research - UFZ; Brückstrasse 3a 39114 Magdeburg Germany
- Department of Animal Ecology; Federal Institute of Hydrology; Am Mainzer Tor 1 56068 Koblenz Germany
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22
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Halvorson HM, Fuller CL, Entrekin SA, Scott JT, Evans-White MA. Detrital nutrient content and leaf species differentially affect growth and nutritional regulation of detritivores. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Halvor M. Halvorson
- Dept of Biological Sciences; Univ. of Southern Mississippi; 118 College Drive #5018 Hattiesburg MS 39406 USA
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23
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Variation in Detrital Resource Stoichiometry Signals Differential Carbon to Nutrient Limitation for Stream Consumers Across Biomes. Ecosystems 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-018-0247-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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24
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Barnes AD, Jochum M, Lefcheck JS, Eisenhauer N, Scherber C, O'Connor MI, de Ruiter P, Brose U. Energy Flux: The Link between Multitrophic Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:186-197. [PMID: 29325921 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Relating biodiversity to ecosystem functioning in natural communities has become a paramount challenge as links between trophic complexity and multiple ecosystem functions become increasingly apparent. Yet, there is still no generalised approach to address such complexity in biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) studies. Energy flux dynamics in ecological networks provide the theoretical underpinning of multitrophic BEF relationships. Accordingly, we propose the quantification of energy fluxes in food webs as a powerful, universal tool for understanding ecosystem functioning in multitrophic systems spanning different ecological scales. Although the concept of energy flux in food webs is not novel, its application to BEF research remains virtually untapped, providing a framework to foster new discoveries into the determinants of ecosystem functioning in complex systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Barnes
- 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; Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstrasse 2, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Malte Jochum
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - 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
| | - Christoph Scherber
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstrasse 2, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Mary I O'Connor
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Peter de Ruiter
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Biometris, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ulrich Brose
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger-Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
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25
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Leroux SJ, Wal EV, Wiersma YF, Charron L, Ebel JD, Ellis NM, Hart C, Kissler E, Saunders PW, Moudrá L, Tanner AL, Yalcin S. Stoichiometric distribution models: ecological stoichiometry at the landscape extent. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:1495-1506. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shawn J. Leroux
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Yolanda F. Wiersma
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Louis Charron
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Jonathan D. Ebel
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Nichola M. Ellis
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Christopher Hart
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Emilie Kissler
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Paul W. Saunders
- Department of Environment and Conservation, Wildlife Division; Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; Corner Brook NL A2H 7S1 Canada
| | - Lucie Moudrá
- Department of Applied Geoinformatics and Spatial Planning; Faculty of Environmental Sciences; Czech University of Life Sciences; Prague Czech Republic
| | - Amy L. Tanner
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Semra Yalcin
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
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26
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Jochum M, Barnes AD, Weigelt P, Ott D, Rembold K, Farajallah A, Brose U. Resource stoichiometry and availability modulate species richness and biomass of tropical litter macro-invertebrates. J Anim Ecol 2017; 86:1114-1123. [PMID: 28504834 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
High biodiversity and biomass of soil communities are crucial for litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems such as tropical forests. However, the leaf litter that these communities consume is of particularly poor quality as indicated by elemental stoichiometry. The impact of resource quantity, quality and other habitat parameters on species richness and biomass of consumer communities is often studied in isolation, although much can be learned from simultaneously studying both community characteristics. Using a dataset of 780 macro-invertebrate consumer species across 32 sites in tropical lowland rain forest and agricultural systems on Sumatra, Indonesia, we investigated the effects of basal resource stoichiometry (C:X ratios of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S in local leaf litter), litter mass (basal resource quantity and habitat space), plant species richness (surrogate for litter habitat heterogeneity), and soil pH (acidity) on consumer species richness and biomass across different consumer groups (i.e. 3 feeding guilds and 10 selected taxonomic groups). In order to distinguish the most important predictors of consumer species richness and biomass, we applied a standardised model averaging approach investigating the effects of basal resource stoichiometry, litter mass, plant species richness and soil pH on both consumer community characteristics. This standardised approach enabled us to identify differences and similarities in the magnitude and importance of such effects on consumer species richness and biomass. Across consumer groups, we found litter mass to be the most important predictor of both species richness and biomass. Resource stoichiometry had a more pronounced impact on consumer species richness than on their biomass. As expected, taxonomic groups differed in which resource and habitat parameters (basal resource stoichiometry, litter mass, plant species richness and pH) were most important for modulating their community characteristics. The importance of litter mass for both species richness and biomass indicates that these tropical consumers strongly depend on habitat space and resource availability. Our study supports previous theoretical work indicating that consumer species richness is jointly influenced by resource availability and the balanced supply of multiple chemical elements in their resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Jochum
- J. F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology & Anthropology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Andrew D Barnes
- J. F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology & Anthropology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Patrick Weigelt
- J. F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology & Anthropology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.,Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - David Ott
- J. F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology & Anthropology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Katja Rembold
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Achmad Farajallah
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Ulrich Brose
- J. F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology & Anthropology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,EcoNetLab, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
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