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Schreiber J, Baldrian P, Brabcová V, Brandl R, Kellner H, Müller J, Roy F, Bässler C, Krah FS. Effects of experimental canopy openness on wood-inhabiting fungal fruiting diversity across succession. Sci Rep 2024; 14:16135. [PMID: 38997416 PMCID: PMC11245472 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67216-1] [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: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
While the succession of terrestrial plant communities is well studied, less is known about succession on dead wood, especially how it is affected by environmental factors. While temperate forests face increasing canopy mortality, which causes considerable changes in microclimates, it remains unclear how canopy openness affects fungal succession. Here, we used a large real-world experiment to study the effect of closed and opened canopy on treatment-based alpha and beta fungal fruiting diversity. We found increasing diversity in early and decreasing diversity at later stages of succession under both canopies, with a stronger decrease under open canopies. However, the slopes of the diversity versus time relationships did not differ significantly between canopy treatments. The community dissimilarity remained mainly stable between canopies at ca. 25% of species exclusively associated with either canopy treatment. Species exclusive in either canopy treatment showed very low number of occupied objects compared to species occurring in both treatments. Our study showed that canopy loss subtly affected fungal fruiting succession on dead wood, suggesting that most species in the local species pool are specialized or can tolerate variable conditions. Our study indicates that the fruiting of the fungal community on dead wood is resilient against the predicted increase in canopy loss in temperate forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper Schreiber
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Conservation Biology, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Petr Baldrian
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 14200, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vendula Brabcová
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 14200, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Roland Brandl
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Animal Ecology, Philips University of Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Harald Kellner
- International Institute Zittau, Department of Bio- and Environmental Sciences, Technical University Dresden, 02763, Zittau, Germany
| | - Jörg Müller
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 96181, Rauhenebrach, Germany
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Friederike Roy
- International Institute Zittau, Department of Bio- and Environmental Sciences, Technical University Dresden, 02763, Zittau, Germany
| | - Claus Bässler
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Conservation Biology, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Fungal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Franz-Sebastian Krah
- Fungal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany.
- Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
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2
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Zeng X, Gao H, Wang R, Majcher BM, Woon JS, Wenda C, Eggleton P, Griffiths HM, Ashton LA. Global contribution of invertebrates to forest litter decomposition. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14423. [PMID: 38584578 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14423] [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: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Forest litter decomposition is an essential component of global carbon and nutrient turnover. Invertebrates play important roles in litter decomposition, but the regional pattern of their effects is poorly understood. We examined 476 case studies across 93 sites and performed a meta-analysis to estimate regional effects of invertebrates on forest litter decomposition. We then assessed how invertebrate diversity, climate and soil pH drive regional variations in invertebrate-mediated decomposition. We found that (1) invertebrate contributions to litter decomposition are 1.4 times higher in tropical and subtropical forests than in forests elsewhere, with an overall contribution of 31% to global forest litter decomposition; and (2) termite diversity, together with warm, humid and acidic environments in the tropics and subtropics are positively associated with forest litter decomposition by invertebrates. Our results demonstrate the significant difference in invertebrate effects on mediating forest litter decomposition among regions. We demonstrate, also, the significance of termites in driving litter mass loss in the tropics and subtropics. These results are particularly pertinent in the tropics and subtropics where climate change and human disturbance threaten invertebrate biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Zeng
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huilin Gao
- Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Runxi Wang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bartosz M Majcher
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Joel S Woon
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Cheng Wenda
- School of Ecology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong, China
| | - Paul Eggleton
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | | | - Louise A Ashton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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3
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Bulmer MS, Franco BA, Biswas A, Greenbaum SF. Overcoming Immune Deficiency with Allogrooming. INSECTS 2023; 14:insects14020128. [PMID: 36835697 PMCID: PMC9965724 DOI: 10.3390/insects14020128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Allogrooming appears to be essential in many social animals for protection from routine exposure to parasites. In social insects, it appears to be critical for the removal of pathogenic propagules from the cuticle before they can start an infectious cycle. For subterranean termites, this includes fungal spores commonly encountered in the soil, such as Metarhizium conidia, that can quickly germinate and penetrate the cuticle. We investigated whether there is a difference in reliance on social and innate immunity in two closely related subterranean termites for protection from fatal infections by two locally encountered Metarhizium species. Our results indicate that relatively weak innate immunity in one termite species is compensated by more sustained allogrooming. This includes enhanced allogrooming in response to concentrations of conidia that reflect more routine contamination of the cuticle as well as to heavy cuticular contamination that elicits a networked emergency response.
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Zhang B, Fischer FJ, Coomes DA, Jucker T. Logging leaves a fingerprint on the number, size, spatial configuration and geometry of tropical forest canopy gaps. Biotropica 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK
| | | | - David A. Coomes
- Conservation Research Institute University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Tommaso Jucker
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK
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5
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Alves FR, Aguilera-Olivares D, Rocha MM, Arab A. Termites are the main dung removals in a degraded landscape in Brazil. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.982602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Termites are one of the most relevant groups for recycling nutrients and keeping the flow of energy in ecosystems. Although their role as lignocellulose decomposers is the focus of studies, they also act as dung recyclers, but their importance in this process is poorly understood. Here we performed manipulation experiments to determine dung removal by termites in forest remnants and cattle pastures in a fragmented Atlantic Forest landscape. We used wire bags of different mesh sizes placed along transects in three forest fragments and pastures for 10 days to compare the contribution of termites and other coprophagous macrodetritivores to dung removal. Our results indicated that termites removed more dung in pastures than in the forest fragments. In addition, dung beetle exclusion significantly reduced the percentage of dung removal within forest fragments, but not on pastures, indicating termites are important dung recyclers in pastures.
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Staab M, Achury R, Ammer C, Ehbrecht M, Irmscher V, Mohr H, Schall P, Weisser WW, Blüthgen N. Negative effects of forest gaps on dung removal in a full‐factorial experiment. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:2113-2124. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Staab
- Ecological Networks, Technische Universität Darmstadt Darmstadt Germany
| | - Rafael Achury
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Technische Universität München Freising Germany
| | - Christian Ammer
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
- Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainable Land‐use University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Martin Ehbrecht
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Veronika Irmscher
- Ecological Networks, Technische Universität Darmstadt Darmstadt Germany
| | - Hendrik Mohr
- Ecological Networks, Technische Universität Darmstadt Darmstadt Germany
| | - Peter Schall
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Wolfgang W. Weisser
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Technische Universität München Freising Germany
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks, Technische Universität Darmstadt Darmstadt Germany
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Fukasawa Y, Kaga K. Surface Area of Wood Influences the Effects of Fungal Interspecific Interaction on Wood Decomposition—A Case Study Based on Pinus densiflora and Selected White Rot Fungi. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8050517. [PMID: 35628772 PMCID: PMC9145481 DOI: 10.3390/jof8050517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Wood decomposer basidiomycetes are the major agents of lignocellulose decomposition in dead wood. As their interspecific interaction affects wood decomposition, difference in interaction area may alter the magnitude of the effects. This study examines the effects of wood surface area on decomposition by interacting basidiomycetes using laboratory incubation experiments with pine sapwood as a model. Two types of pine wood blocks with equal volume but identical surface area were prepared for colonization by one of four white rot basidiomycete species. The colonized wood blocks were then placed on agar media already colonized by the same strain or one of the other species, simulating fungal monoculture and interspecific interactions on wood surface. Results demonstrated that the decay rate of wood was greater in wood with larger surface, and wood decay was accelerated by the interaction of two fungal species in wood with larger surface but not in wood with smaller surface. In contrast, lignin decomposition was influenced by the competitor in wood with smaller surface but not in wood with larger surface. These results suggest that the observed promotion of decay by fungal interspecific interaction might not be attributable to the resource partitioning between fungal species but to the accelerated carbon of competition cost compensation in this case.
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8
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Zuleta D, Arellano G, Muller-Landau HC, McMahon SM, Aguilar S, Bunyavejchewin S, Cárdenas D, Chang-Yang CH, Duque A, Mitre D, Nasardin M, Pérez R, Sun IF, Yao TL, Davies SJ. Individual tree damage dominates mortality risk factors across six tropical forests. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:705-721. [PMID: 34716605 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The relative importance of tree mortality risk factors remains unknown, especially in diverse tropical forests where species may vary widely in their responses to particular conditions. We present a new framework for quantifying the importance of mortality risk factors and apply it to compare 19 risks on 31 203 trees (1977 species) in 14 one-year periods in six tropical forests. We defined a condition as a risk factor for a species if it was associated with at least a doubling of mortality rate in univariate analyses. For each risk, we estimated prevalence (frequency), lethality (difference in mortality between trees with and without the risk) and impact ('excess mortality' associated with the risk, relative to stand-level mortality). The most impactful risk factors were light limitation and crown/trunk loss; the most prevalent were light limitation and small size; the most lethal were leaf damage and wounds. Modes of death (standing, broken and uprooted) had limited links with previous conditions and mortality risk factors. We provide the first ranking of importance of tree-level mortality risk factors in tropical forests. Future research should focus on the links between these risks, their climatic drivers and the physiological processes to enable mechanistic predictions of future tree mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Zuleta
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
| | - Gabriel Arellano
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Oikobit LLC, Albuquerque, NM, 87120, USA
| | - Helene C Muller-Landau
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, Balboa, 0843-03092, República de Panamá
| | - Sean M McMahon
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA
| | - Salomón Aguilar
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, Balboa, 0843-03092, República de Panamá
| | - Sarayudh Bunyavejchewin
- Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Forest Research Office, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand
| | - Dairon Cárdenas
- Herbario Amazónico Colombiano, Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas Sinchi, Bogotá, 110311, Colombia
| | - Chia-Hao Chang-Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan
| | - Alvaro Duque
- Departamento de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Medellín, 050034, Colombia
| | - David Mitre
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, Balboa, 0843-03092, República de Panamá
| | - Musalmah Nasardin
- Forestry and Environment Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, Selangor, 52109, Malaysia
| | - Rolando Pérez
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, Balboa, 0843-03092, República de Panamá
| | - I-Fang Sun
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Ecology and Sustainability, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, 94701, Taiwan
| | - Tze Leong Yao
- Forestry and Environment Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, Selangor, 52109, Malaysia
| | - Stuart J Davies
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
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9
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Clay NA, Siegert C, Tang JD, Little NS, Eckhardt LG, Riggins JJ. Termite Presence and Feeding on Loblolly Pine Wood Differs Among Four Root-Infecting Bluestain (ophiostomatoid) Fungal Species. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 50:1118-1126. [PMID: 34131713 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvab052] [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: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bark beetles and root weevils can impact forests through tree death on landscape scales. Recently, subterranean termites have been linked to these beetles via the presence of bluestain fungi (Ascomycota: Ophiostomataceae), which are vectored to trees by beetles. However, only a small subset of bluestain species have been examined. Here, we tested whether termite-bluestain association patterns in the field reflect termite feeding preference in laboratory choice trials. We documented the presence of four bluestain fungi (Leptographium procerum (W.B. Kendr.), L. terebrantis (Barras & Perry), Grosmannia huntii (Rob.-Jeffr.), and G. alacris (T.A. Duong, Z.W. de Beer & M.J. Wingf.) in the roots of 2,350 loblolly pine trees in the southeastern United States and whether termites were present or absent on these roots and paired this with laboratory choice feeding trials. Termites were found 2.5-fold on tree roots with at least one bluestain fungus present than tree roots without bluestain fungi. Although termites in this study and others were associated with L. procerum, L. terebrantis, and marginally G. huntii, termites only showed preferential feeding on wood inoculated with G. huntii in laboratory trials. This suggests that increased termite presence on wood with bluestain fungi may be driven by factors other than increased wood palatability. Termites could thus disproportionately affect wood turnover rates for specific pools (e.g., bark beetle and root weevil attacked trees) and in some cases (e.g., G. huntii) accelerate wood decomposition. This study supports the growing evidence that the association between subterranean termites and bluestain fungi is spatially and taxonomically widespread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie A Clay
- School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, USA
| | - Courtney Siegert
- Department of Forestry, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Juliet D Tang
- USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 201 Lincoln Green, Starkville, MS, USA
| | - Nathan S Little
- USDA-ARS, Southern Insect Management Research Unit, 141 Experiment Station Road, Stoneville, MS, USA
| | - Lori G Eckhardt
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, 602 Duncan Drive, Suite 3301, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - John J Riggins
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology, Box 9775, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
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Sridharan S, Kumar M, Singh L, Bolan NS, Saha M. Microplastics as an emerging source of particulate air pollution: A critical review. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 418:126245. [PMID: 34111744 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Accumulation of plastic litter exerts pressure on the environment. Microplastics (MPs) pollution has become a universal challenge due to the overexploitation of plastic products and unsystematic dumping of plastic waste. Initial studies on MPs and their implications had been confined to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, but recent research has also focused on MPs in the air. Their impacts on urban air quality and atmospheric transport to pristine habitats have emerged to be a serious concern. However, the extent and the significance of impacts of airborne particulate matter (PM) MPs on human health are not clearly understood. Further, the influence of airborne MPs on indoor and outdoor air quality remains unknown. We highlight the human health impacts of airborne PM-MPs with a special focus on the occupational safety of the industry workers, their possible influence on Air Quality Index (AQI), their potential exposure, and accumulation in the canopy/arboreal, above-canopy and atmospheric (aerial) habitats. The present review emphasizes the data limitations and knowledge gaps on the atmospheric transport and contribution of particulate plastics to the worsening of overall urban air quality and throws critical perspectives on whether atmospheric MPs pollution is trivial or an actual matter of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinidhi Sridharan
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India; CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 440020, Maharashtra, India
| | - Manish Kumar
- CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 440020, Maharashtra, India
| | - Lal Singh
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India; CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 440020, Maharashtra, India
| | - Nanthi S Bolan
- Global Centre for Environmental Remediation, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for High-Performance Soils, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Mahua Saha
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula 403004, Goa, India.
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11
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Griffiths HM, Ashton LA, Parr CL, Eggleton P. The impact of invertebrate decomposers on plants and soil. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 231:2142-2149. [PMID: 34128548 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Soil invertebrates make significant contributions to the recycling of dead plant material across the globe. However, studies focussed on the consequences of decomposition for plant communities largely ignore soil fauna across all ecosystems, because microbes are often considered the primary agents of decay. Here, we explore the role of invertebrates as not simply facilitators of microbial decomposition, but as true decomposers, able to break down dead organic matter with their own endogenic enzymes, with direct and indirect impacts on the soil environment and plants. We recommend a holistic view of decomposition, highlighting how invertebrates and microbes act in synergy to degrade organic matter, providing ecological services that underpin plant growth and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M Griffiths
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Louise A Ashton
- Division of Ecology & Biodiversity, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Catherine L Parr
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GP, UK
- Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
| | - Paul Eggleton
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK
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12
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Bradford MA, Maynard DS, Crowther TW, Frankson PT, Mohan JE, Steinrueck C, Veen CGF, King JR, Warren RJ. Belowground community turnover accelerates the decomposition of standing dead wood. Ecology 2021; 102:e03484. [PMID: 34289121 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Standing dead trees (snags) decompose more slowly than downed dead wood and provide critical habitat for many species. The rate at which snags fall therefore influences forest carbon dynamics and biodiversity. Fall rates correlate strongly with mean annual temperature, presumably because warmer climates facilitate faster wood decomposition and hence degradation of the structural stability of standing wood. These faster decomposition rates coincide with turnover from fungal-dominated wood decomposer communities in cooler forests to co-domination by fungi and termites in warmer regions. A key question for projecting forest dynamics is therefore whether temperature effects on wood decomposition arise primarily because warmer conditions facilitate faster decomposer metabolism, or are also influenced indirectly by belowground community turnover (e.g. termites exert additional influence beyond fungal-plus-bacterial mediated decomposition). To test between these possibilities, we simulate standing dead trees with untreated, wooden posts and follow them in the field across five years at 12 sites, before measuring buried, soil-air interface and aerial post sections to quantify wood decomposition and organism activities. High termite activities at the warmer sites are associated with rates of post fall that are 3-times higher than at the cooler sites. Termites primarily consume buried wood, with decomposition rates greatest where termite activities are highest. However, where higher microbial and termite activities co-occur, they appear to first compensate for one another and then slow decomposition rates at their highest activities, suggestive of interference competition. If the range of microbial- and termite co-domination of wood decomposer communities expands under climate warming, our data suggest that expansion will accelerate snag fall with consequent effects on forest carbon cycling and biodiversity in forests previously dominated by microbial decomposers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Bradford
- The Forest School, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, 195 Prospect St, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Daniel S Maynard
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Univeritätstrasse 16, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas W Crowther
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Univeritätstrasse 16, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Paul T Frankson
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30601, USA
| | | | | | - Ciska G F Veen
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, PO Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Joshua R King
- Biology Department, University of Central Florida, 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA
| | - Robert J Warren
- Department of Biology, SUNY Buffalo State, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY, 14222, USA
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Abstract
With the rising demand for energy, the forest-based circular bioeconomy is gaining recognition as a strategy for sustainable production and consumption of forest resources. However, the forest-based bioeconomy remains underexplored from the perspective of deadwood conservation in public forests. While conducting a literature review and examining the case of Kenya, this study fills a gap in the literature to provide policy suggestions for sustainable forest resource utilization. The results from global literature indicate that deadwood performs essential social, economic, and environmental functions in the circular bioeconomy and sustainable development. Similarly, in Kenya, deadwood resources provide many socially beneficial bioproducts and services. However, the absence of scientific research and detailed guidelines for deadwood conservation may lead to the distortion of the ecological balance in public forests because of the legally sanctioned removal of deadwood, particularly firewood. Moreover, if the status quo remains, with approximately 70% of the growing population consuming deadwood for domestic use and the demand increasing, as shown by the current wood deficit in the country, there will be a major dilemma concerning whether to conserve deadwood for biodiversity or energy. Therefore, averting crisis and providing maximum deadwood value to society requires guidelines and comprehensive research in addition to a cultural and behavioral shift in energy consumption in a manner that embraces the forest-based circular bioeconomy of deadwood.
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