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Ang SBH, Lam WN, Png GK, Tan SKB, Lee BPYH, Khoo M, Luskin MS, Wardle DA, Slade EM. Isopod mouthpart traits respond to a tropical forest recovery gradient. Oecologia 2024; 204:147-159. [PMID: 38151651 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05494-8] [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: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Functional trait ecology has the potential to provide generalizable and mechanistic predictions of ecosystem function from data of species distributions and traits. The traits that are selected should both respond to environmental factors and influence ecosystem functioning. Invertebrate mouthpart traits fulfill these criteria, but are seldom collected, lack standardized measurement protocols, and have infrequently been investigated in response to environmental factors. We surveyed isopod species that consume plant detritus, and tree communities in 58 plots across primary and secondary forests in Singapore. We measured body dimensions (body size traits), pereopod and antennae lengths (locomotory traits), dimensions of mandible structures (morphological mouthpart traits), and mechanical advantages generated by mandible shape (mechanical mouthpart traits) for six isopod species found in these plots and investigated if these traits respond to changes in tree community composition, tree diversity, and forest structure. Morphological mouthpart traits responded to a tree compositional gradient reflecting forest recovery degree. Mouthpart features associated with greater consumption of litter (broader but less serrated/rugose lacinia mobilis [an important cutting and chewing structure on the mandible]) were most prevalent in abandoned plantation and young secondary forests containing disturbance-associated tree species. Feeding strategies associated with fungi grazing (narrower and more serrated/rugose lacinia mobilis) were most prevalent in late secondary forests containing later successional tree species. Since morphological mouthpart traits likely also predict consumption and excretion rates of isopods, these traits advance our understanding of environment-trait-ecosystem functioning relationships across contrasting tropical forest plots that vary in composition, disturbance history, and post-disturbance recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn B H Ang
- The Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Republic of Singapore
| | - Weng Ngai Lam
- The Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Republic of Singapore.
| | - G Kenny Png
- The Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Republic of Singapore
| | - Sylvia K B Tan
- The Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Republic of Singapore
| | - Benjamin P Y-H Lee
- Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board 1 Cluny Road, Singapore, 259569, Republic of Singapore
| | - Max Khoo
- Wildlife Management Division, National Parks Board, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore, 259569, Republic of Singapore
| | - Matthew S Luskin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - David A Wardle
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Eleanor M Slade
- The Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Republic of Singapore
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Wildermuth B, Seifert CL, Husemann M, Schuldt A. Metabarcoding reveals that mixed forests mitigate negative effects of non-native trees on canopy arthropod diversity. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2921. [PMID: 37776039 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2921] [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: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Averting climate change-induced forest diebacks increasingly relies on tree species planted outside of their natural range and on the addition of non-native tree species to mixed-species forests. However, the consequences of such changes for associated biodiversity remain poorly understood, especially for the forest canopy as a largely understudied forest stratum. Here, we used flight interception traps and a metabarcoding approach to study the taxonomic and functional (trophic guilds) composition and taxon richness of canopy arthropods. We sampled 15 monospecific and mixed stands of native European beech, native Norway spruce-planted outside its natural range-and non-native Douglas fir in northwest Germany. We found that the diversity of arthropods was lower in non-native Douglas fir compared with native beech stands. Taxon richness of herbivores was reduced by both conifer species. Other functional guilds, however, were not affected by stand type. Arthropod composition differed strongly between native broadleaved beech and monospecific coniferous (native spruce or non-native Douglas fir) stands, with less pronounced differences between the native and non-native conifers. Beech-conifer mixtures consistently hosted intermediate arthropod diversity and community composition compared with the respective monospecific stands. Moreover, arthropod diversity had a positive relationship with the number of canopy microhabitats. Our study shows that considering arthropod taxa of multiple functional groups reveals the multifaceted impact of non-native tree species on forest canopy arthropod communities. Contrasting with previous studies that primarily focused on the forest floor, we found that native beech hosts a rich diversity of arthropods, compared with lower diversity and distinct communities in economically attractive, and especially in non-native, conifers with few canopy microhabitats. Broadleaf-conifer mixtures did not perform better than native beech stands, but mitigated the negative effects of conifers, making such mixtures a compromise to foster both forest-associated diversity and economic yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Wildermuth
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Carlo L Seifert
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martin Husemann
- Museum of Nature, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Schuldt
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Wildermuth B, Dönges C, Matevski D, Penanhoat A, Seifert CL, Seidel D, Scheu S, Schuldt A. Tree species identity, canopy structure and prey availability differentially affect canopy spider diversity and trophic composition. Oecologia 2023; 203:37-51. [PMID: 37709958 PMCID: PMC10615988 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05447-1] [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: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Forest canopies maintain a high proportion of arthropod diversity. The drivers that structure these communities, however, are poorly understood. Therefore, integrative research connecting tree species identity and environmental stand properties with taxonomic and functional community composition of canopy arthropods is required. In this study, we investigated how the taxonomic, functional and trophic composition of arboreal spider communities is affected by tree species composition and associated differences in canopy structure and prey availability in temperate forests. We sampled canopy spiders as well as their potential prey using insecticidal fogging in monospecific and mixed stands of native European beech, native Norway spruce and non-native Douglas fir. Trophic metrics were obtained from stable isotope analysis and structural canopy properties were assessed with mobile laser scanning. Monospecific native spruce stands promoted local canopy spider abundance and diversity, but native beech and beech-conifer mixtures had the highest diversity at landscape scale. Spider community composition differed between monospecific stands, with broadleaf-conifer mixtures mitigating these differences. Irrespective of tree species identity, spider abundance, taxonomic diversity, functional richness and isotopic richness increased in structurally heterogeneous canopies with high prey abundances, but functional evenness and trophic divergence decreased. Our study shows that canopy spiders are differentially affected by tree species identity, canopy structure and prey availability. Broadleaf-conifer mixtures mitigated negative effects of (non-native) conifers, but positive mixture effects were only evident at the landscape scale. Structurally heterogeneous canopies promoted the dominance of only specific trait clusters. This indicates that intermediate heterogeneity might result in high stability of ecological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Wildermuth
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 3, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Clemens Dönges
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 3, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dragan Matevski
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 3, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Animal Ecology, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Alice Penanhoat
- Department for Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forests, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Carlo L Seifert
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 3, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Seidel
- Department for Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forests, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- Animal Ecology Group, JF Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Schuldt
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 3, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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Wildermuth B, Fardiansah R, Matevski D, Lu JZ, Kriegel P, Scheu S, Schuldt A. Correction to: Conifers and non-native tree species shift trophic niches of generalist arthropod predators in central european beech forests. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:8. [PMID: 36973647 PMCID: PMC10044815 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02109-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Wildermuth
- Forest Nature Conservation, University of Gottingen, Busgenweg 3, 37077, Gottingen, Germany.
| | - Riko Fardiansah
- Forest Nature Conservation, University of Gottingen, Busgenweg 3, 37077, Gottingen, Germany
| | - Dragan Matevski
- Forest Nature Conservation, University of Gottingen, Busgenweg 3, 37077, Gottingen, Germany
| | - Jing-Zhong Lu
- Johann‑Friedrich‑Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Gottingen, Untere Karspule 2, 37077, Gottingen, Germany
| | - Peter Kriegel
- Forest Nature Conservation, University of Gottingen, Busgenweg 3, 37077, Gottingen, Germany
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), Field Station Fabrikschleichach, University of Wurzburg, Glashuttenstrase 5, 96181, Rauhenebrach, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- Johann‑Friedrich‑Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Gottingen, Untere Karspule 2, 37077, Gottingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Gottingen, Busgenweg 1, 37077, Gottingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Schuldt
- Forest Nature Conservation, University of Gottingen, Busgenweg 3, 37077, Gottingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Gottingen, Busgenweg 1, 37077, Gottingen, Germany
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