Biodiversity in Dead Wood

Abstract

Fossils document the existence of trees and wood-associated organisms from almost 400 million years ago, and today there are between 400,000 and 1 million wood-inhabiting species in the world. This is the first book to synthesise the natural history and conservation needs of wood-inhabiting organisms. Presenting a thorough introduction to biodiversity in decaying wood, the book studies the rich diversity of fungi, insects and vertebrates that depend upon dead wood. It describes the functional diversity of these organisms and their specific habitat requirements in terms of host trees, decay phases, tree dimensions, microhabitats and the surrounding environment. Recognising the threats posed by timber extraction and forest management, the authors also present management options for protecting and maintaining the diversity of these species in forests as well as in agricultural landscapes and urban parks.

Trophic level, successional age and trait matching determine specialization of deadwood-based interaction networks of saproxylic beetles

“…In forest ecosystems, deadwood is a key component of dead organic material and thus the nutritional resource for species-rich communities of saproxylic insects and fungi [11,12]. Accordingly, saproxylic insects feed either on deadwood or associated fungi, or predate on other wood-inhabiting organisms, thereby establishing a multitrophic detritivorous food web [12,13].…”

“…The Nordic Saproxylic Database [12] actually records 1087 obligate saproxylic beetle species which corresponds to one-quarter of the whole deadwood community (including fungi and plants). Moreover, knowledge about the ecological requirements of individual species is exceptionally high [18].…”

“…ambrosia beetles) actively bring along associated fungi in specific structures or on the body surface [22]. The presence of predator species is linked to the presence of the respective prey (xylophages, fungivores and other saproxylic taxa) [12]. Thus, network specialization should further decrease from fungivorous to predatory saproxylic beetle species.…”

Insect‐mediated nitrogen dynamics in decomposing wood

“…The second involves N 2 fixation [the reduction of atmospheric nitrogen (N 2 ) to ammonia (NH 3 )] by prokaryotes, thus increasing the total amount of available N in the system. Woody debris supports an extremely diverse assemblage of invertebrates, with an estimated 20-30% of all forest insect species being 'saproxylic', or dependent on dying or dead wood (Stokland et al, 2012). Major functional groups include phloem and wood feeders, fungus feeders, detritus feeders and predators, all of which have the potential to affect decomposition (Ulyshen, 2015) as well as nutrient cycling (Fig.…”

“…While the role of invertebrates in nutrient cycling within organic matter has received a great deal of interest, much of this work has focused on their activities in soil (Lavelle et al, 1997) and leaf litter (Seastedt, 1984). Less attention has been paid to the effects of these organisms in decomposing wood despite great interest in the diversity and conservation of this fauna (Stokland et al, 2012). In the current article, I review how these organisms may indirectly affect N dynamics through interactions with fungi, bacteria and other microbes.…”