Earthworm communities in relation to tree diversity in a deciduous forest

Cesarz, Simone; Fahrenholz, Nadine; Migge-Kleian, Sonja; Platner, Christian; Schaefer, Matthias

doi:10.1016/j.ejsobi.2007.08.003

Cited by 67 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This results in specific modifications of environmental factors such as strong reduction of litter during the summer months, which is caused by the high palatability of lime litter for saprophagous invertebrates such as earthworms, diplopods and isopods. All these animal taxa were highly abundant in DL 3a and DL 3b (Cesarz et al 2007;N. Fahrenholz, unpublished data).…”

Section: Community Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both factors are known to promote spider species richness in deciduous forests (Uetz 1976 and1990;Stevenson and Dindal 1982;Docherty and Leather 1997;Bird et al 2000;Willett 2001). In DL 1 the herb layer was only poorly developed and in DL 3 the litter layer was sparsely developed due to high earthworm activity (Cesarz et al 2007), while in DL 2 both herb and litter layer were well developed, enabling the occurrence of both litter-and ground-vegetation inhabiting species. Whereas Uetz (1979 and1990) found litter depth to be the all-important factor influencing wandering spiders, in the present study herb cover appears to have a major influence as well, since mostly webbuilding spiders were recorded.…”

Section: Spider Diversity and Numbersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Communities of ground-living spiders in deciduous forests: Does tree species diversity matter?

et al. 2008

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The relationships between species diversity and ecosystem functions are in the focus of recent ecological research. However, until now the influence of species diversity on ecosystem processes such as decomposition or mineral cycling is not well understood. In deciduous forests, spiders are an integral part of the forest floor food web. In the present study, patterns of spider diversity and community structure are related to diversity of deciduous forest stands in the Hainich National Park (Thuringia). In 2005, pitfall trapping and quantitative forest floor sampling were conducted in nine plots of forest stands with one (Diversity Level 1), three (DL 2) and five (DL 3) major deciduous tree species. Species richness, measured with both methods, as well as spider abundance in forest floor samples were highest in stands with medium diversity (DL 2) and lowest in pure beech stands (DL 1). The Shannon-Wiener index and spider numbers in pitfall traps decreased from DL 1 to DL 3, while the Shannon-Wiener index in forest floor samples increased in the opposite direction. Spider community composition differed more strongly between single plots than between diversity levels. Altogether, no general relationship between increasing tree species diversity and patterns of diversity and abundance in spider communities was found. It appears that there is a strong influence of single tree species dominating a forest stand and modifying structural habitat characteristics such as litter depth and herb cover which are important for ground-living spiders.

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Section: Community Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Spider Diversity and Numbersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communities of ground-living spiders in deciduous forests: Does tree species diversity matter?

et al. 2008

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“…Speciesrelated differences in litterfall fluxes of elements (Ca, Mg, K, P and N) and in soil acidification were observed under canopies of different deciduous species (Nordén 1994a, b). Soil biology, especially earthworm biomass, was also influenced by deciduous tree species (Neirynck et al 2000;Cesarz et al 2007). In general, beech litter was found to decompose more slowly than the litter of other Central European deciduous tree species (Wise and Schäfer 1994).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Changes in tree species or even the mixture of species can have a pronounced influence on various chemical, physical, and biological soil properties due to speciesspecific differences in nutrient uptake, litter chemistry, root activity, canopy interception and growth (Alriksson and Eriksson 1998;Binkley and Giardina 1998). The composition of the forest canopy was shown to influence the understory vegetation (Mölder et al 2008), soil nutrient status (Dijkstra 2003;Guckland et al 2009), mineralization processes (Raulund-Rasmussen and Vejre 1995; Son and Lee 1997), soil acidity (Binkley and Valentine 1991;Reich et al 2005), composition and activity of soil fauna and microflora (Saetre et al 1999;Neirynck et al 2000;Cesarz et al 2007), and soil structure (Graham et al 1995).…”

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confidence: 99%

Variability of soil N cycling and N2O emission in a mixed deciduous forest with different abundance of beech

2010

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The mixture of other broadleaf species into beech forests in Central Europe leads to an increase of tree species diversity, which may alter soil biochemical processes. This study was aimed at 1) assessing differences in gross rates of soil N cycling among deciduous stands of different beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) abundance in a limestone area, 2) analyzing the relationships between gross rates of soil N cycling and forest stand N cycling, and 3) quantifying N 2 O emission and determining its relationship with gross rates of soil N cycling. We used 15 N pool dilution techniques for soil N transformation measurement and chamber method for N 2 O flux measurement. Gross rates of mineral N production in the 0-5 cm mineral soil increased across stands of decreasing beech abundance and increasing soil clay content. These rates were correlated with microbial biomass which, in turn, was influenced by substrate quantity, quality and soil fertility. Leaf litter-N, C:N ratio and base saturation in the mineral soil increased with decreasing beech abundance. Soil mineral N production and assimilation by microbes were tightly coupled, resulting in low N 2 O emissions. Annual N 2 O emissions were largely contributed by the freezethaw event emissions, which were correlated with the amount of soil microbial biomass. Our results suggest that soil N availability may increase through the mixture of broadleaf species into beech forests.

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“…Furthermore, biodiversity can be linked to soil biota populations. A study conducted by Cesarz et al (2007) found that there was a positive correlation between earthworm populations and tree species diversity. For these reasons, soil animals can be good indicators of soil health (Decaens et al, 2006;Doran & Zeiss, 2000).…”

Section: Soil Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Development

Meadowcroft¹

2011

The SAGE Handbook of Governance

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Earthworm communities in relation to tree diversity in a deciduous forest

Cited by 67 publications

References 20 publications

Communities of ground-living spiders in deciduous forests: Does tree species diversity matter?

Communities of ground-living spiders in deciduous forests: Does tree species diversity matter?

Variability of soil N cycling and N2O emission in a mixed deciduous forest with different abundance of beech

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