Effect of forest management on temperate ant communities

Grevé, Michael E.; Hager, Jörg; Weisser, Wolfgang W.; Schall, Peter; Goßner, Martin M.; Feldhaar, Heike

doi:10.1002/ecs2.2303

Cited by 30 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…A study on leaf litter ants in the same experiment revealed positive correlations between tree species richness and ant abundance, species richness and phylogenetic diversity [61••], indicating that the "enemies" hypothesis can apply to forest-floor organisms that do not directly interact with trees. A positive effect of tree species richness on ant species richness was also observed in species poor, managed forests in temperate Europe, although effects were weaker than those of tree species identity [62].…”

Section: Predatory Antsmentioning

confidence: 80%

The Influence of Tree Diversity on Natural Enemies—a Review of the “Enemies” Hypothesis in Forests

Staab

Schuldt

2020

Curr Forestry Rep

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Purpose of Review Natural enemies are an important component for forest functioning. By consuming herbivores, they can be effective top-down regulators of potential pest species. Tree mixtures are generally expected to have larger predator and parasitoid populations compared to monocultures. This assumption is based on the “enemies” hypothesis, a classical ecological concept predicting a positive relationship between plant diversity (and complexity) and natural enemies, which, in turn, should increase top-down control in more diverse environments. However, the “enemies” hypothesis has mostly been tested and supported in relatively simple agricultural ecosystems. Until recently, research in forests was sparse. We summarize the upcoming knowledge-base for forests and identify forest characteristics likely shaping relationships between tree diversity, natural enemies (abundance, species richness, diversity), and top-down control. We further identify possible implications for mixed species forestry and key knowledge gaps. Recent Findings Tree diversity (almost exclusively quantified as tree species richness) does not consistently increase enemy abundance, diversity, or result in herbivore control. Tests of the “enemies” hypothesis are largely based on aboveground natural enemies (mainly generalists) and have highly variable outcomes across taxa and study systems, sometimes even finding a decrease in predator diversity with increasing tree diversity. Recurrent effects of tree species identity and composition indicate that a closer focus on tree functional and phylogenetic diversity might help to foster a mechanistic understanding of the specific circumstances under which tree diversity can promote top-down control. Summary Our review suggests that the “enemies” hypothesis may not unambiguously apply to forests. With trees as structurally complex organisms, even low-diversity forests can maintain a high degree of habitat heterogeneity and may provide niches for many predator and parasitoid species, possibly blurring correlations between tree and natural enemy diversity. Several further factors, such as latitude, identity effects, intraguild predation, or functional and phylogenetic components of biodiversity, may confound the predictions of the “enemies” hypothesis. We identify topics needing more research to fully understand under which conditions tree diversity increases natural enemy diversity and top-down control—knowledge that will be crucial for forest management.

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Section: Predatory Antsmentioning

confidence: 80%

The Influence of Tree Diversity on Natural Enemies—a Review of the “Enemies” Hypothesis in Forests

Staab

Schuldt

2020

Curr Forestry Rep

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“…[12]), SCI can be calculated from conventional inventory data. Both have proven useful in the past as surrogates of microclimatic stability (SSCI; [41]), classifiers of forest types (SCI: [23]; SSCI: [12] and [35]), or predictors of biodiversity, e.g., for ant species (SSCI: [51]) or tree species diversity (SSCI: [12]). Here, the birds-eye perspective of airborne laser scanning (ALS) yielded intermediate but significant correlations (R = 0.35 − 0.51) between D b and the two ground-based measures of structural complexity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deriving Stand Structural Complexity from Airborne Laser Scanning Data—What Does It Tell Us about a Forest?

et al. 2020

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The three-dimensional forest structure is an important driver of several ecosystem functions and services. Recent advancements in laser scanning technologies have set the path to measuring structural complexity directly from 3D point clouds. Here, we show that the box-dimension (Db) from fractal analysis, a measure of structural complexity, can be obtained from airborne laser scanning data. Based on 66 plots across different forest types in Germany, each 1 ha in size, we tested the performance of the Db by evaluating it against conventional ground-based measures of forest structure and commonly used stand characteristics. We found that the Db was related (0.34 < R < 0.51) to stand age, management intensity, microclimatic stability, and several measures characterizing the overall stand structural complexity. For the basal area, we could not find a significant relationship, indicating that structural complexity is not tied to the basal area of a forest. We also showed that Db derived from airborne data holds the potential to distinguish forest types, management types, and the developmental phases of forests. We conclude that the box-dimension is a promising measure to describe the structural complexity of forests in an ecologically meaningful way.

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“…Pastures in the Schorfheide were never grazed by sheep, which was where high ant species richness was found in the Alb and Hainich. Recently, Grevé et al () showed that forest plots at the Schorfheide are rather dry and species‐rich, which implies a potentially large regional species pool. This suggests that a potential increase of ant species richness in grassland plots could be achieved by a change in the grassland management, shifting from cattle to sheep pastures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect effects of land‐use intensification on ant communities in temperate grasslands

Heuss

Grevé

Schäfer

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Land‐use intensification is a major driver of local species extinction and homogenization. Temperate grasslands, managed at low intensities over centuries harbored a high species diversity, which is increasingly threatened by the management intensification over the last decades. This includes key taxa like ants. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to a decrease in ant abundance and species richness as well as changes in functional community composition are not well understood. We sampled ants on 110 grassland plots in three regions in Germany. The sampled grasslands are used as meadows or pastures, being mown, grazed or fertilized at different intensities. We analyzed the effect of the different aspects of land use on ant species richness, functional trait spaces, and community composition by using a multimodel inference approach and structural equation models. Overall, we found 31 ant species belonging to 8 genera, mostly open habitat specialists. Ant species richness, functional trait space of communities, and abundance of nests decreased with increasing land‐use intensity. The land‐use practice most harmful to ants was mowing, followed by heavy grazing by cattle. Fertilization did not strongly affect ant species richness. Grazing by sheep increased the ant species richness. The effect of mowing differed between species and was strongly negative for Formica species while Myrmica and common Lasius species were less affected. Rare species occurred mainly in plots managed at low intensity. Our results show that mowing less often or later in the season would retain a higher ant species richness—similarly to most other grassland taxa. The transformation from (sheep) pastures to intensively managed meadows and especially mowing directly affects ants via the destruction of nests and indirectly via loss of grassland heterogeneity (reduced plant species richness) and increased soil moisture by shading of fast‐growing plant species.

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Effect of forest management on temperate ant communities

Cited by 30 publications

References 83 publications

The Influence of Tree Diversity on Natural Enemies—a Review of the “Enemies” Hypothesis in Forests

The Influence of Tree Diversity on Natural Enemies—a Review of the “Enemies” Hypothesis in Forests

Deriving Stand Structural Complexity from Airborne Laser Scanning Data—What Does It Tell Us about a Forest?

Direct and indirect effects of land‐use intensification on ant communities in temperate grasslands

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