Legacy effects of experimental environmental change on soil micro‐arthropod communities

Abstract

Global change experiments such as experimental warming and nutrient addition strongly affect the structure and functioning of high latitude and altitude ecosystems. However, it is often unknown to what extend such effects are permanent or whether changes persist after environmental conditions return to pre‐treatment levels. In this study, we assess the legacy effects of temperature manipulation and nutrient addition experiments on alpine soil micro‐arthropod (i.e., Collembola and Oribatida) communities nine years after the treatments were discontinued. Treatment effects on the vegetation were still detectable six years after cessation, although grazing increased the recovery rate. Because micro‐arthropods are often closely associated with vegetation, we expected to find that treatment effects on Collembola and Oribatida abundance and species composition persisted to date, reflecting plant community dynamics. Also, we expected large‐bodied, drought‐resistant Collembola species that live on top of the soil to show less strong legacy effects. We did not find legacy effects of environmental treatments on Collembola and Mesostigmata in terms of abundance. However, we found persistent changes in community composition of Collembola and Oribatida, suggesting treatment effects persist to date. The generalist Folsomia quadrioculata was the most responsive Collembola species to initial treatments, most likely due to its variable life‐history strategy. Although its abundance recovered, F. quadrioculata remained dominant in Collembola communities after cessation of the treatments. Grazing affected community composition of both Collembola and Oribatida, but we did not find grazing to reduce legacy effects on micro‐arthropod as it did for vegetation. We therefore conclude that the environmental treatments had only temporary effects on micro‐arthropods in terms of overall abundance, but that effects on individual species and therefore species composition may be long‐lasting and less predictable.

Warming in Cold Seasons Increases the Abundance of Ground-Dwelling Collembola in Permafrost Wetlands

“…Although some studies have focused on the effects of warming on soil fauna, the response of soil fauna in high-latitude wetlands to warming is still lacking [ 48 ]. Such research is significant because soil fauna control many soil processes and are connected to aboveground vegetation.…”

Large-scale experimental warming reduces soil faunal biodiversity through peatland drying

“…Overall and taxon-specific shifts in soil microarthropods at the SPRUCE site suggest treatment effects are taking time to emerge, and possibly leading to greater heterogeneous communities under warming. At the same time, Roos et al (2020) found that the negative effects of warming on collembolan and oribatid community composition persisted even after 9 years after the experimental treatment ended, suggesting shifts in microarthropod composition as long-lasting and potentially not reversible. The work presented here is one component of larger results emerging from the SPRUCE experiment that suggest belowground biodiversity and ecosystem function are altered under warming.…”

Three decades of environmental change studies at alpine Finse, Norway: climate trends and responses across ecological scales

“…Nine years after cessation of the treatments, Roos et al (2020) found persistent legacy effects of nutrient additions on Collembola and Oribatida community composition, while their abundance had recovered to control levels. In contrast to vegetation (Olsen and Klanderud, 2014b), the presence of herbivores did not consistently affect recovery rates of soil arthropod communities (Roos et al, 2020).…”

“…Nutrient addition had little effect on other taxa such as Diptera (larvae), but Arctorthezia cataphracta (Coccoidea) decreased in abundance in concert with decreases in its host plant (D. octopetala) abundance, indicating that nutrient addition affects the system across trophic levels (Hågvar and Klanderud, 2009). Nine years after cessation of the treatments, Roos et al (2020) found persistent legacy effects of nutrient additions on Collembola and Oribatida community composition, while their abundance had recovered to control levels. In contrast to vegetation (Olsen and Klanderud, 2014b), the presence of herbivores did not consistently affect recovery rates of soil arthropod communities (Roos et al, 2020).…”

“…Boloria napaea) also visit flowers of e.g. Silene acaulis (Hovde, 2021, Roos 2020. The success of plant sexual reproduction is determined by both environmental conditions and biotic interactions, as is illustrated by several studies on Ranunculus acris at Finse (e.g., Vassvik, 2019).…”