The life cycle, population dynamics, and contribution to litter decomposition of Penthetria holosericea (Diptera: Bibionidae) in an alder forest

Frouz, Jan; Jedlička, Pavel; Šimáčková, Hana; Lhotáková, Zuzana

doi:10.1016/j.ejsobi.2015.10.002

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Few studies have performed rigorous evaluation of the overall effect of these factors on annual litter consumption by soil fauna. To illustrate this, we analyzed monthly estimates of larval biomass and consumption rates (including temperature corrections) from Frouz et al 75 , 76 (Supplementary Fig. S1 ) to derive an estimate of annual litter consumption by March fly larval populations ( Penthetria holosericea ) as 134 g m −2 (dry weight).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global distribution of soil fauna functional groups and their estimated litter consumption across biomes

Heděnec

Jiménez

Moradi

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil invertebrates (i.e., soil fauna) are important drivers of many key processes in soils including soil aggregate formation, water retention, and soil organic matter transformation. Many soil fauna groups directly or indirectly participate in litter consumption. However, the quantity of litter consumed by major faunal groups across biomes remains unknown. To estimate this quantity, we reviewed > 1000 observations from 70 studies that determined the biomass of soil fauna across various biomes and 200 observations from 44 studies on litter consumption by soil fauna. To compare litter consumption with annual litterfall, we analyzed 692 observations from 24 litterfall studies and 183 observations from 28 litter stock studies. The biomass of faunal groups was highest in temperate grasslands and then decreased in the following order: boreal forest > temperate forest > tropical grassland > tundra > tropical forest > Mediterranean ecosystems > desert and semidesert. Tropical grasslands, desert biomes, and Mediterranean ecosystems were dominated by termites. Temperate grasslands were dominated by omnivores, while temperate forests were dominated by earthworms. On average, estimated litter consumption (relative to total litter input) ranged from a low of 14.9% in deserts to a high of 100.4% in temperate grassland. Litter consumption by soil fauna was greater in grasslands than in forests. This is the first study to estimate the effect of different soil fauna groups on litter consumption and related processes at global scale.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global distribution of soil fauna functional groups and their estimated litter consumption across biomes

Heděnec

Jiménez

Moradi

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Because 15 N-labeled litter was not placed in the low-quality patches at the start of the experiment, the amount of 15 N found in the low-quality patches at harvest could be used to infer the transfer of litter or nutrients due to earthworm activity, as in other studies ( Kreuzer et al, 2004 ; Frouz et al, 2015a ; Xiao et al, 2018 ). The observed patterns of 15 N in soils suggest that earthworms can move nitrogen from the high- to the low-quality patches and that earthworm activity can reduce soil nutrient heterogeneity ( García-Palacios et al, 2014 ; Liu et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earthworms Modulate Impacts of Soil Heterogeneity on Plant Growth at Different Spatial Scales

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil heterogeneity (uneven distribution of soil nutrients and/or other properties) is ubiquitous in nature and can greatly affect plant growth. As earthworm activity can influence nutrient redistribution in the soil, we hypothesize that earthworms may alter the effect of soil heterogeneity on plant growth and this effect may depend on the scale of soil heterogeneity. To test these hypotheses, we grew the clonal grass Leymus chinensis in three soil treatments (heterogeneous large vs. heterogeneous small patch vs. homogeneous soil treatment) with or without earthworms [i.e., Eisenia fetida Savigny (Lumbricidae, epigeic redworm)]. In the heterogeneous treatments, the soil consisted of patches with and without 15N-labeled litter (referred to as high- and low-quality patches, respectively), and in the homogeneous treatment, the soil was an even mixture of the two types of soil patches. Biomass of L. chinensis was significantly higher in the high- than in the low-quality patches, showing the foraging response; this foraging response occurred at both scales and under both earthworm treatments. Compared to the homogeneous treatment, the heterogeneous large patch treatment increased biomass of L. chinensis without earthworms, but decreased it with earthworms. In contrast, biomass of L. chinensis in the heterogeneous small patch treatment did not differ from that in the homogeneous treatment, irrespective of earthworms. Belowground biomass was much greater in the heterogeneous small than in the heterogeneous large patch treatment without earthworms, but it did not differ between these two scale treatments with earthworms. In the heterogeneous treatments, soil 15N was greater in the high- than in the low-quality patches, but this effect became much weaker with than without earthworms, suggesting that earthworm activity homogenized the soil. We conclude that earthworms can change the impact of soil heterogeneity on plant growth via homogenizing the soil, and that this effect of earthworms varies with patch scale. Such scale-dependent interactive effects of soil heterogeneity and earthworms could be a potential mechanism modulating plant community structure and productivity.

show abstract

“…Most of the above-mentioned studies were done using fine-mesh litter bags or microcosms that excluded soil macrodetritivores, which are important regulators of decomposition processes (David, 2014;Lavelle & Spain, 2001). Saprophagous macroarthropods such as millipedes, woodlice and insect larvae can consume up to 40% of the annual litterfall in ecosystems in which they are abundant (Carcamo, Abe, Prescott, Holl, & Chanway, 2000;Coulis, Hättenschwiler, Coq, & David, 2016;David & Gillon, 2002;Frouz, Jedlička, Šimáčková, & Lhotáková, 2015). Ignoring this substantial contribution may lead to misleading conclusions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do litter-feeding macroarthropods disrupt cascading effects of land use on microbial decomposer activity?

Lambers

Nahmani

Kazakou

et al. 2020

Basic and Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plant traits are known to control litter decomposition rates through afterlife effects on litter quality.Land-use practices that modify plant traits, e.g. livestock grazing and soil fertilization, also have cascading effects on litter decomposition. However, almost all studies of these afterlife effects ignored the role of soil detritivores in the decomposition processes. We explored how the feeding activities of a macroarthropod modify microbial activity in leaf litter. Dead leaves from two grassland species, Bromopsis erecta and Potentilla verna, were collected in fertilized or unfertilized grazed plots and fertilized or unfertilized ungrazed plots. We determined how intraspecific variation in litter quality in response to sheep grazing and soil fertilization (i) influences the consumption and assimilation of leaf litter by the millipede Glomeris marginata, and (ii) affects the activity of microbial decomposers, assessed by substrate-induced respiration (SIR), in leaf litter before consumption and in faecal pellets and litter remains processed by Glomeris under all treatments. In the absence of millipedes, microbial activity was significantly higher in leaf litter from fertilized plots. Glomeris consumed larger amounts of leaf litter from fertilized grazed plots, owing to increased consumption of the otherwise poorly palatable Bromopsis, and produced larger amounts of faecal pellets when fed on this food. However, irrespective of the food consumed, SIR in faecal pellets was found to be similar in all treatments. Moreover, SIR in litter remains unconsumed at the end of the experiment was reduced to low and similar levels in all treatments. Overall, homogenization of microbial activity by Glomeris suppressed differences in SIR between leaf litter from fertilized and unfertilized plots, in both Bromopsis and Potentilla. Our results suggest that studies that assess afterlife effects of plant traits on decomposition using methods that exclude soil macrofauna may prove inadequate in ecosystems with abundant populations of detritivores.

show abstract

The life cycle, population dynamics, and contribution to litter decomposition of Penthetria holosericea (Diptera: Bibionidae) in an alder forest

Cited by 11 publications

References 28 publications

Global distribution of soil fauna functional groups and their estimated litter consumption across biomes

Global distribution of soil fauna functional groups and their estimated litter consumption across biomes

Earthworms Modulate Impacts of Soil Heterogeneity on Plant Growth at Different Spatial Scales

Do litter-feeding macroarthropods disrupt cascading effects of land use on microbial decomposer activity?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About