Multifunctionality of belowground food webs: resource, size and spatial energy channels

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 97(4), P. 1691 - 1711

Published: April 7, 2022

ABSTRACT The belowground compartment of terrestrial ecosystems drives nutrient cycling, the decomposition and stabilisation organic matter, supports aboveground life. Belowground consumers create complex food webs that regulate functioning, ensure stability support biodiversity both below above ground. However, existing soil food‐web reconstructions do not match recently accumulated empirical evidence there is no comprehensive reproducible approach accounts for resource, size spatial structure in soil. Here I build on generic organisation principles use multifunctional classification protists, invertebrates vertebrates, to reconstruct a ‘multichannel’ web across classes soil‐associated consumers. infer weighted trophic interactions among guilds using feeding preferences prey protection traits (evolutionarily inherited traits), distributions (niche overlaps), biomass‐dependent feeding. then reconstruction, together with assimilation efficiencies, calculate energy fluxes assuming steady‐state energetic system. Based fluxes, propose number indicators, related stability, multiple ecosystem‐level functions such as herbivory, top‐down control, translocation transformation matter. illustrate this an example, comparing it traditional resource‐focused reconstruction. multichannel reconstruction can be used assess ‘trophic multifunctionality’ (analogous ecosystem multifunctionality), i.e. simultaneous by web, compare communities spanning beyond With further validation proposed functional could provide effective tool understanding animal diversity–ecosystem functioning relationships This hopefully will inspire more researchers describe belowground–aboveground comprehensively. Such studies informative indicators including active agents biogeochemical models, only locally but also regional global scales.

Language: Английский

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Rainforest transformation reallocates energy from green to brown food webs

Nature, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 627(8002), P. 116 - 122

Published: Feb. 14, 2024

Abstract Terrestrial animal biodiversity is increasingly being lost because of land-use change 1,2 . However, functional and energetic consequences aboveground belowground across trophic levels in megadiverse tropical ecosystems remain largely unknown. To fill this gap, we assessed changes energy fluxes ‘green’ (canopy arthropods birds) ‘brown’ (soil earthworms) food webs rainforests plantations Sumatra, Indonesia. Our results showed that most the channelled to web. Oil palm rubber had similar or, case agroforest, higher total compared rainforest but key nodes were distinctly different: more than 90% flux was by soil canopy, whereas 50% allocated annelids (earthworms). Land-use led a consistent decline multitrophic aboveground, responded with reduced levels, down −90%, shifts from slow (fungal) fast (bacterial) channels faeces production towards consumption organic matter. This coincides previously reported carbon stock depletion 3 Here show well-documented declines 4–6 are associated vast restructuring ecosystem compartments.

Language: Английский

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Shared community history strengthens plant diversity effects on below‐ground multitrophic functioning

Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 29, 2025

Abstract The relationship of plant diversity and several ecosystem functions strengthens over time. This suggests that the restructuring biotic interactions in process a community's assembly associated changes function differ between species‐rich species‐poor communities. An important component these is feedback soil community history. In this study, we examined interactive effects richness history on trophic fauna community. We hypothesized experimental removal either or would diminish positive multitrophic food web, compared to mature tested hypothesis long‐term grassland biodiversity experiment by comparing plots across three treatments (without history, without controls with ~20 years plot‐specific history). found below‐ground functionality indeed stronger communities shared Our findings indicate anthropogenic disturbance can impact functioning through loss species but also preventing feedbacks develop assembly.

Language: Английский

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Belowground energy fluxes determine tree diversity effects on above- and belowground food webs

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 1, 2025

Worldwide tree diversity loss raises concerns about functional and energetic declines across trophic levels. In this study, we coupled 160 above- belowground food webs, quantifying energy fluxes to microorganisms invertebrates in a tree-mycorrhiza experiment, test how affects of above below the ground. The experiment differentiates three mycorrhizal type treatments: only AM species (with arbuscular mycorrhizae), EcM ectomycorrhizae; one, two, four species), or mixtures both (AM+EcM; two species). Our results indicate that most initially flowed through communities, with soil contributing 97.7% total fauna accounting for 60.9% animals. Consequently, fueled surface (62.3% predation) aboveground (30.5% predators. Tree increased ecosystem multifunctionality (indicated by averaged fluxes) ∼30% levels while it shifted webs from fast (such as bacterial-dominated) slow fungal-dominated) channels communities. primarily impacted communities strengthened coupling increasing importance prey predators at These findings highlight types drive functioning via fluxes.

Language: Английский

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Organic amendments increase the flow uniformity of energy across nematode food webs

Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 170, P. 108695 - 108695

Published: May 4, 2022

Language: Английский

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Tropical land use alters functional diversity of soil food webs and leads to monopolization of the detrital energy channel

eLife, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 11

Published: March 30, 2022

Agricultural expansion is among the main threats to biodiversity and functions of tropical ecosystems. It has been shown that conversion rainforest into plantations erodes biodiversity, but further consequences for food-web structure energetics belowground communities remains little explored. We used a unique combination stable isotope analysis analyze in comprehensive way oil palm rubber on channeling energy through soil animal food webs Sumatra, Indonesia. Across groups studied, most taxa had lower litter-calibrated Δ 13 C values than rainforests, suggesting they switched freshly-fixed plant carbon ('fast' channeling) from detrital pathway ('slow' rainforests. These shifts led changes isotopic divergence, dispersion, evenness, uniqueness. However, earthworms as major detritivores stayed unchanged their trophic niche monopolized plantations, resulting similar energetic metrics across land-use systems. Functional diversity were associated with reduced amount litter, tree density, species richness providing guidelines how improve complexity webs. Our results highlight strong restructuring threatening functioning ecosystem stability long term.

Language: Английский

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Out of the dark: Using energy flux to connect above‐ and belowground communities and ecosystem functioning

European Journal of Soil Science, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 73(1)

Published: July 27, 2021

Abstract Soil ecosystems are both particularly important to humans and vulnerable human‐made global change. Here, we identify some key aspects of soil community ecosystem research that need be more widely studied understand responses change enable us efficiently protect them. This perspective integrates multiple taxa trophic levels, combines structural variables with processes, considers energy channels rather than focusing on only bacterial, fungal, or plant‐derived resources. Moreover, it enables implementing the claim terrestrial should adopt an integrative view above–belowground processes. Having identified these areas requiring higher attention, suggest a wider application food‐web energetics approach calculating flux as suitable very powerful tool simultaneously integrate aspects. The metabolic theory quantify through networks universal currency multitrophic functioning. In addition whole‐community metrics, allows for quantifying various processes by summing up out autotrophs, detritus, animals their respective consumers. includes assessment otherwise hard quantify, such belowground herbivory predation. calculation requires data focal its demand, interactions, feeding preferences assimilation efficiency, which can measured, whereas other components inferred from readily available literature We outline how novel, high‐throughput methods, metabarcoding, combined energy‐flux improve our understanding structure hope article motivates fellow researchers approaches support further development this promising science. Highlights Multitrophic interactions bridge functioning ecosystems. An integrated quantification main in soil. Linking above‐ compartments provides deeper insights into whole‐ecosystem Quantifying systems those insights.

Language: Английский

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For flux's sake: General considerations for energy‐flux calculations in ecological communities

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 11(19), P. 12948 - 12969

Published: Sept. 14, 2021

Global change alters ecological communities with consequences for ecosystem processes. Such processes and functions are a central aspect of research vital to understanding mitigating the global change, but also those other drivers in organism communities. In this context, concept energy flux through trophic networks integrates food-web theory biodiversity-ecosystem functioning connects biodiversity multitrophic functioning. As such, energy-flux approach is strikingly effective tool answer questions ecology global-change research. This might seem straight forward, given that theoretical background software efficiently calculate readily available. However, implementation such calculations not always especially who new topic familiar concepts line research, as or metabolic theory. To facilitate wider use we thus provide guide adopting people method, struggling its implementation, simply looking reading, important resources, standard solutions problems everyone faces when starting quantify fluxes their community data. First, introduce ecology. Then, comprehensive explanation single steps towards calculating Finally, discuss remaining challenges exciting frontiers future

Language: Английский

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Food web rewiring drives long-term compositional differences and late-disturbance interactions at the community level

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 119(17)

Published: April 19, 2022

Significance Multiple anthropogenic disturbances affect the structure and functioning of communities. Recent evidence highlighted that, after pulse disturbance, a community performs may be recovered fast due to functional redundancy, whereas multivariate composition needs longer time. Yet, mechanisms that drive different recovery times have not been quantified empirically. We use quantitative food-web analysis assess influence species interactions on recovery. found species-interactions strength main mechanism driving differences between structural Additionally, we show multiple appear in long term only when both species-interaction architecture change significantly.

Language: Английский

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Biochar enhances multifunctionality by increasing the uniformity of energy flow through a soil nematode food web

Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 183, P. 109056 - 109056

Published: May 31, 2023

Language: Английский

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