2019 Issues

Nico Eisenhauer & Willi E.R. Xylander

Title: SOIL ORGANISMS – an international open access journal on the taxonomic and functional biodiversity in the soil

Abstract

Biodiversity change and the identification of the underlying drivers are in the focus of ecological research and public and political debate (IPBES 2019). Soil biodiversity has thus far rarely entered this discussion and analyses (Cameron et al. 2018), and substantial gaps in soil biodiversity and function data exist (Cameron et al. 2019). Furthermore, we know exceptionally little about temporal changes in soil biodiversity (Phillips et al. 2017), although soil biodiversity is thought to be essential for critical ecosystem functions and services (Bardgett & van der Putten 2014, Wall et al. 2015) but threatened by anthropogenic impacts (Veresoglou et al. 2015). At the same time, taxonomic expertise of soil biodiversity may be at risk, while novel molecular information still needs to be linked to species and functions (Geiger et al. 2016).

At this time of major changes in earth’s biodiversity (e. g. Dornelas et al. 2014, Newbold et al. 2015, Ceballos et al. 2016, Maxwell et al. 2016, IPBES 2019), and repeated calls to assess soil biological responses to anthropogenic  environmental change (e. g., Phillips et al. 2017, Eisenhauer et al. 2019), we believe that an open access journal on taxonomy and functional biodiversity in the soil is particularly relevant to address some of the major knowledge gaps that limit management and political decisions (Cameron et al. 2019). Notably, in order to provide an independent picture of the drivers and consequences of soil biodiversity, publication decisions have to be based on the scientific soundness of the work, rather than by potential impact and significance of effects. At Soil Organisms, we thus encourage submission of well-designed studies with neutral/non-significant effects to combat the publication bias. Subsequent syntheses and meta-analyses can only be as good as the quality of the data they are based on. As open access journals often have publication charges, this might select against publication of work from regions of the world with lower levels of research funds; very often, these are the areas of the globe where our information on (soil) biodiversity is particularly low (Cameron et al. 2018). This is why Soil Organisms is proud to offer open access publication of scientifically sound work without any charges for publication and download.

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DOI 10.25674/so91200

Nico Eisenhauer
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
nico.eisenhauer@idiv.de

Willi E.R. Xylander
Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz
Postfach 300 154, 02806 Görlitz, Germany
willi.xylander@senckenberg.de

Svante Martinsson

Title: A morphology-based identification key to the Cognettia species of the world (Clitellata: Enchytraeidae)

Abstract 

Morphological characters for identification of Cognettia species are presented both as a dichotomous key and in table form. Focus is on non-sexual characters, as many species reproduce mainly asexually, and sexually mature individuals can be rare.

Keywords: Annelida | Chamaedrilus

DOI 10.25674/so91103

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Svante Martinsson
Systematics and Biodiversity
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
University of Gothenburg, Box 463, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
svante.martinsson@bioenv.gu.se

Odette González Macé, Anne Ebeling, Nico Eisenhauer, Simone Cesarz & Stefan Scheu

Title: Variations in trophic niches of generalist predators with plant community composition as indicated by stable isotopes and fatty acids

Abstract

Arthropods are a dominant component of biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems. They are considered pest control agents and drive important ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling. However, such ecosystem effects of arthropods may depend on the environmental context influencing nutrition and behaviour. In the framework of a grassland plant diversity experiment (Jena Experiment), we used stable isotope and fatty acid analysis to investigate intraspecific variations in the diet of two of the most abundant predatory arthropods in grasslands: the ground beetle Harpalus rufipes and the wolf spider Trochosa ruricola. The results show that the diet of H. rufipes varied significantly with plant species diversity, consuming more plant material, probably seeds, at high diversity plots, and in the presence of grasses and small herbs. By contrast, in presence of legumes H. rufipes consumed more animal prey, presumably aphids and/or collembolans. Compared to H. rufipes, the diet of T. ruricola consisted of animal prey only and varied mainly with body size, with larger individuals occupying higher trophic position in the food web. Moreover, the diet of T. ruricola changed in response to summer flooding two months before sampling. Presumably, the availability of secondary decomposer prey as well as intraguild prey was increased in severely flooded plots. As both species are considered pest control agents, the results underline the importance of plant diversity and the composition of plant communities for biological pest control.

Keywords: spider | Lycosidae | beetle | Carabidae | grassland | diet

DOI 10.25674/so91204

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Odette González Macé
J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology
University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany

Anne Ebeling
Department of Population Ecology, Institute of Ecology
Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
 
Nico Eisenhauer
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Simone Cesarz
Institute of Biology, Leipzig University
Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Stefan Scheu
J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology
University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
sscheu@gwdg.de

Simone Cesarz, Annika Eva Schulz, Rémy Beugnon & Nico Eisenhauer

Title: Testing soil nematode extraction efficiency using different variations of the Baermann-funnel method

Abstract

Nematodes are increasingly used as powerful bioindicators of soil food web composition and functioning in ecological
studies. Todays’ ecological research aims to investigate not only local relationships but global patterns, which requires consistent methodology across locations. Thus, a common and easy extraction protocol of soil nematodes is needed. In this study, we present a detailed protocol of the Baermann-funnel method and highlight how different soil pre-treatments and equipment (soil type, soil height, sieving, and filter type) can affect extraction efficiency and community composition by using natural nematode communities. We found that highest nematode extraction efficiency was achieved using lowest soil height as indicated by the thickness of the soil sample in the extractor (1, 2, or 4 cm soil height) in combination with soil sieving (instead of no sieving), and by using milk filters (instead of paper towels). PCA at the family level revealed that different pre-treatments significantly affected nematode community composition. Increasing the height of the soil sample by adding more soil increased the proportion of larger-sized nematodes likely because those are able to overcome long distances but selected against small nematodes. Sieving is suggested to break up soil aggregates and, therefore, facilitate moving in general. Interestingly, sieving did not negatively affect larger nematodes that are supposed to have a higher probability of getting bruised during sieving but, even if not significant, tended to yield more extracted nematodes than no sieving. We therefore recommend to use small heights of sieved soil with milk filter to extract free-living soil nematodes with the Baermann-funnel method. The present study shows that variations in the extraction protocol can alter the total density and community composition of extracted nematodes and provides recommendations for an efficient and standardized approach in future studies. Having a simple, cheap, and standardized extraction protocol can facilitate the assessment of soil biodiversity in global contexts.

Keywords: soil organisms | comparability | reproducibility | extraction methods

DOI 10.25674/so91201

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Simone Cesarz
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig
Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
Dornburger Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
simone.cesarz@idiv.de

Annika Eva Schulz
Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
Dornburger Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
 
Rémy Beugnon
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig
Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Nico Eisenhauer
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig
Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
Dornburger Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany

Maria Cleide de Mendonça & Tatiana Christina da Silveira

Title: A peculiar new species of Scutisotoma Bagnall, 1949 (Collembola: Isotomidae) from Brazil

Abstract
Samples collected from the National Park of Caparaó, in Minas Gerais state, revealed the presence of a new species Scutisotoma misha n. sp., which is distinguished from other congeners species by having a peculiar set of characters: simple maxillary palp, the absence of the labial guard chaetae e7, Ant. III without bms, 5,4/3,3,3,3,5 tergal sensilla (including 1,1/1,1,1 microsensilla) and one spatulate tenent chaeta on each tibiotarsus. In the present work the genus Scutisotoma Bagnall, 1949 is recorded for the first time in Brazil.

Keywords
Biodiversity | Neotropic | springtail | taxonomy

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DOI 10.25674/so-91-1-01

Maria Cleide de Mendonça
Departament of Entomology, National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Quinta da Boa Vista s/n, São Cristóvão, 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
cleidecollembola@gmail.com

Tatiana Christina da Silveira
Departament of Entomology, National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Quinta da Boa Vista s/n, São Cristóvão, 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

Bernhard Seifert

Title: A taxonomic revision of the members of the Camponotus lateralis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Europe, Asia Minor and Caucasia

Abstract
A taxonomic revision of the Camponotus lateralis group based on methods of Numeric Morphology-Based Alpha-Taxonomy (NUMOBAT) is presented considering the Palaearctic region west of 46°E. One size, nine shape and three setae characters were recorded in a total of 260 samples with 587 worker individuals. Species hypotheses were formed by three exploratory data analyses: the hierarchical methods NC-Ward and NC-part.hclust and the iterative vector-quantization method NC-part.kmeans. Samples with classifications disagreeing among the methods were finally allocated to a particular cluster by wild-card runs in a controlling linear discriminant analysis.

Results: The taxonomy of the C. lateralis group is complicated by the superimposition of three types of intraspecific polymorphism: (a) minor vs. major worker size dimorphism, (b) polymorphism of pigmentation pattern and (c), in at least one species, extreme dimorphism of shape and setae characters independent from size. A two-step cluster analysis and principal component analysis considering head and scape length indices and absolute size resulted in fully coincident separations of minors and majors with a general rule applicable for a collective of four long-headed and another rule applicable for a collective of four short-headed species. The identity of 42 taxa was evaluated on the basis of original descriptions and type specimens to exclude a junior synonymy of the taxon introduced here. A key is provided for nine valid species occurring in the area of Europe, Asia Minor and Caucasus: Camponotus lateralis (Olivier 1792), C. piceus (Leach 1825), C. atricolor (Nylander 1849), C. dalmaticus (Nylander 1849), C. candiotes Emery 1894, C. rebeccae Forel 1913, C. anatolicus Karaman & Aktac 2013, C. honaziensis Karaman & Aktac 2013 and C. heidrunvogtae sp. nov. The latter is restricted to a 120 000 km² area of the Balkans. Camponotus ebneri Finzi 1930 (stat. nov.) from Lebanon was raised to species level and is considered as sister species of C. dalmaticus. Seven taxa from North Africa, the Canaries and Middle East, showing a lot of similarities with species of the C. lateralis group, were excluded to represent synonyms of one of the ten aforementioned valid species. Further, seven Camponotus taxa from Europe, Asia Minor and the Middle East were clearly excluded from the C. lateralis group. Camponotus melanogastes (Latreille 1802), Camponotus axillaris (Spinola 1808), C. merula (Losana 1834) (syn. nov.), C. armouri Wheeler 1926, C. lateralis balearis Santschi 1929 (syn. nov.), C. lateralis purius Santschi 1929 (syn. nov.) and C. kosswigi Donisthorpe 1950 are synonymized under C. lateralis. Camponotus foveolata (Mayr 1853), C. ebeninus Emery 1869 (syn. nov.), C. piceus st. spissinodis var. dusmeti Santschi 1932 and C. figaro Collingwood & Yarrow 1969 (syn. nov.) were synonymized under C. piceus, C. lateralis var. cypridis Santschi 1939 (syn. nov.) under C. rebeccae and C. lateralis var. rectus Forel 1892 under C. atricolor. Due to insufficient original descriptions and missing types, there is no chance to conclude on either the specific, generic or tribal identity of six taxa supposed by previous authors of belonging to the C. lateralis group. These taxa – Formica bicolor Latreille 1798, Formica pallidinervis Brullé 1833, Camponotus hemipsila (Förster 1850), Camponotus sicheli Mayr 1866, Camponotus kiesenwetteri angustatus Forel 1889, and Camponotus lateralis var. rhodia Santschi 1934 – were listed under Incertae Sedis.

Keywords
numeric morphology-based alpha-taxonomy | nest centroid clustering | cryptic species | size dimorphism | color polymorphism

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DOI 10.25674/so-91-1-02

Bernhard Seifert
Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, 
Am Museum 1, 02826 Görlitz, Germany
bernhard.seifert@senckenberg.de