2021 Issues

Claudia Tluste & Klaus Birkhofer
Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg

Abstract

Shells of molluscs from snail farms (heliciculture) are used as food additives or construction material and ecological engineering approaches utilize their potential to assist with ecosystem restoration. Previous studies, for example, highlighted the importance of snail shells as microhabitat for threatened arthropod species with particular focus on wild bees nesting in empty shells. This study focuses on shells of the Roman snail (Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758) and their value as microhabitat for shell adopters in different dominant vegetation forms and sample periods. In total, 1408 empty shells were placed in areas dominated by one of two vegetation forms (herbaceous vegetation or trees) from February to November 2019 (autumn) or from February to June/July 2020 (summer). All collected shells (N = 618) were sealed at the time of collection, frozen and all content was then analysed with a digital microscope. In total, 91.4 % of all collected shells were occupied and the average number of shell adopters was 1.5 time higher in shells collected in summer compared to shells collected in autumn. The number of shell adopters per shell was 1.5 times higher in study areas dominated by herbaceous vegetation compared to study areas dominated by trees. Shell width, but not shell height significantly affected the composition of shell adopter communities. Shells with a larger width were more frequently colonized by another gastropod species [Discus rotundatus (O. F. Müller, 1774)] than less wide shells. Shells of the Roman snail provide important multipurpose benefits for a wide range of soil organisms, particularly in habitats that were dominated by herbaceous vegetation and in summer. In autumn, shell adopters included isopods, gastropods and spiders in one subset of shells or Collembola in another subset. The future use of commercially available, empty shells from heliciculture in local restoration projects of open, tree-free areas, holds the potential to support a diverse invertebrate fauna with additional refuge habitats.

Keywords
Gastropoda | Helix pomatia | shell adopter | shelter | soil animals

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.25674/so93iss3id167

Thomas Cassar 1 & Marzio Zapparoli 2
1 University of Malta, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8703-813X
2 Tuscia University, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7601-3412

Abstract

Three chilopod species are recorded as new for the Maltese archipelago, and two species are recorded for the first time from the island of Comino. The local distribution of previously-recorded species is updated with new data. A check-list of the twenty-five species occurring on the islands is also provided.

Keywords
Geophilomorpha | Lithobiomorpha | new records | Mediterranean | Malta

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.25674/so93iss3id166

Dieudonné Djackba Danra 1, Hartmut Koehler 2 & Elias Nchiwan Nukenine 1
1 University of Ngaoundéré
2 University of Bremen

Abstract

Acari and Collembola from a high Guinean savanna and an experimental ReviTec site were studied to assess the efficiency of compost and biochar amendments for the rehabilitation of degraded soil. The research sites are located in Dang (Ngaoundéré, Adamawa, Cameroon), which is subject to four months of dry season. Our study contributes to the suitability of microarthropods as bioindicators of a rehabilitation measure and to the general knowledge of soil mesofauna in dry sub-Sahara Africa savanna. Abundances of soil Acari and Collembola were assessed in four sampling campaigns during the rainy season (May, June, July, August 2017; 0–20 cm depth). Results from explorative sampling campaigns in the same months of 2016 are included to assess year-to-year development (0–10 cm depth). Soil water content, pH, N, C and soil temperature were monitored. Controls were savanna (adjacent to the experimental site) and ReviTec control (part of the experimental site). To assess the effect of compost and biochar soil amendments, we investigated compost + mycorrhiza (cpmy) and compost + biochar + bokashi (cpbcbo). We identified Acari groups (Gamasina, Uropodina, Prostigmata, Oribatida, Astigmata) and Collembola, extracted with a Tullgren-type apparatus.
In the savanna, abundances of up to 23 tsd. Acari and 6 tsd. Collembola per m2 were recorded. The corresponding findings for the compost-amended substrates of the ReviTec site are 228 tsd. Acari and 37 tsd. Collembola per m2 (2017, means of five cores). The abundances increased gradually with the duration of the rainy season and reached their maximum in July/August. Abundances were higher at depths of 0–10 cm than at 10–20 cm, except in May. Abundances in May likely reflect the previous dry season, when animals seem to survive in deeper soil layers. Significantly higher abundances were recorded in the ReviTec substrates than in the control soils. The development of microarthropods indicates effective rehabilitation of ecosystem services of degraded soil after application of ReviTec.

Keywords
Acari | Collembola | Cameroon | soil degradation | rehabilitation | biochar | bioindication | ReviTec

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.25674/so93iss3id165

Mengyun Liu 1, Simone Cesarz 2, Nico Eisenhauer 3,  Hanping Xia 4, Shenglei Fu 5 & Dylan Craven 6
1 Guangdong Academy of Forestry
2 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig & Leipzig University, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2334-5119
3 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig & Leipzig University, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0371-6720
4 Chinese Academy of Sciences
5 Henan University
6 Universidad Mayor, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3940-833X

Abstract

Soil respiration plays a central role in global carbon dynamics, and small changes in the magnitude of soil respiration could have large impacts on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Heterotrophic soil respiration mainly comes from microbial mineralization of soil organic matter and decomposition of plant litter, yet only a few studies have addressed the combined effects of interactions among leaf litter quality, soil quality, and microbial biomass on soil respiration. We conducted a microcosm experiment using three soils from three forest sites representing a gradient in soil quality, comprised of soil pH and C:N ratio, and six tree litter types (from the same forests), encompassing a gradient in leaf nutrient and lignin concentrations. We followed soil CO2 emissions, soil basal respiration (measured as O2-consumption), and microbial biomass over twelve weeks to examine variation in response to leaf litter and soil quality and their interactions. Our results show that soil CO2 emissions increased significantly with soil quality and leaf litter quality respectively, and these effects were mediated by interactions with soil microbial biomass. Moreover, we found idiosyncratic interactive effects of leaf litter quality and microbial biomass on soil CO2 emissions across the gradient in soil quality. The sensitivity of soil respiration to soil quality and the interactions between leaf litter quality and soil microbial biomass suggests that global change drivers altering forest composition and soil community composition may have significant cascading effects on the soil carbon cycle..

Keywords
Aboveground-belowground interactions | carbon cycle | decomposition | leaf litter C dynamics | leaf litter traits | context-dependency

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.25674/so93iss3id158

Caley Gasch, Rodney Utter & Abbey Wick
North Dakota State University

Abstract

One major soil health challenge of the Northern Great Plains of North America is the natural occurrence of soluble salts in the soil. Salinity impacts on plant production are well understood, but we stand to learn more about the effects of salinity on soil biological characteristics, especially for sulfate-based salts. We conducted a field survey for three years to quantify the abundance and growth stages of earthworms across a naturally occurring salinity gradient. The gradient was approximately 150 m in length and traversed electrical conductivity values < 1 to 6 mS/cm and associated organic matter content from 6.9 to 4.8 %. We recovered earthworms and cocoons from intact soil cores (20 cm diameter) to 15 cm depth. Most of the recovered earthworms were Aporrectodea trapezoides (Dugés, 1828); however, Aporrectodea tuberculata (Eisen, 1874) and Octolasion tyrtaeum (Savigny, 1826) were also observed in low abundance. Juvenile earthworms were abundant and contributed the most individuals to the total counts in non-saline soils; they were also the group that exhibited the steepest decline in response to increasing salinity levels. Mature earthworm and cocoon counts were generally stable across salinity levels. Though we observed some inter-year variability in earthworm observations, we conclude that the occurrence of juvenile earthworms may serve as a soil health indicator in a salinity context.

Keywords
dryland salinity | endogeic | mollisol | soil health | sulfate salts

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.25674/so93iss3id170

Kanji Tomita & Kobayashi Makoto
Hokkaido University

Abstract

The experimental mesocosm, an artificial enclosure system for soil organisms, is a major research tool in soil ecology. Development of a rearing method for target organisms within mesocosms is essential for conducting mesocosm experiments. Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) are assumed to play important roles as root feeders and ecosystem engineers in soil ecosystems. Nonetheless, their ecological roles have not been investigated to the same extent as other root -feeding species, possibly because it is difficult to rear cicadas in mesocosm experiments. Here, we report a rearing method for cicada nymphs (Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata) in an experimental mesocosm over a period of 3 months. We prepared eight polyvinyl chloride cages filled with mineral soil in a forest. One final instar (0.33 0.10 g fresh weight [MeanSD]), and one early instar cicada nymph (2.230.16 g fresh weight [MeanSD]) were placed into each mesocosm cage with a seedling of Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) as a food source. After 3 months, 75 % (6 to 8) of final instar cicada nymphs survived and increased in fresh weight by approximately 6 % since the beginning of the experiment, whereas all early instar nymphs had died. This is the first study to provide a detailed rearing method for cicada nymphs in East Asia, a region that harbors a high species diversity of cicadas. Our mesocosm system could be an effective tool for understanding the ecology and ecological roles of final instar cicada nymphs in belowground ecosystems.

Keywords
above- and belowground linkage | field experiment | rearing method | root feeders

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.25674/so93iss3id171

Carlos A. Guerra, Diana H. Wall & Nico Eisenhauer

Abstract

In the past, multiple initiatives have been initiated (Maestre & Eisenhauer 2019), but none of those has established itself as a concrete and sustainable global monitoring effort of soils. This requires connecting partners representing a range of stakeholders, including researchers, educators, and policy advisors from academic, governmental, and private sectors. To create the building blocks for the establishment of such a monitoring system for soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions, the Global Soil Biodiversity Observation Network (SoilBON: https://www.globalsoilbiodiversity.org/soilbon) was established in 2018 as a thematic network of GEO BON in partnership with the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI) and other global and regional partners (Guerra et al. 2021a). The goal is to further connect multinational partners and initiatives in a coordinated worldwide effort to understand soil biodiversity, document how it is changing, how these changes affect ecosystems and people who rely on soil-living resources for their well-being and livelihoods, and how the sustainable use of ecosystems can safeguard soil biodiversity.

see supporting information on www.soil-organisms.org

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss2id164

Dana Fabienne Liebke, Danilo Harms, Rahayu Widyastuti, Stefan Scheu & Anton M. Potapov

Abstract

Indonesia’s biodiversity is at risk due to large forest areas being transformed into rubber and oil palm monoculture plantations. The effects of this land-use change on local fauna have been studied in a variety of organisms, including invertebrates from leaf litter and soil habitats. Litter and soil organisms are important drivers of essential ecosystem functions, such as nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration, which are impacted heavily by monoculture plantations. Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) are predatory arthropods in such litter and soil habitats and are an ubiquitous, although typically not very abundant, component of the soil animal food web. Since virtually nothing is known on their functional role diversity in tropical soil food webs, this study aims at contributing filling this gap of knowledge. We studied the impact of the conversion of rainforest into rubber and oil palm plantations on the density and diversity of pseudoscorpions in two landscapes of Jambi province, Sumatra, Indonesia, and applied stable isotope analysis to investigate changes in their trophic niches. Among 266 sorted individuals, only one described species was recorded, while the others were sorted to a total of nine morphospecies. Pseudoscorpions in the study region predominantly colonized mineral soil rather than the litter layer. As expected, the density declined from rainforest to rubber (-83%) and oil palm (-87%), and the number of species declined from rainforest to rubber (-37%) but in particular to oil palm (-47%). The density in riparian areas was five times lower than in non-riparian sites, however, species richness was almost the same. Further, the community composition of pseudoscorpions differed between land-use systems and landscapes; no species was present across all land-use systems, and the majority of species was only present in one land-use system indicating high habitat dependence. Stable isotope analysis suggested that the pseudoscorpion community shifted from species associated with the detritus-based energy channel in rainforest to species associated with the plant-based energy channel in monoculture plantations, indicating shifts in the use of basal resources by the soil community cascading up into predators. Overall, the results indicate that tropical pseudoscorpion communities comprise high-level predators that prefere to inhabit soil rather than litter and respond sensitively to land-use change. Due to this sensitivity, pseudoscorpion abundance may serve as bioindicator for ecosystem changes in the tropics. To mitigate negative effects of changes in land use in tropical ecosystems on cryptic and unexplored soil biodiversity, reduced herbicide use resulting in increased understory vegetation and mulching practices might be adopted.

Keywords
Stable isotopes | soil | predation | Indonesia | land-use change | rubber | oil palm

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss2id147

Farid Faraji

Abstract

About forty species of Lasioseius have been found in Africa, however surprisingly not one species of blattisociid mite has been recorded from Kenya. In this paper Lasioseius kichozii n. sp. collected from soil and litter in Thika, Kenya is described based on the morphology of adult females and males.

Keywords
Blattisociidae | Kenya | Lasioseius | New species

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss2id156

Takafumi Nakano

Abstract

A small-type quadrannulate leech species, Orobdella montipumila sp. nov., from the Tsukuba Mountains in central Honshu island, Japan, is described. Phylogenetic analyses using nuclear 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, histone H3, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, tRNACys, tRNAMet, 12S rRNA, tRNAVal, 16S rRNA, tRNALeu and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 markers revealed that O. montipumila formed a monophyletic lineage with seven congeners that include the small-type quadrannulate O. masaakikuroiwai Nakano, 2014, which is endemic to montane regions of central Honshu. However, the present phylogenies showed that O. montipumila and O. masaakikuroiwai are not sister species, which confirms that reduction of body length has arisen independently in Orobdella leeches indigenous to central Honshu.

Keywords
body length | Erpobdelliformes | macrophagous | molecular phylogeny | quadrannulate

see Table S1 as supplementary material on www.soil-organisms.org

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss2id154

Paul Serge Mbenoun Massé, Zephirin Tadu, Djieto Lordon Champlain, Ruth Mony, Martin Kenne & Maurice Tindoo

 

Abstract

Soil-dwelling ants are the most diverse and abundant groups of animals in most terrestrial ecosystems. However, reliable techniques for assessing the abundance and diversity of ant communities with respect to land management remain poorly studied. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of three trapping procedures (Pitfall trapping, quadrat sampling and baiting) in three habitats (urban, upland and littoral). A total of 169,934 ant workers belonging to 7 sub-families, 51 genera and 198 species were recorded in the three habitats. High species richness and abundance were recorded in upland habitats, compared to urban and littoral habitats. Similarly, contribution diversity approach based on species richness and Simpson’s index was high in upland habitats and low in littoral and urban habitats. Quadrat sampling was more efficient and reliable technique (138 species) than pitfall trapping (133 species) and baiting (126 species). Ant pitfall trapping was less efficient in urban and littoral habitats, but significantly effective in upland habitats. All techniques recorded more predominantly epigaeically foraging species than hypogaeically species. Ant community composition significantly varied among habitats, but no between sampling methods. These results highlight the influence of habitat traits on ant trapping success and indicate that sampling techniques used seem to be more suitable to sample a specific stratum, particularly the epigaeic ant fauna. Additional methods are therefore needed to increase the likelihood of recording hidden ant fauna and obtaining an adequate impression of the local ant fauna.

Keywords
sampling techniques | ants | epigaeic | hypogaeic | land management | Cameroon

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss2id159

Eric P. Kanold, Matthias C. Rillig & Pedro M. Antunes

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) can now be found in all the Earth’s biomes, thereby representing a global change phenomenon with largely unknown consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Soil protists are eukaryotic, primarily single celled organisms that play important roles in the soil food web. Microplastics have been shown to affect protist populations in freshwater and marine environments. However, the interactions between soil protists and MPs remain largely unknown. Here we examined whether phagotrophic soil protists can ingest MPs and, if so, whether they experience declines in abundance. We exposed protists to soil treatments with different concentrations of MPs using commercial polymer fluorescent microspheres and used fluorescence microscopy to find evidence of MP ingestion. In addition, we quantified the total number of active phagotrophic protists over time. We show that most soil protists (> 75 % individuals) can readily ingest and keep MPs within their food vacuoles, even at relatively small MP concentrations (0.1 % w/w). There was a trend for higher prevalence of ingestion and for declines in protist abundance at the highest concentration of MPs (1 % w/w). However, more data are necessary to further ascertain cause-effect relationships. This is the first report indicating that soil protists can play an important role in the transport and uptake of MPs in the soil food web.

Keywords
Plastic pollution | soil toxicology | global change | soil biota

see video as supplementary material on www.soil-organisms.org

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss2id160

Moritz Nabel, Christian Selig, Johanna Gundlach, Henrike von der Decken & Manfred Klein

 

Abstract

Agriculture and soil biodiversity are highly interdependent. Agriculture strongly depends on essential ecosystem services of an active and diverse soil life, leading to soil fertility. Fertile soil is the basis for the cultivation of vital, robust and productive crops. However, today’s intensive agriculture partly aims at replacing certain natural ecosystem services by intense agricultural practices and the use of agrochemicals. Even more, these intensive practices including intense mechanical soil tillage, pollution from contaminated fertilizers and pesticides pose direct threats to soil biodiversity. Although the biggest share of soil biodiversity has not yet been taxonomically recorded, there is evidence of a decline in soil biodiversity. There are many opportunities in agriculture to support an active and diverse soil life and profit from its related ecosystem services. Here we present a set of actions to promote soil biodiversity in agricultural used soils including measures from integrated pest and nutrient management, conservation soil cultivation and agricultural diversification. All these actions show synergies for a transition of agricultural productions systems to a more sustainable and climate change smart production. This transition process needs to be understood as a process relevant to society as a whole. Therefore, extra efforts cannot be borne by farmers alone, but adequate subsidies with a clear focus on soil biodiversity need to be implemented in agricultural policies on national and international level. At international level the 15th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD COP15) can set the frame for the future of soil biodiversity. On European and national level, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its implementation via the national strategic plans will be key for a transition to a soil biodiversity promoting agricultural production. Investments in research and development help to continuously develop measures and legal frameworks and to invest in effective soil protection in the long term.

Keywords Soil Biodiversity, Agriculture, Ecosystem Services, Threats, Conservation

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss1pp1

Christin Hemmerling, Liliane Ruess & Michael Ackermann

 

Abstract

Soil nematodes are major microfaunal grazers that drive the turnover of organic matter as they foster the activity of microorganisms. The latter are an essential component for water purification processes. The present study is the first study that investigates the nematode community along an entire depth transect from top soil to the vadose zone at a forested groundwater recharge area, the “Lange Erlen”, which provides drinking water to the city of Basel (Switzerland). Vertical core drills were performed from 0 – 450 cm depth at two locations in the study area. The vertical transect was divided into 30 cm thick soil sections. Nematodes were extracted, counted, identified and divided into five trophic groups (i.e. plant feeders, fungal feeders, bacterial feeders, omnivores, predators). Based on the classification of functional groups the Maturity Index (MI), Plant Parasitic Index (PPI), as well as the Shannon-Weaver Index (H’) were assessed. A total of 67 taxa were identified comprising 26 nematode families. The nematode population density was low with an average of 6.26 and 0.85 ind./10 g DW soil across depths at the sampling sites HST and VW, respectively. Density decreased strongly with depth, with on average 46% of the total nematode density located in the uppermost soil layer (0 – 30 cm). Although soil samples were taken down to a depth of 450 cm, no nematodes were found below 240 cm, except for Cephalobus persegnis Bastian, 1865, which was the only species present in the lower vadose zone (220 – 450 cm). Plant feeders were the dominant trophic group (65%) throughout the entire depth transect. Decomposition was mainly mediated by the bacterial carbon and energy channel as indicated by the low number of fungal feeders. The general low MI, PPI and H’ were neither depth nor site dependent, suggesting similar environmental conditions at the two investigated locations due to frequent flooding. SIMPER analysis revealed that the dissimilarity in nematode community patterns at HST and VW increased with depth. Plant feeders contributed to the community dissimilarity in the upper soil layers, while the impact of bacterial feeders increased with depth, indicating that the main resource changes along the depth profile.

Keywords
flooding, depth transect, soil microfauna, species composition, diversity, trophic structure

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss1pp13

Farid Faraji & Paul H. Hoekstra

 

Abstract

Thirteen species of phytoseiid mites collected from the Netherlands are re-described and illustrated. Among them 9 are new species records for the Dutch fauna and Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) smithi (Schuster, 1957) is a new record for Europe. Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) neosmithi nom. nov. Faraji is proposed as a replacement name for Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) smithi Denmark & Evans, 2011. Also, Kampimodromus coryli Meshkov, 1999 is considered as a junior synonym of Kampimodromus langei (Wainstein & Arutunjan, 1973).

Keywords
Biodiversity, Biological control, Dutch fauna, Gamasida, Taxonomy

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss1pp35

Jörg Römbke, Stephan Jänsch & Rüdiger M. Schmelz

 

Abstract

Enchytraeidae are known to be an important group of soil animals in temperate regions of the world but their diversity as well as their contribution to soil functions, esp. litter decomposition, in the humid tropics remain largely unexplored. Therefore, as part of the SHIFT (‘Studies of Human Impact on Floodplains and Forests in the Tropics’) project ENV 52, entitled ‘Soil Fauna and Litter Decomposition’, their species composition, abundance and biomass were determined in an experimental agroforestry area located about 20 km north of Manaus (Amazonia), Brazil, between 1997 and 2000, focusing on four plots with differing degree of human impact. In addition, individuals of the family Naididae were sampled at these plots as well. The aim of the project was to study the regeneration and anthropogenic usage of degraded forest areas, to mitigate the human impact on primary rain forests in Amazonia. Study sites were two polyculture tree plantations (POA, POC) and two plots of nearby secondary (growing since 1984, SEC) and undisturbed primary forest (FLO). Samples for both Enchytraeidae and Naididae were taken quarterly for two years and the worms were extracted by wet extraction (120 samples, each divided into litter and soil layer) per sampling date. The enchytraeids were identified in vivo, whereas naidids were initially only counted. Later on, and after fixation in EtOH, selected specimens were identified. Identification of the worms followed a site-specific key, based on information from the literature and own experience. The biomass of larger enchytraeids (i.e., the genus Guaranidrilus) was determined via weighing, while the biomass of smaller enchytraeids was estimated by using values previously determined for European species of similar size. In total, 18 enchytraeid and 14 naidid species were found. Most of the former belonged to the mainly neotropical genus Guaranidrilus (5) and to the cosmopolitan genus Hemienchytraeus (5). Species of genera typical for temperate regions, such as Achaeta spp. (4) and Enchytraeus spp. (2) were also found. The abundance of enchytraeids found in the primary forest (1,000–10,000 Ind/m²) was comparable to those found at other tropical rain forest sites. The abundance in all four plots was similar, whereas the biomass was lower in POA and POC than in FLO and SEC. However, variability between replicates was high. No annual phenology pattern was observed, but dry conditions in 1997 had a negative influence on enchytraeids. The four plots were similar concerning species number and composition, but dominance patterns differed: the dominant genus in FLO was Hemienchytraeus, but Guaranidrilus on all other plots. Naidids seem to regularly occur in terrestrial samples of tropical rain forests; their species number was high in relation to their abundance but most species were new to science. The micro-annelid community indicated a clear distinction between forest (FLO, SEC) and plantation (POA, POC) sites.

Keywords
Microdriles, Brazil, land use change, tropical forest soil, Clitellata, soil ecology

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss1pp59

Ika Djukic, Carlos A. Guerra, Fernando T. Maestre, Frank Hagedorn, Alessandro Oggioni, Caterina Bergami, Barbara Magagna, TaeOh Kwon, Hideaki Shibata, Nico Eisenhauer, Guillaume Patoine, Michael Bierbaumer, Sebastian Kepfer-Rojas, Inger Kappel Schmidt, Klaus Steenberg Larsen, Claus Beier, Björn Berg, Kris Verheyen, Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett, Peter I. Macreadie & TeaComposition initiative

 

Abstract

Collected harmonized data on global litter decomposition are of great relevance for scientists, policymakers, and for education of the next generation of researchers and environmental managers. Here we describe the TeaComposition initiative, a global and open research collaborative network to study organic matter decomposition in a standardized way allowing comparison of decomposition rate and carbon turnover across global and regional gradients of ecosystems, climate, soils etc. The TeaComposition initiative today involves 570 terrestrial and 300 aquatic ecosystems from nine biomes worldwide. Further, we describe how to get involved in the TeaComposition initiative by (a) implementing the standard protocol within your study site, (b) joining task forces in data analyses, syntheses and modelling efforts, (c) using collected data and samples for further analyses through joint projects, (d) using collected data for graduate seminars, and (e) strengthening synergies between biogeochemical research and a wide range of stakeholders. These collaborative efforts within/emerging from the TeaComposition initiative, thereby, will leverage our understanding on litter decomposition at the global scale and strengthen global collaborations essential for addressing grand scientific challenges in a rapidly changing world.

Keywords
Litter Carbon Turnover, Tea bag, Essential variable, Networking the Networks, Standard Observations

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DOI 10.25674/so93iss1pp73