Beech and Mixed Beech Forests

Leuschner, Christoph; Ellenberg, Heinz

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-43042-3_5

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license made available under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted July 26, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.24.453652 doi: bioRxiv preprint compared δ C and δ 15 N values of Oribatida between forest types using European beech, the climax tree species in Central Europe, as reference (Leuschner et al, 2017;Lu and Scheu, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For litter and soil, we similarly applied contrasts to compare depth differences in δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of bulk litter and soil for each forest type. Furthermore, to quantify differences in δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of Oribatida species between forest types, we compared δ C and δ 15 N values of Oribatida between forest types using European beech, the climax tree species in Central Europe, as reference (Leuschner et al, 2017;Lu and Scheu, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In temperate and boreal regions, tree species richness is low, and managed forests are typically dominated by only one or few tree species (Knoke et al, 2008;Bauhus et al, 2010). The climax tree species in Central Europe is European beech (Leuschner et al, 2017), and litter decomposition in European beech forests is faster than e.g., in Norway spruce forests (Albers et al, 2004). Norway spruce, the economically most important timber species in Central Europe, is at increasing risk due to climate change and associated bark beetle outbreaks (Pettit et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High consistency of trophic niches in soil microarthropod species (Oribatida, Acari) across soil depth and forest type

Lu¹,

Cordes²,

Maraun³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Individuals of species may differ in resource use within and between populations. High intraspecific variation in resource use may hamper the co-existence of species in natural communities. To better understand the intraspecific variation in trophic niches of oribatid mites (Oribatida, Acari), we quantified stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) of 40 Oribatida species that co-occurred in litter and soil of five forest types (European beech, Douglas fir, Norway spruce, two beech–conifer mixed forests) covering a range of environmental conditions. We found that although stable isotopes in litter and soil varied among forest types, δ13C and δ15N values of Oribatida and their trophic niches were remarkably stable between litter and soil, and also among forest types. We considered four trophic guilds of Oribatida representing the guild composition of the regional species pool; notably, trophic niches of Oribatida guilds also did not vary with soil depth. Furthermore, δ13C of Oribatida was more enriched (detrital shift) in European beech than in coniferous forests, but δ15N of Oribatida did not vary among forest types, indicating that basal resources of Oribatida are variable, but trophic positions are highly consistent across forest ecosystems. We conclude that trophic positions of Oribatida species and guilds are consistent across different forest types, and Oribatida species occupy virtually identical trophic niches irrespective of the soil depth they are colonizing. Overall, the results suggest that low intraspecific variability facilitates Oribatida niche differentiation and species coexistence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High consistency of trophic niches in soil microarthropod species (Oribatida, Acari) across soil depth and forest type

Lu¹,

Cordes²,

Maraun³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…Forest types include pure stands of European beech ( Fagus sylvatica ), Norway spruce ( Picea abies ), Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ), and the mixtures of the respective coniferous species with beech. European beech forms the climax tree species in lowland and lower montane regions of Central Europe (Leuschner et al, 2017). Norway spruce originally only occurred at higher mountain ranges and boreal regions in Central Europe, but has been planted across wide areas of Central Europe including lowlands (Knoke et al, 2008; Schmid et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A better understanding of the effects of tree species composition on soil microorganisms has implications for forest management, especially in temperate and boreal regions where tree species richness is low and managed forests are dominated by one or a few species (Knoke et al, 2008; Bauhus et al, 2010). European beech is the climax species in lowland and lower montane regions in Central Europe (Leuschner et al, 2017). The most popular timber species, Norway spruce originally occurred in higher mountain ranges and boreal regions, but has been planted widely in lowlands (Knoke et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of soil microbial communities to mixed forests of European beech and conifers: Variations with site conditions

Scheu

2020

Preprint

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Coniferous and deciduous trees growing in pure and mixed forests are likely to supply different resources to soil microorganisms thereby shaping microbial communities. However, effects of forest type on microorganisms and their variations with site conditions remain poorly studied. We investigated microbial basal respiration, microbial biomass (substrate-induced respiration method) and phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFAs) in the litter and soil at four nutrient-rich and four nutrient-poor sites in Lower Saxony, Germany. At each site, pure stands of European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), as well as mixed species stands of beech and spruce, and beech and Douglas-fir were investigated, i.e. a total of 40 forest stands. Forest type only affected soil microorganisms at nutrient-poor sites, but not at nutrient-rich sites. In coniferous and mixed forests at nutrient-poor sites, basal respiration and microbial biomass was lower and stress indicators were higher than in beech forests. Compared to beech, microbial biomass (−59%) and stress indicators (+46 – +87%) in Douglas-fir forests were particularly affected both in litter and in soil at nutrient-poor sites. The results suggest that higher resources in beech forests beneficially affect microorganisms in litter and soil at nutrient-poor sites, whereas Douglas-fir forests are characterized by low resources as indicated by low microbial specific respiration and fungal PLFA. The results indicate that in particular at nutrient-poor sites long-term effects of planting non-native tree species such as Douglas-fir on ecosystem functioning need further attention before planting pure or mixed forests of Douglas-fir with beech at large spatial scale. By contrast, from the perspective of microbial communities and their functioning planting Douglas-fir at nutrient-rich sites appear of little concern. Overall, the results highlight the importance of resources in determining microbial community structure and functioning, and document the sensitivity of soil microorganisms to planting non-native tree species differing in the provisioning of these resources from native species.

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High consistency of trophic niches in generalist arthropod species (Oribatida, Acari) across soil depth and forest type

Cordes

Maraun

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Many traits including trophic niche parameters are attributed to species. However, generalist species may vary in trophic niches with environments, making species‐based knowledge hard to extrapolate beyond local food webs. Here we tested trophic consistency in oribatid mite species (Acari), one of the most abundant arthropods that occupy all trophic levels in soil food webs. We used stable isotope analysis to compare trophic niches of 40 Oribatida species that co‐occur in litter (O L ) and soil (0–5 cm, mainly O F/H , A H ) of five forest types (native European beech, non‐native Douglas fir, range‐expanding Norway spruce, two beech–conifer mixed forests). Although stable isotope signatures of bulk material differed between litter and soil, 13 C and 15 N values of Oribatida species were remarkably stable irrespective of soil depth. Furthermore, Oribatida were more enriched in 13 C in European beech than in coniferous forests, but forest type little affected 15 N values of Oribatida across a range of site conditions. We conclude that Oribatida species occupy virtually identical trophic niches (δ 13 C and δ 15 N values) irrespective of the soil depth they colonize and that forest management including non‐native tree species little affects trophic position (δ 15 N values) of oribatid mites. Our findings suggest that the trophic position can be used as a trait in community analysis of Oribatida across forest ecosystems. Our results further indicate that trophic niches of generalist species can be highly consistent irrespective of environment.

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Beech and Mixed Beech Forests

Cited by 9 publications

References 90 publications

High consistency of trophic niches in soil microarthropod species (Oribatida, Acari) across soil depth and forest type

High consistency of trophic niches in soil microarthropod species (Oribatida, Acari) across soil depth and forest type

Response of soil microbial communities to mixed forests of European beech and conifers: Variations with site conditions

High consistency of trophic niches in generalist arthropod species (Oribatida, Acari) across soil depth and forest type

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