Exploring carbon flow through the root channel in a temperate forest soil food web

Gilbert, Kadeem J.; Fahey, Timothy J.; Maerz, John C.; Sherman, Ruth E.; Bohlen, Patrick J.; Dombroskie, Jason J.; Groffman, Peter M.; Yavitt, Joseph B.

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.05.005

Cited by 60 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Fine roots have been shown to be 2-3‰ more enriched in δ 15 N compared to leaf litter (Pollierer et al 2009 ), a difference similar to the natural isotopic abundance difference observed between O. lacteum and the two epigeic species in our study. Recent studies have demonstrated that rhizosphere C fl ux in temperate deciduous forests is more important for members of the soil food web, including O. lacteum , than previously expected (Pollierer et al 2007, Gilbert et al 2014, and that relatively fresh C is a signifi cant part in the nutrition of this species. The absence of roots in our mesocosms, combined with the requirement of fresh organic materials, might have caused O. lacteum to consume large amounts of leaf litter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Belowground competition among invading detritivores

Chang

Szlávecz

Filley

et al. 2016

Ecology

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. The factors regulating soil animal communities are poorly understood. Current theory favors niche complementarity and facilitation over competition as the primary forms of non-trophic interspecifi c interaction in soil fauna; however, competition has frequently been suggested as an important community-structuring factor in earthworms, ecosystem engineers that infl uence belowground processes. To date, direct evidence of competition in earthworms is lacking due to the diffi culty inherent in identifying a limiting resource for saprophagous animals. In the present study, we offer the fi rst direct evidence of interspecifi c competition for food in this dominant soil detritivore group by combining fi eld observations with laboratory mesocosm experiments using 13 C and 15 N double-enriched leaf litter to track consumption patterns. In our experiments, the Asian invasive species Amynthas hilgendorfi was a dominant competitor for leaf litter against two European species currently invading the temperate deciduous forests in North America. This competitive advantage may account for recent invasion success of A. hilgendorfi in forests with established populations of European species, and we hypothesize that specifi c phenological differences play an important role in determining the outcome of the belowground competition. In contrast, Eisenoides lonnbergi , a common native species in the Eastern United States, occupied a unique trophic position with limited interactions with other species, which may contribute to its persistence in habitats dominated by invasive species. Furthermore, our results supported neither the hypothesis that facilitation occurs between species of different functional groups nor the hypothesis that species in the same group exhibit functional equivalency in C and N translocation in the soil. We propose that species identity is a more powerful approach to understand earthworm invasion and its impacts on belowground processes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Belowground competition among invading detritivores

Chang

Szlávecz

Filley

et al. 2016

Ecology

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“…; Gilbert et al . ). The high lignin content, minimal branching and low annual turnover of C. thalictroides roots may make the roots unpalatable to earthworms (Brundrett & Kendrick ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Earthworm invasion, white‐tailed deer and seedling establishment in deciduous forests of north‐eastern North America

Dobson

Blossey

2014

Journal of Ecology

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Summary1. Earthworm invasions and high deer populations are among many stressors threatening long-term population viability of forest understorey plants in north-eastern North America. Stressor effects are typically tested one at a time; however, stressors often co-occur and plants respond to effects of multiple stressors simultaneously. 2. We used a factorial design to test independent and combined effects of non-native earthworms and native white-tailed deer on survival of seedling transplants of 15 native understorey plants in five forests in New York State. 3. Earthworm biomass was negatively correlated with survival of 12 of 15 species. We found no interactive effect of deer and earthworms, but did find a positive, non-consumptive effect of deer on Geranium maculatum and Polygonum virginianum survival. 4. Deer and earthworm presence/absence indirectly influenced other trophic levels: earthworm presence increased the likelihood of insect attack, and deer exclusion increased the likelihood of rodent disturbance of transplants. 5. Synthesis. Invasive earthworms negatively affected seedling survival of many understorey plants, including species previously thought to benefit from earthworm associations. This effect was a function of earthworm biomass, a surrogate for earthworm activity. We expect deer herbivory to increase in importance, including indirect effects, as seedlings grow into browse height over the next years. Investigations of co-occurring stressors can result in 'ecological surprises' including previously overlooked non-consumptive effects or effects on other trophic levels.

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“…A stronger importance of easily available root-derived carbon can therefore be suggested for endogeic (living in mineral soil) animals compared to litter dwellers. In contrast to this expectation, the label was often recovered in epigeic (litter-dwelling) collembolans, earthworms and millipedes in whole-tree 13 C-CO 2 labeling experiments (Pollierer et al 2007(Pollierer et al , 2012Gilbert et al 2014). As far as we know, the distribution of root carbon in litter-and mineral soil-dwelling animals has never been explicitly tested.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Short‐term incorporation of freshly fixed plant carbon into the soil animal food web: field study in a spruce forest

Goncharov

Tsurikov

Potapov

et al. 2016

Ecological Research

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We analyzed the dynamics of the short‐term incorporation of recently fixed carbon into the below‐ground food web in a boreal forest. Five young spruce trees (Picea abies) were pulse‐labeled with 13CO2 and the isotopic label was traced in soil invertebrates during 5 weeks. The freshly fixed plant carbon quickly entered both litter‐located and soil‐located compartments of the detrital food web. Among invertebrates inhabiting the mineral soil layers, a trophic link to the root‐derived C was most pronounced in species with higher δ15N values, suggesting this energy source to be more important in deeper mineral soil horizons. The label appeared faster in saprophagous animals than in predators (the median time lag after labeling was 6 and 12 days, respectively), but the difference was not significant. The label was recovered in 15 of 38 species of saprophagous animals and in 20 of 63 species of predators. Among saprophages, the frequency and intensity of the label was relatively high in endogeic collembolans and in bibionid larvae, but earthworms and enchytraeids were not labeled. Several groups of predators, lithobiid centipedes in particular, quickly acquired the root‐derived carbon, possibly indicating the feeding on live roots or mycorrhizal mycelium. In total, only 35 % of species or genera examined acquired the label. This suggests that majority of invertebrate taxa in the decomposer food web are unlikely to depend heavily on freshly fixed plant carbon provided by roots and root‐associated microorganisms.

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Exploring carbon flow through the root channel in a temperate forest soil food web

Cited by 60 publications

References 56 publications

Belowground competition among invading detritivores

Belowground competition among invading detritivores

Earthworm invasion, white‐tailed deer and seedling establishment in deciduous forests of north‐eastern North America

Short‐term incorporation of freshly fixed plant carbon into the soil animal food web: field study in a spruce forest

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