Impact of changes in rainfall amounts predicted by climate-change models on decomposition in a deciduous forest

Lensing, Janet R.; Wise, David H.

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2006.09.015

Cited by 45 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Thus, adding a resource elicits a qualitatively different response than reducing the resource in an already constrained ecosystem. The reason for this pattern is unknown, but may be related to a physical effect of precipitation on litter comminution (Lensing and Wise 2007), the degree of water limitation in the litter layer versus mineral horizons (Keith et al 2010), or a competition for water between trees and soil biota under low water availability (Odhiambo et al 2001). Another possible explanation for the difference between forest and non-forest responses to precipitation is that we included measurements of abundances from the soil horizon with the highest population density (if abundances for more than one horizon were reported), which tended to be the organic layer for forest ecosystems, and the organic layer is more susceptible than mineral soil to desiccation (Keith et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A meta-analysis of responses of soil biota to global change

2011

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Global environmental changes are expected to impact the abundance of plants and animals aboveground, but comparably little is known about the responses of belowground organisms. Using meta-analysis, we synthesized results from over 75 manipulative experiments in order to test for patterns in the effects of elevated CO(2), warming, and altered precipitation on the abundance of soil biota related to taxonomy, body size, feeding habits, ecosystem type, local climate, treatment magnitude and duration, and greenhouse CO(2) enrichment. We found that the positive effect size of elevated CO(2) on the abundance of soil biota diminished with time, whereas the negative effect size of warming and positive effect size of precipitation intensified with time. Trophic group, body size, and experimental approaches best explained the responses of soil biota to elevated CO(2), whereas local climate and ecosystem type best explained responses to warming and altered precipitation. The abundance of microflora and microfauna, and particularly detritivores, increased with elevated CO(2), indicative of microbial C limitation under ambient CO(2). However, the effects of CO(2) were smaller in field studies than in greenhouse studies and were not significant for higher trophic levels. Effects of warming did not depend on taxon or body size, but reduced abundances were more likely to occur at the colder and drier sites. Precipitation limited all taxa and trophic groups, particularly in forest ecosystems. Our meta-analysis suggests that the responses of soil biota to global change are predictable and unique for each global change factor.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A meta-analysis of responses of soil biota to global change

2011

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“…These abrupt community changes may be driven by short-term changes in the leaf litter environment (e.g., Crump 1998, Lensing andWise 2007). We propose two hypotheses for mechanisms driving changes in this assemblage during heavy La Niña rainfall such as 2011.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Above average wet season rainfall, especially in October and November would expose frog eggs to a saturated environment when many leaf litter frogs oviposit (Watling and Donnelly 2002). Second, excessive rainfall has the potential to alter resource availability in the leaf litter and negatively affect frogs through complex interactions in altered prey dynamics (Lensing and Wise 2007). Observational and experimental studies have identified a positive relationship between litter depth, arthropod abundance (Sayer et al 2010, Oxford et al 2013, and litter frog diversity and abundance (e.g., Watling and Donnelly 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Too wet for frogs: changes in a tropical leaf litter community coincide with La Niña

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Extreme climatic events such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation profoundly affect many plants and animals, including amphibians, which are strongly negatively affected by drought conditions. How amphibians respond to exceptionally high precipitation as observed in La Niña events, however, remains unclear. We document the correlation between the exceedingly wet 2010-2012 La Niña and community-level changes in a leaf litter frog assemblage in Costa Rica. Relative abundances of species shifted, diversity and plot occupancy decreased, and community composition became homogenized with the onset of La Niña. These aspects remained altered for over 20 months but rebounded to pre-La Niña levels after approximately 12 months. We hypothesize that complex ecological cascades associated with excess moisture caused short-term declines in abundances of species and associated changes in community structure. If additional stressors such as disease or habitat loss are not co-occurring, frog communities can rapidly recover to pre-disturbance levels following severe climatic events.

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“…For example (1) wildfires and certain defoliating insects are projected to increase with warming (for example in boreal forests and the Mediterranean, e.g., Fischlin et al 2007;Kurz et al 2008), and decomposition rates will change by large percentages as rainfall changes (for example in deciduous forests in the USA, e.g. Lensing and Wise 2007) both of which is likely to have further impacts on forest and grassland ecosystems as well as causing substantive biotic feedbacks to the climate system;…”

Section: Indirect Ef Fects Of Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing impacts of climate change upon ecosystems with increasing global mean temperature rise

et al. 2010

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In a meta-analysis we integrate peer-reviewed studies that provide quantified estimates of future projected ecosystem changes related to quantified projected local or global climate changes. In an advance on previous analyses, we reference all studies to a common pre-industrial base-line for temperature, employing up-scaling techniques where necessary, detailing how impacts have been projected on every continent, in the oceans, and for the globe, for a wide range of ecosystem types and taxa. Dramatic and substantive projected increases of climate change impacts upon ecosystems are revealed with increasing annual global mean temperature rise above the pre-industrial mean (?Tg). Substantial negative impacts are commonly projected as ?Tg reaches and exceeds 2°C, especially in biodiversity hotspots. Compliance with the ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Article 2) requires that greenhouse gas concentrations be stabilized within a time frame "sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change". Unless ?Tg is constrained to below 2°C at most, results here imply that it will be difficult to achieve compliance. This underscores the need to limit greenhouse gas emissions by accelerating mitigation efforts and by protecting existing ecosystems from greenhouse-gas producing land use change processes such as deforestation

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Impact of changes in rainfall amounts predicted by climate-change models on decomposition in a deciduous forest

Cited by 45 publications

References 56 publications

A meta-analysis of responses of soil biota to global change

A meta-analysis of responses of soil biota to global change

Too wet for frogs: changes in a tropical leaf litter community coincide with La Niña

Increasing impacts of climate change upon ecosystems with increasing global mean temperature rise

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