Impacts of earthworms on nitrogen acquisition from leaf litter by arbuscular mycorrhizal ash and ectomycorrhizal beech trees

Yang, Nan; Schützenmeister, Klaus; Grubert, Diana; Jungkunst, Hermann F.; Gansert, Dirk; Scheu, Stefan; Polle, Andrea; Pena, Rodica

doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2015.06.013

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 73 publications

(89 reference statements)

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“…Among all soil biota, earthworms are considered key ecosystem engineers given their role in litter decomposition (Bonkowski et al, 1998;Holdsworth et al, 2012), bioturbation (Meysman et al, 2006;Bityutskii et al, 2016), water regulation (Blouin et al, 2013), nutrient cycling (Resner et al, 2015;Yang et al, 2015), soil carbon stocks and vertical distribution (Frouz et al, 2013;Vesterdal et al, 2013) and even seed germination (Forey et al, 2011). We studied the effect of tree species identity and diversity on the abundance and richness of these ecosystem engineers.…”

Section: A C C E P T E Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree identity rather than tree diversity drives earthworm communities in European forests

et al. 2018

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 We studied earthworm communities in 6 European forest landscapes.  Proportion of evergreen leaf litter negatively affected earthworm communities.  Earthworm community response to leaf litter quality differed along a latitudinal gradient.  Tree functional diversity had a positive effect on earthworms at continental scale.  Litter quality was a stronger driver of earthworm communities than tree diversity.

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Section: A C C E P T E Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree identity rather than tree diversity drives earthworm communities in European forests

et al. 2018

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“…Subsoil N stocks were highest under oak (an ECM species) and lowest under beech (also an ECM species) and maple (an AM species; Figure 1). The mycorrhizal type may not be the main factor in control of subsoil N. The differences in subsoil N stocks in our study (Figure 1) might be related to a combination of (1) enhanced microbial activity due to earthworm activity in the subsoil (Xue et al., 2022), which was higher under AM than ECM species, (2) the effect of earthworm activity on soil N cycling and plant N acquisition (Blume‐Werry et al., 2020; van Groenigen et al., 2014) that was driven by leaf litter quality (Yang et al., 2015), (3) the different N economies of AM versus ECM species (Phillips et al., 2013), (4) different root N concentrations among species (Hobbie et al., 2010; Kubisch et al., 2015) and root order (Kubisch et al., 2015; Li et al., 2010) and (5) tree species‐related differences in vertical distribution of fine root biomass (pers. comm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Tree species affect the vertical distribution of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen

Steffens

Beer

Schelfhout

et al. 2022

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

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Background: Forest soils are considered sinks for atmospheric C. Many studies revealed that tree species and their mycorrhizal association affect forest floor and topsoil organic C (OC) and total N, while the knowledge of their effect on subsoil OC and N is still scarce. Aims:We aimed to identify (1) tree species and mycorrhizal association effects on forest floor, topsoil (0-30 cm) and subsoil (30-80 cm) OC and N stocks and vertical distribution and (2) drivers for soil OC and N distribution. Methods:We sampled forest floor, topsoil and subsoil under Fagus sylvatica L., Quercus robur L., Acer pseudoplatanus L. and Fraxinus excelsior L. in four Danish common garden experiments along a gradient in soil texture and determined OC and N stocks.Results: Total N (forest floor + soil) was higher under oak than beech, while total OC was unaffected by species. Forest floor C and N were higher under oak and beech, both ectomycorrhizal species (ECM), compared to under maple and ash, which are both arbuscular mycorrhizal species (AM). Relatively more OC and N were transferred to the topsoil under AM than ECM species, and this could be explained by greater endogeic earthworm biomass in AM species. In contrast, a higher proportion of OC was stored under ECM than AM species in the subsoil, and here OC correlated negatively with anecic earthworms.Subsoil N was highest under oak.Conclusions: Tree species and in particular their mycorrhizal association affected the vertical distribution of soil OC and N. Tree species differences in topsoil OC and N were not mirrored in the subsoil, and this highlights the need to address the subsoil in future studies on AM-versus ECM-mediated soil OC and N stocks.

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Effects of earthworms and white‐tailed deer on roots, arbuscular mycorrhizae, and forest seedling performance

Dobson

Richardson

Blossey

2019

Ecology

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Changes in understory plant composition and biodiversity declines in northeastern North American forests are widespread. Preserving species and ecosystem function requires appropriate identification and management of important stressors. Coexistence of stressors, among them earthworm invasions and white‐tailed deer, makes correct identification of mechanisms that cause diversity declines challenging. We used an established factorial experiment to assess survival and growth of native seedlings (Actaea pachypoda, Aquilegia canadensis, Cornus racemosa, Quercus rubra, and Prenanthes alba) in response to presence/absence of deer and earthworms. We expected deer and earthworms to reduce seedling survival and biomass, and we evaluated potential pathways to explain this impact (soil N and P concentrations and pools, root architecture, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi [AMF] colonization). We developed structural equation models (SEM) to identify specific pathways through which earthworms and deer were impacting plant species with different life histories. Seedling survival was not affected by our treatments nor the plant and soil variables we tested. Actaea biomass was smaller in earthworm‐invaded plots, and with larger total N pools. In contrast, both deer and earthworm treatments were associated with lower soil nutrient concentrations, and earthworm‐invaded plots had smaller N and extractable P pools. Actaea, Cornus, Prenanthes, and Quercus seedlings had a lower proportion of fine roots in earthworm‐invaded plots, while fine roots in Aquilegia made up a higher proportion of the root system. AMF colonization in Quercus was reduced in sites colonized by earthworms, but AMF in other species were unaffected. Our SEMs showed high correlation among soil variables, but because we do not know which variables are drivers of this change and which are passengers, we can only conclude that they are changing together as deer and earthworms exert their respective influence. Different plant species responded in idiosyncratic ways to earthworm and deer effects on soil fertility, root architecture and limited effects on AMF colonization. While earthworm and deer‐mediated changes to fine roots, soil nutrients, and AMF may lead to changes in plant performance over time, these changes rarely translated to lower plant performance in our seedlings.

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Impacts of earthworms on nitrogen acquisition from leaf litter by arbuscular mycorrhizal ash and ectomycorrhizal beech trees

Cited by 12 publications

References 73 publications

Tree identity rather than tree diversity drives earthworm communities in European forests

Tree identity rather than tree diversity drives earthworm communities in European forests

Tree species affect the vertical distribution of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen

Effects of earthworms and white‐tailed deer on roots, arbuscular mycorrhizae, and forest seedling performance

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