Interactions between rates of temperature change and acclimation affects latitudinal patterns of warming tolerance

CITATION: Allen, J. L. et al. 2016. Interactions between rates of temperature change and acclimation affects latitudinal patterns of warming tolerance. Conservation Physiology, 4,(1):cow053, doi:10.1093/conphys/cow053.The original publication is available at https://academic.oup.com/conphysCritical thermal limits form an increasing component of the estimation of impacts of global change on ectotherms. Whether any consistent patterns exist in the interactive effects of rates of temperature change (or experimental ramping rates) and acclimation on critical thermal limits and warming tolerance (one way of assessing sensitivity to climate change) is, however, far from clear. Here, we examine the interacting effects of ramping rate and acclimation on the critical thermal maxima (CTmax) and minima (CTmin) and warming tolerance of six species of springtails from sub-tropical, temperate and polar regions. We also provide microhabitat temperatures from 26 sites spanning 5 years in order to benchmark environmentally relevant rates of temperature change. Ramping rate has larger effects than acclimation on CTmax, but the converse is true for CTmin. Responses to rate and acclimation effects are more consistent among species for CTmax than for CTmin. In the latter case, interactions among ramping rate and acclimation are typical of polar species, less marked for temperate ones, and reduced in species from the sub-tropics. Ramping rate and acclimation have substantial effects on estimates of warming tolerance, with the former being more marked. At the fastest ramping rates (>1.0°C/min), tropical species have estimated warming tolerances similar to their temperate counterparts, whereas at slow ramping rates (<0.4°C/min) the warming tolerance is much reduced in tropical species. Rates of temperate change in microhabitats relevant to the springtails are typically <0.05°C/min, with rare maxima of 0.3–0.5°C/min depending on the site. These findings emphasize the need to consider the environmental setting and experimental conditions when assessing species’ vulnerability to climate change using a warming tolerance approach.https://academic.oup.com/conphys/article/4/1/cow053/2452292Publisher's versio

Biodiversity redistribution under climate change: Impacts on ecosystems and human well-being

Distributions of Earth’s species are changing at accelerating rates, increasingly driven by human-mediated climate change. Such changes are already altering the composition of ecological communities, but beyond conservation of natural systems, how and why does this matter? We review evidence that climate-driven species redistribution at regional to global scales affects ecosystem functioning, human well-being, and the dynamics of climate change itself. Production of natural resources required for food security, patterns of disease transmission, and processes of carbon sequestration are all altered by changes in species distribution. Consideration of these effects of biodiversity redistribution is critical yet lacking in most mitigation and adaptation strategies, including the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals

Global monitoring of soil animal communities using a common methodology.

Here we introduce the Soil BON Foodweb Team, a cross-continental collaborative network that aims to monitor soil animal communities and food webs using consistent methodology at a global scale. Soil animals support vital soil processes via soil structure modification, consumption of dead organic matter, and interactions with microbial and plant communities. Soil animal effects on ecosystem functions have been demonstrated by correlative analyses as well as in laboratory and field experiments, but these studies typically focus on selected animal groups or species at one or few sites with limited variation in environmental conditions. The lack of comprehensive harmonised large-scale soil animal community data including microfauna, mesofauna, and macrofauna, in conjunction with related soil functions, microbial communities, and vegetation, limits our understanding of biological interactions in soil systems and how these interactions affect ecosystem functioning. To provide such data, the Soil BON Foodweb Team invites researchers worldwide to use a common methodology to address six long-term goals: (1) to collect globally representative harmonised data on soil micro-, meso-, and macrofauna communities, (2) to describe key environmental drivers of soil animal communities and food webs, (3) to assess the efficiency of conservation approaches for the protection of soil animal communities, (4) to describe soil food webs and their association with soil functioning globally, (5) to establish a global research network for soil biodiversity monitoring and collaborative projects in related topics, (6) to reinforce local collaboration networks and expertise and support capacity building for soil animal research around the world. In this paper, we describe the vision of the global research network and the common sampling protocol to assess soil animal communities and advocate for the use of standard methodologies across observational and experimental soil animal studies. We will use this protocol to conduct soil animal assessments and reconstruct soil food webs at sites associated with the global soil biodiversity monitoring network, Soil BON, allowing us to assess linkages among soil biodiversity, vegetation, soil physico-chemical properties, climate, and ecosystem functions. In the present paper, we call for researchers especially from countries and ecoregions that remain underrepresented in the majority of soil biodiversity assessments to join us. Together we will be able to provide science-based evidence to support soil biodiversity conservation and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems

Zoofolkloristika: Prvi uvidi na putu prema novoj disciplini

The author notes that new, more complex researches of connections between animals, nature and connections to humans are needed in Slovenian and European folklore, literature and cultural studies, due to new ecological and ethical findings in the wider social and cultural environment and a changing order of the world, which has moved the focus from anthropocentrism into ecocentrism. The discussion builds upon various theoretical discourses, new concepts and multidisciplinary knowledge, to create the foundations, guidelines and directions for a new academic discipline of zoofolkloristics. Furthermore, new theoretical and analytical discourses should enable zoofolkloristics to provide an insight into changes in human attitudes to animals, in both folklore and within traditional and contemporary ritual practices, or their redefinition, and at the same time exert influence upon legal safety of non-human subjectivities.Autorica polazi od tvrdnje da su potrebna nova, kompleksnija istraživanja veza između životinja, prirode i poveznica s ljudima u slovenskoj i europskoj folkloristici, znanosti o književnosti i kulturnim studijima, zbog novih ekoloških i etičkih uvida u širu društveno-kulturnu okolinu i promjene u svijetu, koje su dovele do promjene od antropocentrizma k ekocentrizmu. U radu se na temelju različitih teorijskih diskursa, novih pojmova i multidisciplinarnog znanja stvaraju temelji, smjernice i pravci istraživanja u novoj znanstvenoj disciplini zoofolkloristike. Autorica tvrdi da bi etnologija, folkloristika i znanost o književnosti mogle imati ključnu ulogu u razvoju ekološke svijesti, znanstvenih terenskih istraživanja i kulturne ekologije te tako omogućiti prelazak iz ekologije u eshatologiju. Rad započinje opisom percepcije životinja i odnosa ljudi i životinja, gdje autorica govori o temeljnim pojmovima koji utječu na uvođenje ove nove znanstvene discipline, kao što su: životinja kao ispitanik, individualni pristup životinji, sinantropski i antropofilni pogled na čovjeka i životinju te antropomorfizam. Zatim se govori o povijesnim i suvremenim filozofsko-antropološkim diskursima o ljudskom pogledu na životinju te o teoriji specizma. Autorica razmatra predmet nove discipline te kaže da je u centru istraživanja životinja u folkloru u najširem mogućem smislu, u svim sferama narodne kulture, što se proučava iz novih gledišta, nove percepcije i recepcije; u pjesmama, pričama, bajkama, basnama, predajama, poslovicama, izrekama, zagonetkama, šalama, narodnom jeziku, kulturnim praksama, narodnom teatru, mitologiji, narodnoj medicini pa čak i u narodnoj glazbi. Nadalje, autorica daje pregled kulturnih istraživanja životinja u Europi i Sloveniji, te pokazuje da su rasprave o životinjama uglavnom objavljivane u 21. stoljeću, što bi moglo označavati da je riječ o prelasku u novu paradigmu ili čak i novu ontologiju. Autorica se bavi metodološkim i teorijskim pitanjima i pravcima u zoofolklorističkim istraživanjima koje klasificira prema kritičkom diskursu. Rad završava pregledom ciljeva zoofolkloristike, za koju tvrdi da ne bi smjela postati znanstvena disciplina koja nema aktivan utjecaj na društvenopolitički prostor u kojem koegzistiraju ljudski i ne-ljudski subjektiviteti

Globally invariant metabolism but density-diversity mismatch in springtails.

Soil life supports the functioning and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Springtails (Collembola) are among the most abundant soil arthropods regulating soil fertility and flow of energy through above- and belowground food webs. However, the global distribution of springtail diversity and density, and how these relate to energy fluxes remains unknown. Here, using a global dataset representing 2470 sites, we estimate the total soil springtail biomass at 27.5 megatons carbon, which is threefold higher than wild terrestrial vertebrates, and record peak densities up to 2 million individuals per square meter in the tundra. Despite a 20-fold biomass difference between the tundra and the tropics, springtail energy use (community metabolism) remains similar across the latitudinal gradient, owing to the changes in temperature with latitude. Neither springtail density nor community metabolism is predicted by local species richness, which is high in the tropics, but comparably high in some temperate forests and even tundra. Changes in springtail activity may emerge from latitudinal gradients in temperature, predation and resource limitation in soil communities. Contrasting relationships of biomass, diversity and activity of springtail communities with temperature suggest that climate warming will alter fundamental soil biodiversity metrics in different directions, potentially restructuring terrestrial food webs and affecting soil functioning

Global fine-resolution data on springtail abundance and community structure

Springtails (Collembola) inhabit soils from the Arctic to the Antarctic and comprise an estimated ~32% of all terrestrial arthropods on Earth. Here, we present a global, spatially-explicit database on springtail communities that includes 249,912 occurrences from 44,999 samples and 2,990 sites. These data are mainly raw sample-level records at the species level collected predominantly from private archives of the authors that were quality-controlled and taxonomically-standardised. Despite covering all continents, most of the sample-level data come from the European continent (82.5% of all samples) and represent four habitats: woodlands (57.4%), grasslands (14.0%), agrosystems (13.7%) and scrublands (9.0%). We included sampling by soil layers, and across seasons and years, representing temporal and spatial within-site variation in springtail communities. We also provided data use and sharing guidelines and R code to facilitate the use of the database by other researchers. This data paper describes a static version of the database at the publication date, but the database will be further expanded to include underrepresented regions and linked with trait data.</p

Priorities for research in soil ecology

The ecological interactions that occur in and with soil are of consequence in many ecosystems on the planet. These interactions provide numerous essential ecosystem services, and the sustainable management of soils has attracted increasing scientific and public attention. Although soil ecology emerged as an independent field of research many decades ago, and we have gained important insights into the functioning of soils, there still are fundamental aspects that need to be better understood to ensure that the ecosystem services that soils provide are not lost and that soils can be used in a sustainable way. In this perspectives paper, we highlight some of the major knowledge gaps that should be prioritized in soil ecological research. These research priorities were compiled based on an online survey of 32 editors of Pedobiologia – Journal of Soil Ecology. These editors work at universities and research centers in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. The questions were categorized into four themes: (1) soil biodiversity and biogeography, (2) interactions and the functioning of ecosystems, (3) global change and soil management, and (4) new directions. The respondents identified priorities that may be achievable in the near future, as well as several that are currently achievable but remain open. While some of the identified barriers to progress were technological in nature, many respondents cited a need for substantial leadership and goodwill among members of the soil ecology research community, including the need for multi-institutional partnerships, and had substantial concerns regarding the loss of taxonomic expertise

High spatial turnover in springtails of the Cape Floristic Region

Aim The extraordinary diversity of plants across the Cape Floristic Region is characterized by considerable species turnover among sites. Phytophagous insects show similarly high turnover, but their patterns are closely coupled to those of their hosts. If the mechanisms underlying high plant turnover are not unique to plants, similar patterns of turnover should also be seen in non-herbivorous arthropod groups. We tested this hypothesis using new data for the Collembola fauna of the Fynbos biome. Location The south-western Cape, South Africa. Taxon Springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola). Methods We sampled springtails from six sites over two seasons. Species richness was compared with expected values from other studies worldwide given the environmental characteristics of the sites sampled. Nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity were calculated and compared against beta diversity patterns of springtails across Europe. Results A total of 114 morphospecies from 14 families was collected. Species richness of Fynbos sites ranged from 14 to 31 species, which was not significantly different to that previously reported for non-Fynbos locations and generally within expectations given the temperature, rainfall and productive energy of each site. Beta diversity was high across all pairwise comparisons of Fynbos sites and dominated by species replacement rather than assemblage nestedness. Relative to the distance between sites, Fynbos assemblages, with a median inter-site distance of 140 km, showed beta diversity substantially higher than in European assemblages, which had a median inter-site distance of 1,270 km. Main conclusions Alpha diversity of Fynbos Collembola assemblages is in keeping with species richness expectations. By contrast, beta diversity is high given the small distances among sites and is characterized predominantly by species turnover. These patterns of unremarkable alpha diversity, but high turnover among sites are comparable to many Fynbos plant groups. The mechanisms giving rise to high beta diversity of the plants may also have led to high diversity in other taxa

Updated list of Collembola species currently recorded from South Africa

Understanding the abundance and richness of species is one of the most fundamental steps in effecting their conservation. Despite global recognition of the significance of the below-ground component of diversity for ecosystem functioning, the soil remains a poorly studied terrestrial ecosystem. In South Africa, knowledge is increasing for a variety of soil faunal groups, but many still remain poorly understood. We have started to address this gap in the knowledge of South African soil biodiversity by focusing on the Collembola in an integrated project that encompasses systematics, barcoding and ecological assessments. Here we provide an updated list of the Collembola species from South Africa. A total of 124 species from 61 genera and 17 families has been recorded, of which 75 are considered endemic, 24 widespread, and 25 introduced. This total number of species excludes the 36 species we consider to be dubious. From the published data, Collembola species richness is high compared to other African countries, but low compared to European countries. This is largely a consequence of poor sampling in the African region, as our discovery of many new species in South Africa demonstrates. Our analyses also show that much ongoing work will be required before a reasonably comprehensive and spatially explicit picture of South Africa’s springtail fauna can be provided, which may well exceed 1000 species. Such work will be necessary to help South Africa meet its commitments to biodiversity conservation, especially in the context of the 2020 Aichi targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity

The response of springtails to fire in the fynbos of the Western Cape, South Africa

Although fire is a natural form of disturbance in many ecosystems, the frequency of fires is increasing due to human activities. Hence, understanding the impacts of fire on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has become increasingly important. In this study we investigated the effects of a large-scale fire on an important soil-dwelling group, springtails (Collembola), one year before and for three consecutive years after a fire in the fire-prone fynbos ecosystem in South Africa. In particular, we investigate the resistance of the springtail assemblages (i.e. their ability to remain relatively unchanged in the face of a disturbance), and their resilience (i.e. ability to return to a pre-disturbance state). To do this we sampled two sites with contrasting vegetation (Erica and Protea) and used three different standardized litter types in litterbag traps. A total of 35 springtail species from 31 genera and 14 families was found. The springtail assemblages in this fynbos system showed slightly more resistance to fire than resilience after the fire event, though substantial variation was found among vegetation types. Mean species richness and abundance per litterbag varied among the Protea and Erica sites, with resistant species being dominant in the Erica site, while species that showed an increase after the fire were dominant in the Protea site. Differences were also found between life forms: atmobiotic (free-living in vegetation) and epiedaphic (surface dwelling) species showed a significant decline in mean species richness directly after the fire in the Erica site. Euedaphic (soil-dwelling) species richness remained unchanged post-fire in the Erica site, while actually slightly increasing after the fire in the Protea site. Although the fynbos springtail assemblages had not fully recovered to pre-fire abundance after three years, many species appear to be resistant to or recover rapidly after fires, at least as ascertained over the relatively short (four years) duration of the study. It is likely that this response is influenced by the presence of suitable refugia within sites and by species-specific traits. Given changing fire regimes and the increasing frequency of fires due to human disturbances, the system will likely become more dominated by resistant springtail species preferring nutrient rich circumstances and easily decomposed litters