Evidence of a trait-specific response to burning in springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) in the boreal forests of European Russia

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. The reaction of soil fauna to forest fires is highly variable in space across large ecoregions, the reasons for which are still not completely documented. We tested regional differences in the response of springtail (Hexapoda: Collembola) taxonomic richness, total abundance and collembolan abundance, which share combinations of the two traits (reproduction mode and vertical distribution), in a pilot study within boreal forests of European Russia. We selected four stands burned five years ago and four respective controls in each of the three boreal forest subregions: northern, middle and southern taiga. Plots were located along a 1500. km-long north-south transect covering most of the existing climatic and edaphic gradient within this ecoregion. The General Linear Model (GLM) results showed that fire had a significant effect on the abundance of collembolans that shared certain trait combinations (sexually reproducing epiedaphic species), while the total collembolan abundance depended on the forest subregion, but not burning. The abundance of sexually reproducing epiedaphic springtails decreased in burned plots by 40%, on average, in comparison with the respective controls. This reduction was positively correlated with the degree of fire severity and negatively correlated with litter thickness and soil water holding capacity. We conclude that fires induce a consistent shift in the composition of the springtail functional trait community, which is driven more by the forest stand level of litter thickness and moisture than by subregional forest differences. Our study revealed the potential of the functional trait composition to be a sensitive and informative tool for tracing the effects of fire in boreal forests, which is relatively independent from regional differences

Identifying earthworms (Oligochaeta, Megadrili) of the Southern Kuril Islands using DNA barcodes

Identificación de las lombrices (Oligochaeta, Megadrili) del sur de las Islas Kuriles utilizando códigos de barras de ADN Las Islas Kuriles forman un archipiélago volcánico situado entre Hokkaido y Kamchatka. En este estudio analizamos las lombrices de tres de las Islas Kuriles meridionales: Kunashir, Shikotan y Yuri, utilizando el análisis morfológico y los códigos de barras de ADN. Nuestros resultados ponen de relieve el potencial de los códigos de barras de ADN para estudiar las lombrices: si bien en estudios anteriores solo se habían registrado seis especies y subespecies de lombriz en las Islas Kuriles meridionales, nosotros detectamos 15 grupos genéticos. Seis de ellos son especies cosmopolitas europeas; seis, especies asiáticas; y tres, sin determinar. A pesar de que no se encontraron lombrices europeas en Yuri, que está deshabitada desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial, estas especies dominaron en las islas Kunashir y Shikotan, que son más grandes y están habitadas, lo que sugiere que se trata de especies invasoras recientes. De las seis especies asiáticas, cinco tenían secuencias cox1 idénticas o muy emparentadas con las secuencias publicadas encontradas en el continente o en las islas del Japón y, por tanto, se trata de invasoras recientes.The Kuril Islands are a volcanic archipelago located between Hokkaido and Kamchatka. In this study we investigated earthworm fauna of three of the Southern Kuril Islands, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Yuri, using both morphological analysis and DNA barcoding. Our results highlight the potential of DNA barcoding for studying earthworm fauna: while previous studies reported only six earthworm species and subspecies on the Southern Kurils, we detected 15 genetic clusters. Six of them correspond to European cosmopolites; six, to Asian species, and three, to unidentified species. While no European earthworms were found on Yuri that is uninhabited since WWII, they dominated on larger and inhabited Kunashir and Shikotan, suggesting that they are recent invaders. Of the six Asian species, five had cox1 sequences identical or very closely related to published sequences from the mainland or the Japanese islands and thus are recent invaders.Identificación de las lombrices (Oligochaeta, Megadrili) del sur de las Islas Kuriles utilizando códigos de barras de ADN Las Islas Kuriles forman un archipiélago volcánico situado entre Hokkaido y Kamchatka. En este estudio analizamos las lombrices de tres de las Islas Kuriles meridionales: Kunashir, Shikotan y Yuri, utilizando el análisis morfológico y los códigos de barras de ADN. Nuestros resultados ponen de relieve el potencial de los códigos de barras de ADN para estudiar las lombrices: si bien en estudios anteriores solo se habían registrado seis especies y subespecies de lombriz en las Islas Kuriles meridionales, nosotros detectamos 15 grupos genéticos. Seis de ellos son especies cosmopolitas europeas; seis, especies asiáticas; y tres, sin determinar. A pesar de que no se encontraron lombrices europeas en Yuri, que está deshabitada desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial, estas especies dominaron en las islas Kunashir y Shikotan, que son más grandes y están habitadas, lo que sugiere que se trata de especies invasoras recientes. De las seis especies asiáticas, cinco tenían secuencias cox1 idénticas o muy emparentadas con las secuencias publicadas encontradas en el continente o en las islas del Japón y, por tanto, se trata de invasoras recientes

Reduced functionality of soil food webs in burnt boreal forests: a case study in Central Russia

© 2017, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. Abstract: Functionality of soil food webs after forest fires remains generally unexplored. We address this question by studying both burnt and unburnt spruce forests in Central European Russia (Tver Region). In August 2014 we sampled two spatially distant blocks consisting of forest areas burnt in 2010 and the respective unburnt controls. We analyzed biomass and structure of soil food webs as well as carbon mobilization with respect to carbon stocks in the dead wood, litter and soil after burning. The biomass of soil fauna was moderately reduced in the burnt plots. For some groups like testate amoebae and enchytraeids, however, this decrease was highly significant and corresponded with the decreased C-stock in litter. For the other taxa changes in biomass were insignificant. At the same time C-flow through the soil food web after fire was strongly reduced mainly due to the reduction of biomass of active fungi and secondary decomposers. The overall consumption rate of detritus by the soil food web strongly decreased in the burnt forests and was maintained predominantly by the decomposition activity of bacteria instead of fungi. This resulted in the reduction of the total soil food web functionality related with C-mobilization in the forests four years after a fire event. Brief Summary: We compared rates of carbon mobilization by soil food webs in burnt and unburnt boreal forests in Central Russia. Despite of only slight decrease in soil animal biomass, consumption rate of carbon in the soil food webs after fire was considerably lower and mainly associated with soil bacteria instead of fungi

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

Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties

Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change.Peer reviewe

Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties

Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change

Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties

14 p.Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change