Long‐term cattle grazing shifts the ecological state of forest soils

Cattle grazing profoundly affects abiotic and biotic characteristics of ecosystems. While most research has been performed on grasslands, the effect of large managed ungulates on forest ecosystems has largely been neglected. Compared to a baseline seminatural state, we investigated how long-term cattle grazing of birch forest patches affected the abiotic state and the ecological community (microbes and invertebrates) of the soil subsystem. Grazing strongly modified the soil abiotic environment by increasing phosphorus content, pH, and bulk density, while reducing the C:N ratio. The reduced C:N ratio was strongly associated with a lower microbial biomass, mainly caused by a reduction of fungal biomass. This was linked to a decrease in fungivorous nematode abundance and the nematode channel index, indicating a relative uplift in the importance of the bacterial energy-channel in the nematode assemblages. Cattle grazing highly modified invertebrate community composition producing distinct assemblages from the seminatural situation. Richness and abundance of microarthropods was consistently reduced by grazing (excepting collembolan richness) and grazing-associated changes in soil pH, Olsen P, and reduced soil pore volume (bulk density) limiting niche space and refuge from physical disturbance. Anecic earthworm species predominated in grazed patches, but were absent from ungrazed forest, and may benefit from manure inputs, while their deep vertical burrowing behavior protects them from physical disturbance. Perturbation of birch forest habitat by long-term ungulate grazing profoundly modified soil biodiversity, either directly through increased physical disturbance and manure input or indirectly by modifying soil abiotic conditions. Comparative analyses revealed the ecosystem engineering potential of large ungulate grazers in forest systems through major shifts in the composition and structure of microbial and invertebrate assemblages, including the potential for reduced energy flow through the fungal decomposition pathway. The precise consequences for species trophic interactions and biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships remain to be established, however

Neonatal factors predictive for respiratory and gastro-intestinal morbidity after esophageal atresia repair

Background: Esophageal atresia is a major congenital foregut anomaly. Affected patients often suffer from respiratory and gastro-intestinal morbidity. The objective of this study is to identify possible neonatal predictive factors contributing to a long-term complicated clinical course in patients after repair of esophageal atresia. Methods: A total of 93 patients born between 1993 and 2013, with esophageal atresia and surviving the neonatal period were included in this retrospective study. A complicated clinical course was defined as the occurrence of 1 of these complications: severe gastroesophageal reflux, esophageal stricture requiring dilatations, need for tube feeding for >100 days, severe tracheomalacia, severe chronic respiratory disease and death. We used linear models with a binomial distribution to determine risk factors for gastro-intestinal or respiratory complicated evolution and a backward stepwise elimination procedure to reduce models until only significant variables remained in the model. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess risk factors for different evolutions of complication. Model parameter estimates were used to calculate odds ratios for significant risk factors. Results: Fifty-seven patients (61%) had a complicated clinical course in the first year of life and 47 (51%) had a complicated evolution during years 1e6. In the first year, prematurity was a significant factor for complicated gastro-intestinal (OR 2.84) and respiratory evolution (OR 2.93). After 1 year, gastro-intestinal morbidity in childhood was associated with VACTERL association (OR 12.2) and a complicated first year (OR 36.1). Respiratory morbidity was associated with congenital heart disease (OR 12.9) and a complicated first year (OR 86.9). Multinomial logistic regression showed that premat

Strength of forest edge effects on litter-dwelling macro-arthropods across Europe is influenced by forest age and edge properties

International audienceAim: Forests are highly fragmented across Western Europe, making forest edges im ‐portant features in many agricultural landscapes. Forest edges are subject to strong abiotic gradients altering the forest environment and resulting in strong biotic gradi ‐ents. This has the potential to change the forest's capacity to provide multiple eco ‐system services such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and natural pest control. Soil organisms play a key role in this perspective; however, these taxa are rarely considered in forest edge research.Location: A latitudinal gradient of 2,000 km across Western Europe.Methods: We sampled six dominant taxa of litter‐dwelling macro‐arthropods (car ‐abid beetles, spiders, harvestmen, centipedes, millipedes and woodlice) in forest edges and interiors of 192 forest fragments in 12 agricultural landscapes. We related their abundance and community composition to distance from the edge and the inter ‐action with forest age, edge orientation and edge contrast (contrast between land use types at either side of the edge).Results: Three out of six macro‐arthropod taxa have higher activity‐density in forest edges compared to forest interiors. The abundance patterns along forest edge‐to‐in‐terior gradients interacted with forest age. Forest age and edge orientation also influ ‐enced within‐fragment compositional variation along the forest edge‐to‐interior gradient. Edge contrast influenced abundance gradients of generalist predators. In general, older forest fragments, south‐oriented edges and edges along structurally more continuous land use (lower contrast between forest and adjacent land use) re ‐sulted in stronger edge‐to‐interior gradients while recent forests, north‐oriented edges and sharp land use edges induced similarity between forest edge and interior along the forest edge‐to‐interior gradients in terms of species activity‐density and composition.Main conclusions: Edge effects on litter‐dwelling macro‐arthropods are anticipated to feedback on important ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, carbon se ‐questration and natural pest control from small forest fragments

The functional role of temperate forest understorey vegetation in a changing world

Temperate forests cover 16% of the global forest area. Within these forests, the understorey is an important biodiversity reservoir that can influence ecosystem processes and functions in multiple ways. However, we still lack a thorough understanding of the relative importance of the understorey for temperate forest functioning. As a result, understoreys are often ignored during assessments of forest functioning and changes thereof under global change. We here compiled studies that quantify the relative importance of the understorey for temperate forest functioning, focussing on litter production, nutrient cycling, evapotranspiration, tree regeneration, pollination and pathogen dynamics. We describe the mechanisms driving understorey functioning and develop a conceptual framework synthesizing possible effects of multiple global change drivers on understorey-mediated forest ecosystem functioning. Our review illustrates that the understorey's contribution to temperate forest functioning is significant but varies depending on the ecosystem function and the environmental context, and more importantly, the characteristics of the overstorey. To predict changes in understorey functioning and its relative importance for temperate forest functioning under global change, we argue that a simultaneous investigation of both overstorey and understorey functional responses to global change will be crucial. Our review shows that such studies are still very scarce, only available for a limited set of ecosystem functions and limited to quantification, providing little data to forecast functional responses to global change

High ecosystem service delivery potential of small woodlands in agricultural landscapes

Global forest loss and fragmentation have strongly increased the frequency of forest patches smaller than a few hectares. Little is known about the biodiversity and ecosystem service supply potential of such small woodlands in comparison to larger forests. As it is widely recognized that high biodiversity levels increase ecosystem functionality and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services, small, isolated woodlands are expected to have a lower potential for ecosystem service delivery than large forests hosting more species. We collected data on the diversity of six taxonomic groups covering invertebrates, plants and fungi, and on the supply potential of five ecosystem services and one disservice within 224 woodlands distributed across temperate Europe. We related their ability to simultaneously provide multiple ecosystem services (multiservice delivery potential) at different performance levels to biodiversity of all studied taxonomic groups (multidiversity), forest patch size and age, as well as habitat availability and connectivity within the landscape, while accounting for macroclimate, soil properties and forest structure. Unexpectedly, despite their lower multidiversity, smaller woodlands had the potential to deliver multiple services at higher performance levels per area than larger woodlands of similar age, probably due to positive edge effects on the supply potential of several ecosystem services. Biodiversity only affected multiservice delivery potential at a low performance level as well as some individual ecosystem services. The importance of other drivers of ecosystem service supply potential by small woodlands in agricultural landscapes also depended on the level of performance and varied with the individual ecosystem service considered. Synthesis and applications. Large, ancient woodlands host high levels of biodiversity and can therefore deliver a number of ecosystem services. In contrast, smaller woodlands in agricultural landscapes, especially ancient woodlands, have a higher potential to deliver multiple ecosystem services on a per area basis. Despite their important contribution to agricultural landscape multifunctionality, small woodlands are not currently considered by public policies. There is thus an urgent need for targeted policy instruments to ensure their adequate management and future conservation in order to either achieve multiservice delivery at high levels or to maximize the delivery of specific ecosystem services

High ecosystem service delivery potential of small woodlands in agricultural landscapes

Global forest loss and fragmentation have strongly increased the frequency of forest patches smaller than a few hectares. Little is known about the biodiversity and ecosystem service supply potential of such small woodlands in comparison to larger forests. As it is widely recognized that high biodiversity levels increase ecosystem functionality and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services, small, isolated woodlands are expected to have a lower potential for ecosystem service delivery than large forests hosting more species. We collected data on the diversity of six taxonomic groups covering invertebrates, plants and fungi, and on the supply potential of five ecosystem services and one disservice within 224 woodlands distributed across temperate Europe. We related their ability to simultaneously provide multiple ecosystem services (multiservice delivery potential) at different performance levels to biodiversity of all studied taxonomic groups (multidiversity), forest patch size and age, as well as habitat availability and connectivity within the landscape, while accounting for macroclimate, soil properties and forest structure. Unexpectedly, despite their lower multidiversity, smaller woodlands had the potential to deliver multiple services at higher performance levels per area than larger woodlands of similar age, probably due to positive edge effects on the supply potential of several ecosystem services. Biodiversity only affected multiservice delivery potential at a low performance level as well as some individual ecosystem services. The importance of other drivers of ecosystem service supply potential by small woodlands in agricultural landscapes also depended on the level of performance and varied with the individual ecosystem service considered. Synthesis and applications. Large, ancient woodlands host high levels of biodiversity and can therefore deliver a number of ecosystem services. In contrast, smaller woodlands in agricultural landscapes, especially ancient woodlands, have a higher potential to deliver multiple ecosystem services on a per area basis. Despite their important contribution to agricultural landscape multifunctionality, small woodlands are not currently considered by public policies. There is thus an urgent need for targeted policy instruments to ensure their adequate management and future conservation in order to either achieve multiservice delivery at high levels or to maximize the delivery of specific ecosystem services

The importance of small forest fragments for pollination services in agricultural landscapes

Agricultural landscapes in North-Western Europe have undergone drastic changes since the second half of last century. Because of agricultural intensification, and associated changes in agricultural practices, productivity has strongly increased. However, this went along with a decline in biodiversity in farmland. In these intensively managed agricultural landscapes, small fragments of semi-natural habitat can play an important role in conservation of biodiversity. In many agro-landscapes, forests make up a big share of the total area of semi-natural habitat. These forests are, however, often very small and highly fragmented. Small forest patches and the biodiversity they harbour, deliver important ecosystem services to society. These services range from regulating services, such as nutrient cycling, hydrological regulation or biological pest control, to provisioning services, such as delivering food and wood, and cultural services, such as recreational and aesthetic services. Over the last few years, more research has been performed on the role these forest fragments play in enhancing ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. However, the role these fragments play in providing pollination services, an important regulating ecosystem service, has barely been investigated. Pollination of wild plants and agricultural crops is in the temperate zone largely dependent on insects and plays an important economical and ecological role. However, several taxa of pollinators show a clear decline over the last decades, thus threatening this service. Small forest fragments may play an important role in conserving insect pollinators in these agricultural landscapes. Forest patches can provide both food sources, being nectar and pollen, and reproductive habitat. In this research, we looked at the role that local and landscape characteristics play in conserving and structuring the pollinator community. Furthermore, we investigated whether this resulted in an increase in pollination services. In our research, we focused on bees and hoverflies, two of the most important and best characterized pollinators. Based on our results, it is clear that small forest fragments containing suitable foraging and reproductive habitat harbour a rich and diverse pollinator community. Old forests with a rich herb layer can play an important role as foraging habitat and as refuges for forest-dependent hoverflies. Sun-exposed forest edges with high amounts of suitable nesting habitat for ground-nesting bees can also contribute to enhancing pollinator diversity and abundance. A diverse and abundant pollinator community will lead to a better provision of pollination services, both to agricultural crops and wild plants

The millipede Cylindroiulus britannicus (Verhoeff, 1891) new for the Belgian fauna (Diplopoda: Julidae)

Currently, 51 species of millipedes have been recorded for the Belgian fauna. Here, we report the finding of an additional species, Cylindroiulus britannicus (Verhoeff, 1891). The species was found in ancient broadleaf forest near a research facility in Gontrode (East-Flanders) and in a parc in the centre of Ghent. In the neighboring countries, the species has already been found in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK. Given the synanthropic nature of the species and the characteristics of the locations where it was found, it is presumed that the discovered population is not autochthonous