Increased frequency of drought reduces species richness of enchytraeid communities in both wet and dry heathland soils
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In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 53, 01.10.2012, p. 43-49.
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T1 - Increased frequency of drought reduces species richness of enchytraeid communities in both wet and dry heathland soils
AU - Holmstrup, Martin
AU - Sorensen, Jesper G.
AU - Maraldo, Kristine
AU - Schmidt, Inger K.
AU - Mason, Sharon
AU - Tietema, Albert
AU - Smith, Andrew R.
AU - Emmett, Bridget
AU - Schmelz, Rudiger M.
AU - Bataillon, Thomas
AU - Beier, Claus
AU - Ehlers, Bodil K.
PY - 2012/10/1
Y1 - 2012/10/1
N2 - Studies of biological responses in the terrestrial environment to rapid changes in climate have mostlybeen concerned with above-ground biota, whereas less is known of belowground organisms. The presentstudy focuses on enchytraeids (Oligochaeta) of heathland ecosystems and how the enchytraeidcommunity has responded to simulated climate change in a long-term field experiment. Either increasedtemperature or repeated drought was applied for 13 years to field plots located in Wales, TheNetherlands and Denmark representing a gradient in precipitation and annual temperature fluctuationsthereby providing an opportunity to study biological responses on a local (within sites) and regionalscale. Warming treatments increasing night-time temperature (0.5e1 C higher than ambient at 5 cmsoil depth) had no detectable effects on the enchytraeid communities. Increased intensity and frequencyof drought had rather weak persistent effects on total enchytraeid abundance suggesting that ecosystemfunctions of enchytraeids may only be transiently impacted by repeated spring or summer drought.However, drought treatment had persistent negative effects on species richness and community structureacross sites. Drought treated plots harboured only 35e65% of the species present in control plots,and the reduction of species richness was most pronounced at the driest sites. It is discussed that soilinvertebrates, due to their weak migratory potential, may be more liable to extinction under changingclimatic conditions than above-ground species, and therefore consequences of climate change to soilorganisms need particular attention in future research.
AB - Studies of biological responses in the terrestrial environment to rapid changes in climate have mostlybeen concerned with above-ground biota, whereas less is known of belowground organisms. The presentstudy focuses on enchytraeids (Oligochaeta) of heathland ecosystems and how the enchytraeidcommunity has responded to simulated climate change in a long-term field experiment. Either increasedtemperature or repeated drought was applied for 13 years to field plots located in Wales, TheNetherlands and Denmark representing a gradient in precipitation and annual temperature fluctuationsthereby providing an opportunity to study biological responses on a local (within sites) and regionalscale. Warming treatments increasing night-time temperature (0.5e1 C higher than ambient at 5 cmsoil depth) had no detectable effects on the enchytraeid communities. Increased intensity and frequencyof drought had rather weak persistent effects on total enchytraeid abundance suggesting that ecosystemfunctions of enchytraeids may only be transiently impacted by repeated spring or summer drought.However, drought treatment had persistent negative effects on species richness and community structureacross sites. Drought treated plots harboured only 35e65% of the species present in control plots,and the reduction of species richness was most pronounced at the driest sites. It is discussed that soilinvertebrates, due to their weak migratory potential, may be more liable to extinction under changingclimatic conditions than above-ground species, and therefore consequences of climate change to soilorganisms need particular attention in future research.
KW - Climate change
KW - Clitellata
KW - Oligochaeta
KW - Soil fauna
KW - Community composition
U2 - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.05.001
DO - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.05.001
M3 - Article
VL - 53
SP - 43
EP - 49
JO - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
JF - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
SN - 0038-0717
ER -