Long-term dynamics of a collembolan community

doi:10.1016/S0929-1393(98)00079-1

Applied Soil Ecology

Volume 9, Issues 1–3, 1 September 1998, Pages 221-227

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0929-1393(98)00079-1 Get rights and content

Abstract

The collembolan community of a beech forest on limestone (Göttingen, Germany) was studied for a period of ten consecutive years (1980–1989). A total of 48 species was found. The annual mean density varied between 18 600 and 46 800 ind. m⁻² yr⁻¹. Abundance dynamics of the different species were not significantly intercorrelated. Year-to-year changes in annual mean temperature were significantly correlated with alterations in collembolan density in the following year. Specific differences in response patterns to temperature alterations apparently buffered each other in such a way that the response of the whole community to temperature is more predictable than that of most individual species. No clear-cut trend in the abundance dynamics of the collembolan community were detected and the actual densities of the individual species were not correlated with the corresponding densities in the following year. On the other hand, indication of density dependent regulation was found for eight species. To explain this seeming contradiction it was hypothesized that at least part of the collembolan community is exposed to density dependent regulation and that strong year-to-year fluctuations in density are due to significant year-to-year changes in the carrying capacity of the soil environment caused by long-term effects of temperature on the quantity and quality of the litter layer.

Introduction

It is a major shortcoming of soil ecological research that it is not possible to relate alterations in the function of edaphic organisms caused by environmental change to changes in the structure of the soil community (IGBP, 1992). This may be a difficult task anyway for various reasons (Anderson, 1995). An indispensable prerequisite, however, would be a much better understanding of the response of selected soil organisms to long-term fluctuations in environmental conditions. As a contribution to achieving this aim the distribution and abundance of the Collembola and their relationship with macroclimate (temperature, precipitation) in a beech forest on calcareous soil (Göttingen, Germany) was studied over a period of ten consecutive years. It has been argued that changes in the community structure of this microarthropod group sensitively indicate environmental stress (Hågvar, 1994). The following questions should be answered:

•
Do fluctuations in macroclimate (temperature, precipitation) affect the density and/or the structure of the investigated community?
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Are there any indications of mechanisms guaranteeing a certain level of interspecific synchronization and community constancy?
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Is the community regulated by density dependent mechanisms?

Section snippets

Material and methods

The study site (about 12 ha) is situated in the Treppenweg area of the Göttinger Wald (Lower Saxony, Germany) on a plateau 400 to 420 m above sea level and is covered by 100 to 130 yr-old beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.). The bedrock is shell-lime, the humus form is mull. The mean annual precipitation is 720 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7.9°C (weather station Göttingen). According to the German classification system, the soil is classified as Terra fusca Rendzina [Chromo-Calcic Cambisol

Results

A total of 48 collembolan species was found (Table 1). Of these, 21 were regularly extracted from soil cores and further calculations are based on this group. The annual mean density varied between 18 600 and 46 800 ind. m⁻² yr⁻¹ (Fig. 1). Strong seasonal fluctuations in density occurred. The maximum average density was 74 900 ind. m⁻² in July 1983, and the minimum density was 7 600 ind. m⁻² in July 1987. Annual changes in the mean abundances of the different species were not significantly

Discussion

The species richness of the collembolan community in the Göttinger Wald is within the range normally reported for temperate forest ecosystems (Schaefer, 1991). Most species are myco- and/or micro-saprophagous (Wolters, 1987). Many authors have demonstrated a strong effect of ambient temperature conditions on Collembola (e.g. Ashraf, 1971; Hutson, 1978; Klein and Wolters, 1996). The significant correlation between collembolan density and temperature conditions in the previous year is

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Collembola, ectothermic organisms, may exhibit greater activity and higher growth and reproductive rates with moderate warming, resulting in elevated metabolic demands (Gillooly et al., 2001; Mallard et al., 2020). A few studies focusing on the fate of the Collembola community have tried to disentangle the effects of temperature from those of soil moisture (Wolters, 1998; Xu et al., 2012; Santonja et al., 2018; Mallard et al., 2020). These studies generally reported an increase in the growth rate, abundance and diversity of Collembola in warmer soil conditions if soil humidity remained favourable.
Soil properties and the growth and maturation of herbaceous plants are known to be influenced by the soil fauna (Collembola) and by the temperature. But little is known about how these two factors interact. We hypothesised that the vegetative and reproductive responses of Poa annua L. to the presence of soil Collembola density will change according to temperature. P. annua was grown in microcosms with or without Collembola at two different air temperature conditions, 16 °C as a Low T° vs. 19 °C as a High T°. Both factors “Collembola” and “Temperature” significantly influenced several plant and soil variables. The number of flowers, the root biomass of P. annua were higher either in presence of Collembola or under elevated temperature. The same applied for soil ergosterol or K content for example. Soil nitrate content was exclusively affected by the presence/absence of Collembola and not by the temperature. Finally, significantly interactive effects between temperature and Collembola upon several plant or soil variables (root biomass, number of flowers, soil K and Mg content) were shown. Our study suggests that biotic factors (here soil fauna) may strongly interact with climatic variables in regulating plant growth through changes in soil nutrient availability. We provide experimental evidence that climate warming modifies the effect of soil Collembola on the reproduction strategy of the plant.
Macro and mesofauna soil food webs in two temperate grasslands: responses to forestation with Eucalyptus
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We studied the effects of land use change from grassland to Eucalyptus spp. plantation on macro and mesofauna soil food webs in two sites in the Rolling Pampas. We expected to find differences in the parameters that characterize the structure of soil food webs, as the implantation of Eucalyptus implies changes in the characteristics of the resources and the microhabitat conditions. We also expected to find differences in the communities in terms of diversity, abundance, and species present. The treatments were: grasslands; 10-year-old Eucalyptus plantations and 20-year-old Eucalyptus plantations. Seasonal samplings were performed for the extraction of soil fauna in winter, spring, summer and autumn. For the analysis of food webs, we worked with “trophic species'': groups of organisms that have the same prey and the same predators. A total of 25 food webs were laid out using bibliographical information of feeding habits from the identified taxa. From each food web, we obtained a predator overlap graph, in which the consumers that share the same source or prey are linked by an arrow. In addition, the Shannon-Wiener index was calculated. We found that trophic species densities were different among the treatments: communities from grassland and the younger plantations were dominated by earthworms and other secondary decomposers, while the community in the older plantation showed a greater contribution of primary decomposers (Shymphyla, Isopoda and Diplopoda). No significant differences between treatments were found in the parameters that characterize the structure of soil food webs, i.e. connections number, number of trophic species nor connectivity. However, the diversity of the community was lower in the youngest plantations than in the other treatments, and it shows evidence of compartmentalization in the predator overlap graphs. Our findings suggest that the meso and macrofauna communities in the 10-years-old plantations represent a transition between the communities from grasslands and the oldest plantations. We conclude that the effects of forestation with Eucalyptus on soil fauna communities are evident through changes in functional groups rather than changes in the parameters that characterize the structure of soil food webs.
Effect of different crop management practices on soil Collembola assemblages: A 4-year follow-up
2017, Applied Soil Ecology
Citation Excerpt :
Under field conditions, the correlation between collembolans and temperature is usually hard to establish or is only weakly confirmed. But for example, Wolters (1998) and Bedano et al. (2006), found that Collembola density was negatively correlated with soil and/or air temperature. Our results showed a general increase in collembolan density and species richness with reduction of tillage intensity which is in accordance with a number of previous studies (Brennan et al., 2006; Petersen, 2002; Wardle, 1995) and confirms our first hypothesis.
Soil biota are a major component of agroecosystems, playing a decisive role in ecosystem services with synergistic effects on crop production. The conservation of their diversity has become a key component of a strategy towards agricultural sustainability. Over four years (2010–2014), under the “SOil Functional diversity as an Indicator of sustainable management of Agroecosystems” (SOFIA) project, we followed soil Collembola assemblages in response to the set-up of 5 cropping systems differing in crop rotations (annual or perennial), rate of N fertilization, and in tillage intensity (annual ploughing vs. shallow). Our results demonstrated that shifting from a conventional to conservation cropping system had a strong positive effect upon species richness and density of Collembola. Specifically, all treatments with a reduction in intensity of soil tillage fostered Collembola assemblages. At the end of our study, density and species richness were 3 to 4 times higher in reduced tillage (RT) than in conventional tillage (CT). Nevertheless, differentiation between the assemblages only occurred after 2 years but steadily increased until 4 years. At the last sampling date, all treatments contained significantly different Collembola assemblages (Anosim with Bray-Curtis distance). In parallel, we noticed shifts in the functional structure of the assemblages, even if globally, all life-forms were promoted under reduced tillage. However, contrary to our expectations, euedaphic Collembola were not promoted by restitution of crop residues. Our study over several years under field conditions showed that Collembola assemblages were more sensitive to tillage intensity than to either residue management or N fertilization. Clearly, conservation agriculture can foster one of the numerous services provided by the soil compartment, namely the soil biodiversity and therefore improve soil quality and health.
Long-term succession of Collembola communities in relation to climate change and vegetation
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The successional dynamics of Collembola communities on a rubble and debris dump in Bremen, Germany were studied between 1980 and 2000 in two experimental plots. One plot (SUC) was left undisturbed for natural secondary succession, the other plot (REC) was recultivated with rotary-tilling and sowing of grass. The mean Collembola abundance varied between 4 and 119 thousand ind. m⁻² on SUC and between 6 and 92 thousand ind. m⁻² on REC. In the two plots individual numbers peaked in the first decade, thereafter they decreased. Number of species varied from 9 to 17 on SUC with a very slight increase over time and from 8 to 17 on REC with only a temporary depression in 1998. The alpha diversity calculated as Shannon-Weaver and Simpson-indices increased in both plots. The lowest species turnover rate occurred between 1990 and 1994 on SUC and between 1981 and 1982 on REC, indicating the lowest diversity in species composition. During the whole succession, species composition changed more or less irregular in the two plots. With 74%, the dominance similarity (Renkonen index) of the Collembola communities between SUC and REC was greatest two years after the beginning of succession. As a result from CCA analysis, confirmed by linear regression analyses, Collembola total abundance and species composition (dominances) were significantly affected by annual (Oct-Sep) mean air and soil temperature (−10 cm), increasing over the study period of twenty years. Ordination scores of Collembola species abundance on the CCA axes revealed four climatic groups of Collembola: cold-dry, cold-wet, warm-wet and warm-dry. A correlation of Collembola species abundance with vegetation cover was not found. Nevertheless, stronger effects of climatic variables were found on REC, which had a shorter vegetation than SUC, creating a different microclimate. Successional dynamics of Collembola communities in the studied plots are correlated with temporal shifts of species between early and late years of succession, but are also significantly influenced by soil temperature.
Traits of collembolan life-form indicate land use types and soil properties across an European transect
2016, Applied Soil Ecology
Citation Excerpt :
Indeed, a higher functional diversity in forests has resulted from the occurrence of both epigeous and edaphic collembolan species, while most species found in open habitats were fast-dispersal epigeous species. This finding can be explained by the fact that forested sites are generally more concealed habitats and with thicker litter layers, maintaining higher resource quality and more stable conditions in terms of temperature and moisture, which is a preferred environment to eu-edaphic species (Wolters, 1998; Parisi et al., 2005; Berg and Bengtsson, 2007; Heiniger et al., 2015). These are more sensitive to environmental stress and need more protection from desiccation, considering that soil dwelling species are less mobile and then more difficultly colonize the preferred habitat conditions in changing environments (Lindberg and Bengtsson, 2005; Ponge et al., 2006; Salmon and Ponge, 2012).
Land use changes are among the main factors shaping diversity patterns of soil fauna in European ecosystems. However, current knowledge on soil fauna biodiversity levels across land use types to establish baseline values with monitoring purposes are still lacking. Also, only few initiatives have been including functional components of soil fauna on biodiversity monitoring, despite the noticeable link between soil organisms and aboveground ecosystem services. Here, we analyzed the differences of collembolan taxonomic and functional diversity across an European transect with sites comprising different land use types (forests, grasslands and arable lands) and characteristics in terms of habitat conditions and soil properties. No clear relation was found between collembolan species richness and the site typology established in this study. However, community traits of life-forms responded to the gradient of site properties and indicated different land use types based on the higher proportion of eu-edaphic species in forested sites, in comparison to grasslands and arable lands. Among the environmental variables, pH was the main soil parameter influencing both collembolan richness and community weighted mean of life-forms, and was negatively correlated to both biodiversity components.
The effects of pH may also reflect the influence of land use history and management practices in different European ecosystems and more suitable traits related to pH preferences, and tolerance should be further investigated for collembolan species. Our results suggest that functional diversity may provide a clearer picture on soil fauna diversity changes across different land use types and site properties. So components of functional diversity based on community traits should be included in the ‘indicator shopping basket’ of soil biodiversity monitoring studies across European ecosystems.
Toxicity of three biocides to springtails and earthworms in a soil multi-species (SMS) test system
2014, Soil Biology and Biochemistry
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Proisotoma minuta was much more dominant under esfenvalerate and picoxystrobin exposure than when exposed to triclosan. The dominance structure of springtail communities in an undisturbed habitat may fluctuate, but usually does not change fundamentally with time, i.e. rare species do not become dominant as long as abiotic and biotic conditions remain stable (Wolters, 1998). However, it has been shown that biocide application may change the dominance structure of a springtail community.
Effects of three biocides, esfenvalerate, picoxystrobin and triclosan, were studied in a Soil-Multi-Species (SMS) test system with four springtail- and one earthworm species exposed for eight weeks. All biocides affected springtail population growth negatively, and species- and chemical specific differences had clear impacts on their dominance structure. We suggest that differences in vulnerability may be influenced by activity related to species-specific vertical distribution in the soil. The responses of the springtail Folsomia fimetaria differed strongly from previous results from a single-species experiment with the same biocides. Survival of juvenile earthworms was more sensitive to biocide exposure than weight gain, and earthworm performance was significantly correlated with springtail abundance. Feeding activity of soil organisms measured with the bait lamina test system was a sensitive criterion for esfenvalerate and picoxystrobin exposure, but not for triclosan. The results suggest that interspecific interactions such as resource- and interference competition may influence the toxicity of biocides. SMS test systems may hence be a suitable method for investigating direct and indirect effects in combination under standardized laboratory conditions.

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Long-term dynamics of a collembolan community

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Material and methods

Results

Discussion

Pedobiologia

Pedobiologia

Pedobiologia (German with English summary)

Influence of environmental factors on Collembola

Rev. Ecol. Biol. Sol.

Temporal predictability in forest soil communities

J. Anim. Ecol.

Some methods for statistical analysis of samples of benthic invertebrates

Scient. Publs. Freshwat. Biol. Ass.

A test of statistical techniques for detecting density dependence in sequential censuses of animal populations

Oecologia