@misc{NeyretLeProvostBoesingetal., author = {Neyret, Margot and Le Provost, Ga{\"e}tane and Boesing, Andrea Larissa and Schneider, Florian D. and Baulechner, Dennis and Bergmann, Joana and Vries, Franciska T. de and Fiore-Donno, Anna Maria and Geisen, Stefan and Goldmann, Kezia and Merges, Anna and Saifutdinov, Ruslan A. and Simons, Nadja K. and Tobias, Joseph A. and Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Gossner, Martin M. and Jung, Kirsten and Kandeler, Ellen and Krauss, Jochen and Penone, Caterina and Schloter, Michael and Schulz, Stefanie and Staab, Michael and Wolters, Volkmar and Apostolakis, Antonios and Birkhofer, Klaus and Boch, Steffen and Boeddinghaus, Runa S. and Bolliger, Ralph and Bonkowski, Michael and Buscot, Fran{\c{c}}ois and Dumack, Kenneth and Fischer, Markus and Gan, Huei Ying and Heinze, Johannes and H{\"o}lzel, Norbert and John, Katharina and Klaus, Valentin H. and Kleinebecker, Till and Marhan, Sven and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Renner, Swen C. and Rillig, Matthias C. and Schenk, No{\"e}lle V. and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Schrumpf, Marion and Seibold, Sebastian and Socher, Stephanie A. and Solly, Emily F. and Teuscher, Miriam and Kleunen, Mark van and Wubet, Tesfaye and Manning, Peter}, title = {A slow-fast trait continuum at the whole community level in relation to land-use intensification}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {15}, journal = {Nature Communications}, number = {1}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-024-45113-5}, abstract = {AbstractOrganismal functional strategies form a continuum from slow- to fast-growing organisms, in response to common drivers such as resource availability and disturbance. However, whether there is synchronisation of these strategies at the entire community level is unclear. Here, we combine trait data for 2800 above- and belowground taxa from 14 trophic guilds spanning a disturbance and resource availability gradient in German grasslands. The results indicate that most guilds consistently respond to these drivers through both direct and trophically mediated effects, resulting in a 'slow-fast' axis at the level of the entire community. Using 15 indicators of carbon and nutrient fluxes, biomass production and decomposition, we also show that fast trait communities are associated with faster rates of ecosystem functioning. These findings demonstrate that 'slow' and 'fast' strategies can be manifested at the level of whole communities, opening new avenues of ecosystem-level functional classification.}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferBaulechnerDiekoetteretal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Baulechner, Dennis and Diek{\"o}tter, Tim and Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Wolters, Volkmar}, title = {Fertilization Rapidly Alters the Feeding Activity of Grassland Soil Mesofauna Independent of Management History}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {10}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2022.864470}, pages = {1 -- 10}, abstract = {Nitrogen fertilization of permanent grasslands affects soil fauna communities by modifying their taxonomic composition, population dynamics and feeding activity. However, it is not well understood if the edaphic fauna adapts to these external inputs so that the immediate response to fertilizer application depends on the long-term nutrient management strategy. We performed a field experiment in permanent grasslands under agricultural management in three regions across Germany. We used experimental fertilization with an organic plant-sourced fertilizer along a long-term nutrient management gradient to study the immediate and long-term effects of fertilization and their interdependence on the taxonomic composition and feeding activity of the soil mesofauna (Nematoda, Oribatida, and Collembola). Sampling season, soil properties, vegetation structure, and geographic location were considered as additional predictor variables to reflect heterogeneity in environmental conditions. The taxonomic composition, richness and total abundance of soil mesofauna communities were significantly affected by long-term nutrient management, but not by experimental fertilization. However, N pulses rapidly (within days) reduced the feeding activity estimated with bait-lamina strips independent of long-term nutrient management strategies. Experimental addition of organic plant-sourced fertilizer may have led to a rapid build-up of microbial biomass, providing alternative food sources for the soil mesofauna and causing a shift away from the bait-lamina substrate. Our study indicates that community changes associated with the long-term nutrient management regime in permanent grasslands do not alter the strong functional response of the soil mesofauna to N pulses. There is an urgent need to develop nutrient management strategies for permanent grasslands that take into account both the conservation of the edaphic faunal community and changes of ecosystem functions caused by rapid responses of the soil mesofauna to fertilizer inputs.}, language = {en} }