@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} } @misc{BirkhoferDietrichJohnetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Dietrich, Christoph and John, Katharina and Schorpp, Quentin and Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Wolters, Volkmar}, title = {Regional conditions and land-use alter the contribution of soil arthropos to ecosystem services in grasslands. Frontiers in Agroecology and Land-Use Systems}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {3}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2015.00150}, pages = {150}, language = {en} } @misc{ZaitsevBirkhoferEkschmittetal., author = {Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Ekschmitt, Klemens and Wolters, Volkmar}, title = {Belowground Tritrophic Food Chain Modulates Soil Respiration in Grasslands}, series = {Pedosphere}, volume = {28}, journal = {Pedosphere}, number = {1}, issn = {1002-0160}, doi = {10.1016/S1002-0160(18)60008-6}, pages = {114 -- 123}, abstract = {Edaphic biota significantly affects several essential ecological functions such as C-storage, nutrient turnover, and productivity. However, it is not completely understood how belowground animal contribution to these functions changes in grasslands subject to different land use types. A microcosm experiment was carried out to test the effect of a tritrophic food chain on CO2 release from grassland soils. Soil was collected from three differently managed grassland systems (meadow, pasture, and mown pasture) located in three distinct German regions that cover a north-south gradient of approximately 500 km. The tritrophic food chain comprised natural edaphic microflora, nematodes, and predatory gamasid mites. The experimental design involved a full factorial combination of the presence and absence of nematodes and gamasid mites. Nematodes significantly increased the CO2 emissions in most treatments, but the extent of this effect varied with land use type. The fact that grazing by nematodes stimulated the metabolic activity of the edaphic microflora over a wide range of grassland soils highlighted the critical impact of the microfauna on ecosystem services associated with soil organic matter dynamics. Gamasids slightly amplified the effect of nematodes on microbial metabolic activity, but only in the pastures. This effect was most probably due to the control of nematode abundance. The fact that gamasid addition also augmented the impact of environmental conditions on nematode-induced modulation of soil respiration highlighted the need for including land use differences while evaluating soil fauna contribution to soil processes. To conclude, the differential response of the investigated tritrophic food chain to different grassland management systems suggests that adverse effects of land use intensification on important soil processes such as atmospheric C-release could potentially be reduced by using management methods that preserve essential features of the belowground food web.}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferGossnerDiekoetteretal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Gossner, Martin M. and Diek{\"o}tter, Tim and Drees, Claudia and Ferlian, Olga and Maraun, Mark and Scheu, Stefan and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Wolters, Volkmar and Wurst, Susanne and Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {Land-use type and intensity differentially filter traits in above- and below-ground arthropod communities}, series = {Journal of Animal Ecology}, volume = {86}, journal = {Journal of Animal Ecology}, number = {3}, issn = {1365-2656}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.12641}, pages = {511 -- 520}, language = {en} }