TY - GEN A1 - Cardoso, Pedro A1 - Barton, Philip S. A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Chichorro, Filipe A1 - Deacon, Charl A1 - Fartmann, Thomas A1 - Fukushima, Caroline S. A1 - Gaigher, René A1 - Habel, Jan C. T1 - Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions T2 - Biological Conservation N2 - Here we build on the manifesto‘World Scientists’Warning to Humanity, issued by the Alliance of WorldScientists. As a group of conservation biologists deeply concerned about the decline of insect populations, wehere review what we know about the drivers of insect extinctions, their consequences, and how extinctions cannegatively impact humanity.We are causing insect extinctions by driving habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, use of polluting andharmful substances, the spread of invasive species, global climate change, direct overexploitation, and co-ex-tinction of species dependent on other species.With insect extinctions, we lose much more than species. We lose abundance and biomass of insects, diversityacross space and time with consequent homogenization, large parts of the tree of life, unique ecological functionsand traits, and fundamental parts of extensive networks of biotic interactions. Such losses lead to the decline ofkey ecosystem services on which humanity depends. From pollination and decomposition, to being resources fornew medicines, habitat quality indication and many others, insects provide essential and irreplaceable services.We appeal for urgent action to close key knowledge gaps and curb insect extinctions. An investment in research programs that generate local, regional and global strategies that counter this trend is essential. Solutions areavailable and implementable, but urgent action is needed now to match our intentions. KW - Arthropods KW - Biodiversity loss KW - Centinelan extinctions KW - Drivers of extinction KW - Ecosystem services KW - Threatened species Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108426 IS - 242 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Arvidsson, Fredrik A1 - Addison, Pia A1 - Addison, Matthew F. A1 - Haddad, C. R. A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Weed species, not mulching, affect web‐building spiders and their prey in organic fruit orchards in South Africa T2 - Ecosphere N2 - Weed infestation affects economically relevant orchard properties, including tree performance, yield, and fruit quality negatively, and weeds are therefore often controlled by herbicide application in con- ventional farming. The addition of organic mulch below tree canopies has been proposed as an alternative reliable practice to suppress weeds and preserve soil moisture in organic farming. Mulching, however, may also affect arthropod pest and natural enemy populations, which highlights the need for simultane- ously assessing weed, natural enemy, and animal pest communities in mulch experiments. This study addresses the limited knowledge about nonchemical ground cover management strategies for the control of plant and animal pests in orchards as a major constraint for organic growers. Here, we hypothesize that decisions about ground cover management practices in organic temperate fruit orchards affect the composition of web-building spider communities and their functional role as natural enemies of pest arthropods through effects on weed and insect pest communities. We studied weed, prey, and spider communities, as well as spider diet composition, in four temperate fruit types (apricot, peach, plum, and quince) on a single farm in the Western Cape, South Africa. We established experimental plots with and without addition of dead organic mulch under fruit tree canopies. Addition of organic mulch did not signicantly affect weed cover under trees or the taxonomic composition of weed or spider communities over the eight-month study period. However, independent of mulching, the taxonomic composition of weed communities was signicantly related to the composition of potential prey and spider communities. These relationships indirectly affected the prey composition of web-building spiders. These results suggest that the identity of weed species in the study orchards had a pronounced effect on the diet composition and functional role of web-building spiders. Future research should focus on the value of individual plant species for the promotion of pest control services provided by spiders across larger spatial scales and with higher levels of replication to allow for wider generalizations. The expected results would not only be relevant for weed control but could also be considered during the development of future fower strips in orchards. Y1 - 2020 VL - 11 IS - 3 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Michalko, Radek A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Habitat niches suggest that non-crop habitat types differ in quality as source habitats for Central European agrobiont spiders T2 - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment KW - crop KW - functional composition KW - Generalist KW - Landscape KW - Niche filtering KW - Specialist Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2020.107248 SN - 0167-8809 VL - 308 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Lowe, Elizabeth C. A1 - Wolff, Jonas O. A1 - Aceves-Aparicio, Alfonso A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Branco, Vasco V. T1 - Towards establishment of a centralized spider traits database T2 - The Journal of Arachnology N2 - A main goal of ecological and evolutionary biology is understanding and predicting interactions between populations and both abiotic and biotic environments, the spatial and temporal variation of these interactions, and the effects on population dynamics and performance. Trait-based approaches can help to model these interactions and generate a comprehensive understanding of ecosystem functioning. A central tool is the collation of databases that include species trait information. Such centralized databases have been set up for a number of organismal groups but is lacking for one of the most important groups of predators in terrestrial ecosystems – spiders. Here we promote the collation of an open spider traits database, integrated into the global Open Traits Network. We explore the current collation of spider data and cover the logistics of setting up a global database, including which traits to include, the source of data, how to input data, database governance, geographic cover, accessibility, quality control and how to make the database sustainable long-term. Finally, we explore the scope of research questions that could be investigated using a global spider traits database. KW - functional diversity KW - Phentotypic traits KW - functional ecology Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1636/0161-8202-48.2.103 SN - 0161-8202 VL - 48 IS - 2 SP - 103 EP - 109 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kundel, Dominika A1 - Bodenhausen, Natacha A1 - Bracht Jørgensen, Helene A1 - Truu, Jaak A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Hedlund, Katarina A1 - Mäder, Paul A1 - Fliessbach, Andreas T1 - Effects of simulated drought on biological soil quality, microbial diversity and yields under long-term conventional and organic agriculture T2 - FEMS Microbiology Ecology N2 - Drought and agricultural management influence soil microorganisms with unknown consequences for the functioning ofagroecosystems. We simulated drought periods in organic (biodynamic) and conventional wheat fields and monitoredeffects on soil water content, microorganisms and crops. Above the wilting point, water content and microbial respirationwere higher under biodynamic than conventional farming. Highest bacterial and fungal abundances were found inbiodynamically managed soils, and distinct microbial communities characterised the farming systems. Most biological soilquality parameters and crop yields were only marginally affected by the experimental drought, except for arbuscularmycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which increased in abundance under the experimental drought in both farming systems. AMFwere further strongly promoted by biodynamic farming resulting in almost three times higher AMF abundance underexperimental drought in the biodynamic compared with the conventional farming system. Our data suggest an improvedwater storage capacity under biodynamic farming and confirms positive effects of biodynamic farming on biological soilquality. The interactive effects of the farming system and drought may further be investigated under more substantialdroughts. Given the importance of AMF for the plant’s water supply, more in-depth studies on AMF may help to clarify theirrole for yields under conditions predicted by future climate scenarios. KW - microbial diversity KW - rainout shelter KW - PLFA KW - amplicon-based sequencing KW - DOK trial KW - soil organic carbon Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa205 SN - 1574-6941 VL - 96 IS - 12 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Damptey, Frederick Gyasi A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Nsiah, Paul Kofi A1 - Garcia de la Riva, Enrique T1 - Soil properties and biomass attributes in a former gravel mine area after two decades of forest restoration T2 - Land N2 - The ongoing global deforestation resulting from anthropogenic activities such as unsustainable agriculture and surface mining threatens biodiversity and decreases both soil carbon and above-ground biomass stocks. In this study, we assessed soil properties and below- and above-ground biomass attributes in a restored former gravel mine area in Ghana two decades after active restoration with potted plants and fresh topsoil. We compared conditions to four alternative land-use types (unrestored abandoned gravel mine, arable land, semi-natural forest, and natural forest) representing pre- and post-disturbance as well as natural reference states. We hypothesized that soil properties and related levels of below- and above-ground biomass in the restored area share similarities with the natural reference systems and thereby are indicative of a trajectory towards successful restoration. Eight replicated subareas in each land-use type were assessed for a set of soil parameters as well as below- and above-ground biomass attributes. The soil properties characteristic for the restored area differed significantly from pre-restoration stages, such as the abandoned gravel site, but did not differ significantly from properties in the natural forest (except for bulk density and base saturation). Above-ground biomass was lower in the restored area in comparison to the reference natural forests, while differences were not significant for below-ground biomass. Silt and effective cation exchange capacity were closely related to above-ground biomass, while below-ground biomass was related to soil organic carbon, bulk density, and potassium concentration in soils. Our results suggest that major steps towards successful restoration can be accomplished within a relatively short period, without the wholesale application of topsoil. Improving soil conditions is a vital tool for the successful development of extensive vegetation cover after surface mining, which also affects carbon sequestration by both above- and below-ground biomass. We emphasize that the use of reference systems provides critical information for the monitoring of ecosystem development towards an expected future state of the restored area. KW - carbon sequestration KW - degradation KW - forest management KW - mining KW - restoration success Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/land9060209 SN - 2073-445X VL - 9 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Samways, Michael J. : Insect conservation: a global synthesis JF - Basic and Applied Ecology Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2020.04.001 SN - 1439-1791 VL - 46 PB - Springer ER - TY - GEN A1 - Němec, Tomáš A1 - Líznarová, E. A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Horsák, M. T1 - Stable isotope analysis as a method to investigate land-snail food partitioning: a case study from Central European floodplain forest T2 - Journal of Zoology N2 - Land snails are abundant invertebrates in many terrestrial ecosystems, playing an essential role in food webs and nutrient cycling. Although snails are commonly considered general grazers with a strong tendency to omnivory, their foraging strategy is well documented only for a few species. Virtually no data exist on trophic niche partitioning within snail assemblages. To fill this gap, we analyzed naturally occurring stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N), an approach widely applied in ecological research, but only rarely in terrestrial snail studies. We collected ten individuals of the dominant co‐occurring land snails (i.e., Aegopinella nitidula, Fruticicola fruticum, Oxyloma elegans, Succinea putris, Trochulus villosulus and Zonitoides nitidus) in a floodplain forest floor, along with their potential food sources and other invertebrates. All species, except for A. nitidula, showed high intraspecific variation in isotope signatures, indicating their opportunistic feeding behavior. Such a high intraspecific variation combined with the active movement range of all the species allows switching between food sources based on their accessibility. We observed that the trophic niches of the studied species highly overlapped, except for Z. nitidus. This suggests that trophic niche compartmentalization among co‐occurring species does not seem to be the mechanism to avoid competition for food. Virtually unlimited resources for snail food are assumed to explain the coexistence of many species in high‐density populations. Our results add to this concept of assembly rules in snail species by the finding of highly variable and overlapping trophic niches among the majority of the studied species. KW - tropic position KW - snail KW - competition KW - stable isotope analysis KW - oppurtunistic behavior KW - food source Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12859 SN - 1469-7998 VL - 313 IS - 4 SP - 297 EP - 306 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Thomas Wohlgemuth, Anke Jentsch und Rupert Seidl: Störungsökologie, Bern, 2019 N2 - Breiter Überblick zum Stand des Wissens Ökosysteme werden durch Wind, Feuer, Insekten- oder Pilzbefall sowie durch die anthropogene Landnutzung gestört. Störungen können Ökosysteme rasch wandeln, aber langfristig auch zu deren Stabilisierung beitragen. In der Summe aller in einer Landschaft wirkenden Störungen ergibt sich ein Störungsregime, welches durch typische Rhythmen und Interaktionen gekennzeichnet ist. Das vorliegende Lehrbuch ist das erste in deutscher Sprache zu dieser Thematik. In 18 Kapiteln charakterisiert es Störungstypen und Störungsregime sowie ihre Bedeutung für Ökosysteme und beschreibt die Anpassungen von Arten und Pflanzengemeinschaften an diese Störungen. Es bietet einen breiten Überblick zum Stand des Wissens in der Störungsökologie. Zahlreiche Beispiele illustrieren dabei die Verhältnisse in Mitteleuropa. T2 - DIE ERDE – Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin Y1 - 2019 UR - https://www.die-erde.org/index.php/die-erde/article/view/532 SN - 9783825250188 VL - 151 IS - 4 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Damptey, Frederick Gyasi A1 - Garcia de la Riva, Enrique A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Trade-offs and synergies between food and fodder production and other ecosystem services in an actively restored forest in Ghana. T2 - Frontiers in Forests and Global Change N2 - Active restoration of degraded areas with multi-purpose tree species has been proposed as a measure to counter the losses from deforestation and mitigate consequences for local human communities. In a restoration project at a former mining site in Ghana, ecosystem services (ES) proxies in an actively restored forest were compared to a local agroforestry system and a natural forest. The results provide information about trade-offs and synergies between proxies of multiple ES(s). ES proxies were assessed according to the following categories: (a) food-tree ES: biomass of food and fodder trees, (b) other trees ES: biomass of fuelwood, medicine or mulch trees, (c) ES-providing arthropods: the number of detritivorous and predaceous arthropods, (d) carbon storage, and (e) tree diversity. Eight replicated plots with sizes of 20 m × 20 m were established in each forest type, and the following ES proxies were quantified: tree diversity was estimated as taxonomic richness of all trees with a diameter at breast height ≥ 10 cm in each plot. Tree species were then classified into ES categories (food, fodder, fuelwood, medicine, or mulch). Ground-dwelling arthropods were sampled for 10 weeks with five pitfall traps in each plot and categorized as decomposers and predators. Tree above-ground biomass was estimated based on the measured tree diameter, height, and specific wood density using an improved allometric equation. The above-ground biomass was later converted into carbon storage by assuming 50% of the above-ground biomass of each tree. ES proxies based on tree biomass were highest in the natural forest. Fodder, medicine, fuelwood, and mulch ES proxies were significantly higher in the restored forest than the agroforestry system. Decomposer arthropods were most dominant in the natural forest, followed by the restored forest and the agroforestry system. Predacious arthropods were more dominant in the restored forest than in the other forest types. Carbon storage was highest in the natural forest, followed by the agroforestry system and the restored forest. The actively restored forest took an intermediate position between the agroforestry system and the natural forest regarding values for all nine ES proxies. Out of the 14 possible relationships between food or fodder and other ES proxies, five were significantly positive (synergies) with no observed trade-offs (significant negative relationships). High fodder production in the restored and natural forests went along with higher values of other biomass ES proxies and numbers of beneficial arthropods, while higher food biomass also correlated positively with numbers of decomposing arthropods. Our results document that active restoration of degraded sites provides a valuable framework to promote ES provision to local communities compared to agroforestry system, but at the cost of lower food and fuelwood biomass and carbon storage compared to natural forests. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.630959 SN - 2624-893X IS - 4 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Le Provost, Gaëtane A1 - Thiele, Jan A1 - Manning, Peter A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Contrasting responses of above- and belowground diversity to multiple components of land-use intensity T2 - Nature Communications N2 - Land-use intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss. However, understanding how different components of land use drive biodiversity loss requires the investigation of multiple trophic levels across spatial scales. Using data from 150 agricultural grasslands in central Europe, we assess the influence of multiple components of local- and landscape-level land use on more than 4,000 above- and belowground taxa, spanning 20 trophic groups. Plot-level land-use intensity is strongly and negatively associated with aboveground trophic groups, but positively or not associated with belowground trophic groups. Meanwhile, both above- and belowground trophic groups respond to landscape-level land use, but to different drivers: aboveground diversity of grasslands is promoted by diverse surrounding land-cover, while belowground diversity is positively related to a high permanent forest cover in the surrounding landscape. These results highlight a role of landscape-level land use in shaping belowground communities, and suggest that revised agroecosystem management strategies are needed to conserve whole-ecosystem biodiversity. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23931-1 SN - 2041-1723 IS - 12 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Leimer, Sophia A1 - Berner, Doreen A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Boeddinghaus, Runa S. T1 - Land-use intensity and biodiversity effects on infiltration rates and hydraulic conductivity of grassland soils in southern Germany T2 - Ecohydrology N2 - Evidence from experimental and established grasslands indicates that plant biodiversity can modify the water cycle. One suspected mechanism behind this is a higher infiltration capacity (νB) and hydraulic conductivity (K) of the soil on species-rich grasslands. However, in established and agriculturally managed grasslands, biodiversity effects cannot be studied independent of land-use effects. Therefore, we investigated in established grassland systems how land-use intensity and associated biodiversity of plants and soil animals affect νB and K at and close to saturation. On 50 grassland plots along a land-use intensity gradient in the Biodiversity Exploratory Schwäbische Alb, Germany, we measured νB with a hood infiltrometer at several matrix potentials and calculated the saturated and unsaturated K. We statistically analysed the relationship between νB or K and land-use information (e.g., fertilising intensity), abiotic (e.g., soil texture) and biotic data (e.g., plant species richness, earthworm abundance). Land-use intensity decreased and plant species richness increased νB and K, while the direction of the effects of soil animals was inconsistent. The effect of land-use intensity on νB and K was mainly attributable to its negative effect on plant species richness. Our results demonstrate that plant species richness was a better predictor of νB and K at and close to saturation than land-use intensity or soil physical properties in the established grassland systems of the Schwäbische Alb. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2301 SN - 1936-0584 SN - 1936-0592 VL - 14 IS - 6 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Michalko, Radek A1 - Košulič, Ondřej A1 - Martinek, Petr A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Disturbance by invasive pathogenic fungus alters arthropod predator – prey food webs in ash plantations T2 - Journal of Animal Ecology N2 - 1. According to the disturbance-succession theory, natural disturbances support biodiversity and are expected to increase the complexity of food-webs in for-est ecosystems by opening canopies and creating a heterogeneous environment. However, a limited number of studies have investigated the impact of disturbance by invasive pathogenic species and succession on arthropod predator–prey food-webs in forest ecosystems.2. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus is a pathogenic fungus of ash trees that is invasive in Europe and causes massive dieback, mainly of the common ash Fraxinus excelsioracross its native range. Here we investigated how this pathogenic fungus affects food- webs of web- building spiders and their prey in understorey vegetation of ash plantations.3. In 23 young and middle-aged ash plantations that were distributed along a gradi-ent of infestation by H. fraxineus (29%– 86% infestation), we measured the vegeta-tion structure (canopy openness, shrub coverage, herb/grass coverage), the trait composition of local spider communities (web type, body size), the prey availabil-ity and the prey intercepted by spider webs. We then evaluated the multivariate prey composition (prey type, body size) and network properties.4. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus opened the ash tree canopy, which resulted in denser shrub coverage. The dense shrub vegetation changed the composition of web types in local spider communities and increasing fungus infestation resulted in reduced mean body size of spiders. Infestation by H. fraxineus reduced the avail-ability of predaceous Coleoptera and increased the availability of herbivorous Coleoptera as potential prey. The mean body size of captured prey and the per capita capture rates of most prey groups decreased with increasing fungus in-festation. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus infestation indirectly reduced the complexity in bipartite networks and the trophic functional complementarity in local web- building spider communities. The plantation age affected the vegetation structure but did not affect the studied food-webs.5. Forest disturbance by the invasive pathogen affected four trophic levels (plant– herbivore–coleopteran intermediate predator–top predator web- building spiders) and, contrary to the disturbance-succession theory, disturbance by the fungus simplified the web- building spider- prey food-webs. The results support the view that H. fraxineus represents a threat to the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the simplified ecosystems of ash plantations. KW - body size KW - Fraxinus KW - Hymenoscyphus fraxineus KW - indirect interaction KW - network KW - spider Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13537 SN - 1365-2656 SN - 0021-8790 VL - 90 IS - 9 SP - 2213 EP - 2226 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Meyer, Svenja A1 - Kundel, Dominika A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Fliessbach, Andreas A1 - Scheu, Stefan T1 - Soil microarthropods respond differently to simulated drought in organic and conventional farming systems T2 - Ecology and Evolution N2 - In Central Europe, summer droughts are increasing in frequency which threatens production and biodiversity in agroecosystems. The potential of different farming systems to mitigate detrimental drought effects on soil animals is largely unknown. We investigated the effects of simulated drought on the abundance and community composition of soil microarthropods (Collembola and Oribatida and Meso-, Pro-, and Astigmata) in winter wheat fields under long-term conventional and organic farming in the DOK trial, Switzerland. We simulated drought by excluding 65% of the ambient precipitation during the wheat-growing season from March to June 2017. The abundance of Collembola and Oribatida declined more consistently in conventionally managed fields compared to organically managed fields under simulated drought. The abundance of Collembola as well as Meso-, Pro- and Astigmata, but not the abundance of Oribatida, increased in deeper soil layers due to simulated drought, suggesting vertical migration as a drought avoidance strategy. The species composition of Oribatida communities, but not of Collembola communities, differed significantly between drought treatments and between farming systems. Soil carbon content was a major factor structuring Oribatida communities. Our results suggest that organic farming buffers negative effects of drought on soil microarthropods, presumably due to higher soil carbon content and associated higher soil moisture and improved soil structure. This potential of organic farming systems to mitigate consequences of future droughts on soil biodiversity is promising and needs further exploration across larger climatic and spatial scales and should be extended to other groups of soil biota. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7839 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 11 IS - 15 SP - 10369 EP - 10380 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Michalko, Radek A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Pekár, Stano T1 - Interaction between hunting strategy, habitat type and stratum drive intraguild predation and cannibalism T2 - Oikos N2 - Intraguild predation (IGP) is a common interaction between generalist predators when they competitively exploit similar resources and prey on each other. Theoretical models predict limitations for intraguild predator coexistence unless some mechanisms, such as the utilization of alternative prey (i.e. trophic niche partitioning) and cannibalism, increase the relative intraspecific clustering and interspecific segregation. As hunting strategies determine trophic niches of predators and their own vulnerability to predation, the hunting strategies may also determine the relative importance of cannibalism, predation, and exploitative competition and consequently the intensity of IGP. The importance of hunting strategies on the potential outcome of IGP and how habitat properties modify the interaction between hunting strategies remain poorly understood. Using published data on spider prey of spider predators, we first investigated how predation of a top-predator on a mesopredator is determined by the functional distance between both predators to understand how predation and exploitation are distributed in spider communities. Subsequently, we investigated the predation among spiders with particular hunting strategies to understand which strategies interact most frequently. We also investigated whether the interaction between hunting strategies was influenced by habitat type (forest, open (semi)natural habitat, agroecosystem) or by habitat stratum (ground versus vegetation). The hunting strategies of top-predators and mesopredators interacted to determine the relative capture proportions of conspecifics and hetero-specifics. This interaction was further modified by habitat type and stratum. Two mechanisms can reinforce coexistence in highly diverse spider communities. First, top-predators preyed most frequently on functionally distinct mesopredators, which indicates the overall intensity of IGP may be relaxed by a balanced distribution between exploitative competition and predation. Second, cannibalism was common for top-predators with a hunting strategy of frequently preying on functionally similar mesopredators. Cannibalism may lead to self-limitation of top-predator populations and may thereby facilitate coexistence between two predator species. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08355 SN - 1600-0706 IS - 3 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Fotang, Chefor A1 - Bröring, Udo A1 - Roos, Christian A1 - Enoguanbhor, Evidence Chinedu A1 - Dutton, Paul A1 - Tédonzong, Luc R. D. A1 - Willie, Jacob A1 - Yuh, Yisa Ginath A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Environmental and anthropogenic effects on the nesting patterns of Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzees in North-West Cameroon T2 - American Journal of Primatology N2 - Environmental conditions and human activity influence the selection of nest sites by chimpanzees and may have serious conservation implications. We examined the characteristics of nesting trees preferred by chimpanzees, investigated the effect of vegetation composition and topography on nest site locations and seasonality on nesting heights of chimpanzees, and verified the effect of predator occurrence and human activity on the nesting behavior of the Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve (KWFR) and surrounding unprotected forest in Cameroon. We recorded 923 nests, 502 signs of human activity, and 646 nesting trees along line transects and recces (reconnaissance) for two seasons. We found that chimpanzees constructed more arboreal nests on tall primary trees with high lowest branch height and large diameter at breast height. Moreover, they oriented their nests within trees in the slope direction when the nesting trees were located on slopes. Additionally, the occurrence of chimpanzee nests was positively related to increasing elevation and slope and decreased with distance to primary forest. In contrast, the number of nests increased with distance to secondary forest, open land, and villages, and nesting height was not influenced by seasons. While we recorded no signs of large nocturnal chimpanzee predators at nesting trees, we found signs of hunting activity at nesting locations. Nesting high in trees is likely a way of avoiding hunting, while nest orientation within trees in slope direction shortens escape routes from human hunters. Our findings suggest that chimpanzees select safe trees (tall trees with high lowest branch height) located in nesting areas (primary forest, high elevation, and steep slopes) that are not easily accessible by humans. Therefore, conservation efforts should focus on protecting primary forests at high elevation and steep slopes and reducing human impact. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23312 SN - 1098-2345 SN - 0275-2565 VL - 83 IS - 9 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Feng, Lanya A1 - Arvidsson, Fredrik A1 - Smith, Henrik G. A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Fallows and permanent grasslands conserve the species composition and functional diversity of carabid beetles and linyphiid spiders in agricultural landscapes T2 - Insect Conservation & Diversity N2 - The European Union reformed the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP 2013) to include greening measures with the aim to decrease negative impacts of farming on the environment and biodiversity. The degree to which greening measures such as permanent grassland or fallows of different ages enhance biodiversity is still debated. We investigate the effect of fallows in two different age classes and permanent grassland in the surrounding landscape on the taxonomic and functional diversity of two numerically dominant groups of natural enemies in cereal fields: soil-emerging carabid beetles (Family Carabidae, Order Coleoptera) and ground-active linyphiid spiders (Family Linyphiidae, Order Araneae). The species richness, abundance and Hill–Shannon diversity of carabids and linyphiids did not differ significantly between fallows and cereal fields and was not significantly related to the proportion of permanent grassland in the surrounding landscape. The species composition of both communities differed significantly between cereal fields and fallows. The functional distinctness, as an index reflecting the similarity among species in terms of functional traits, of linyphiids was significantly higher in fallows than in cereal fields. The trait composition of carabids was significantly related to the proportion of permanent grassland depending on field type (cereal or fallow). Our results document considerable species turnover in natural enemy communities of adjacent cereal fields and fallows, and support the assumption that older fallows (>8 years) produce functionally more diverse natural enemy communities. Maintaining fallows for a long period is an important measure to promote the functional diversity in predaceous arthropod communities. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12520 SN - 1752-4598 SN - 1752-458X VL - 14 IS - 6 SP - 825 EP - 836 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Fliessbach, Andreas A1 - Gavín‐Centol, María Pilar A1 - Hedlund, Katarina A1 - Ingimarsdóttir, María A1 - Bracht Jørgensen, Helene A1 - Kozjek, Katja A1 - Meyer, Svenja A1 - Montserrat, Marta A1 - Sánchez-Moreno, Sara A1 - Moya-Laraño, Jordi A1 - Scheu, Stefan A1 - Serrano-Carnero, Diego A1 - Truu, Jaak A1 - Kundel, Dominika T1 - Conventional agriculture and not drought alters relationships between soil biota and functions T2 - Scientific Reports N2 - Soil biodiversity constitutes the biological pillars of ecosystem services provided by soils worldwide. Soil life is threatened by intense agricultural management and shifts in climatic conditions as two important global change drivers which are not often jointly studied under field conditions. We addressed the effects of experimental short‐term drought over the wheat growing season on soil organisms and ecosystem functions under organic and conventional farming in a Swiss long term trial. Our results suggest that activity and community metrics are suitable indicators for drought stress while microbial communities primarily responded to agricultural practices. Importantly, we found a significant loss of multiple pairwise positive and negative relationships between soil biota and process‐related variables in response to conventional farming, but not in response to experimental drought. These results suggest a considerable weakening of the contribution of soil biota to ecosystem functions under long‐term conventional agriculture. Independent of the farming system, experimental and seasonal (ambient) drought conditions directly affected soil biota and activity. A higher soil water content during early and intermediate stages of the growing season and a high number of significant relationships between soil biota to ecosystem functions suggest that organic farming provides a buffer against drought effects. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03276-x SN - 2045-2322 IS - 11 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Tluste, Claudia A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Shells of the Roman snail are important microhabitats for soil invertebrates T2 - Soil organisms N2 - Shells of molluscs from snail farms (heliciculture) are used as food additives or construction material and ecological engineering approaches utilize their potential to assist with ecosystem restoration. Previous studies, for example, highlighted the importance of snail shells as microhabitat for threatened arthropod species with particular focus on wild bees nesting in empty shells. This study focuses on shells of the Roman snail (Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758) and their value as microhabitat for shell adopters in different dominant vegetation forms and sample periods. In total, 1408 empty shells were placed in areas dominated by one of two vegetation forms (herbaceous vegetation or trees) from February to November 2019 (autumn) or from February to June/ July 2020 (summer). All collected shells (N = 618) were sealed at the time of collection, frozen and all content was then analysed with a digital microscope. In total, 91.4% of all collected shells were occupied and the average number of shell adopters was 1.5 time higher in shells collected in summer compared to shells collected in autumn. The number of shell adopters per shell was 1.5 times higher in study areas dominated by herbaceous vegetation compared to study areas dominated by trees. Shell width, but not shell height significantly affected the composition of shell adopter communities. Shells with a larger width were more frequently colonized by another gastropod species [Discus rotundatus (O. F. Müller, 1774)] than less wide shells. Shells of the Roman snail provide important multipurpose benefits for a wide range of soil organisms, particularly in habitats that were dominated by herbaceous vegetation and in summer. In autumn, shell adopters included isopods, gastropods and spiders in one subset of shells or Collembola in another subset. The future use of commercially available, empty shells from heliciculture in local restoration projects of open, tree-free areas, holds the potential to support a diverse invertebrate fauna with additional refuge habitats. KW - Gastropoda KW - Helix pomatia KW - shell adopter KW - shelter KW - soil animals Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.25674/so93iss3id167 SN - 2509-9523 SN - 1864-6417 VL - 93 IS - 3 SP - 141 EP - 152 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mathulwe, Letodi L. A1 - Jacobs, Karin A1 - Malan, Antoinette P. A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Addison, Matthew F. A1 - Addison, Pia T1 - Characterisation of Metarhizium majus (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) isolated from the Western Cape Province, South Africa. T2 - PloS one N2 - Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are important soil-dwelling entomopathogens, which can be used as biological control agents against pest insects. EPF are capable of causing lethal epizootics in pest insect populations in agroecosystems. During a survey of the orchard soil at an organic farm, different EPF species were collected and identified to species level, using both morphological and molecular techniques. The EPF were trapped from soil samples taken from an apricot orchard. The traps, which were baited in the laboratory, used susceptible host insects, including the last-instar larvae of Galleria mellonella (wax moth larvae) and Tenebrio molitor (mealworm larvae). The potential pathogenicity of the local Metarhizium majus isolate was tested and verified using susceptible laboratory-reared last-instar T. molitor larvae. The identification of the M. majus isolated from South African soil was verified using both morphological and molecular techniques. The occurrence of M. majus in the South African soil environment had not previously been reported. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240955 SN - 1932-6203 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Fotang, Chefor A1 - Bröring, Udo A1 - Roos, Christian A1 - Enoguanbhor, Evidence Chinedu A1 - E. Abwe, Ekwoge A1 - Dutton, Paul A1 - Schierack, Peter A1 - Angwafo, Tsi Evaristus A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Human activity and forest fragmentation threaten populations of the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Western Cameroon T2 - International Journal of Primatology N2 - Increased human activities such as commodity-led deforestation, extension of agriculture, urbanization, and wildfires are major drivers of forest loss worldwide. In Cameroon, these activities cause a loss of suitable primate habitat and could ultimately threaten the survival of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). We derived independent estimates of the population size of the Endangered Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, Cameroon, and surrounding unprotected forest areas through 1) direct observations, 2) camera trapping, 3) distance sampling, 4) marked nest counts, and 5) standing crop nest counts. In addition, we georeferenced signs of chimpanzee and human activity along line transects. We used a generalized linear mixed model to predict the occurrence of chimpanzees in response to edge length (measured as the perimeter of core forest patches), core area of forest patches (measured as area of forest patches beyond an edge width of 100 m), habitat perforation (measured as the perimeter of nonforested landscape within core forest patches), patch size(measured as area of forest patches), and forest cover. Chimpanzee density estimates ranged from 0.1 (direct observation) to 0.9 (distance sampling) individuals km−2 depending on estimation method with a mean nest group size of 7 ± 5.4 (SD). The mean encounter rate for signs of chimpanzee activity was significantly higher in mature forests (2.3 signs km−1) than in secondary forests (0.3 signs km−1) and above 1000 m elevation (4.0 signs km−1) than below 1000 m (1.0 signs km−1). The mean encounter rate for signs of human activity was significantly higher in secondary (8.0 signs km−1) than in mature forests (0.9 signs km−1). Secondary forests, habitat perforation, and edge length had a significant negative effect on the occurrence of chimpanzee signs. Overall, human activity and forest degradation affected the number of observed chimpanzee signs negatively. Regular antipoaching patrols and reforestation programs in degraded areas could potentially reduce threats to populations of endangered species and may increase suitable habitat area. KW - Bushmeat hunting KW - Core areas KW - Edge length KW - Forest fragmentation KW - Forest perforation KW - Nest counts KW - Mature forest KW - Pan troglodytes ellioti KW - Secondary forest Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-020-00191-2 SN - 1573-8604 SN - 0164-0291 VL - 42 IS - 1 SP - 105 EP - 129 ER -