DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Role of Porcellio Scaber in a Litter Processing Chain

长期以来，生态学家一直对控制陆地生态系统中植物物质分解的因素感兴趣。分解是植物吸收的养分在生态系统中循环的主要过程。尽管物理环境对分解的控制已经被很好地研究了，但对于以碎屑为食的动物之间的相互作用或这种相互作用如何影响分解，人们知之甚少。大型食害性动物，如蚯蚓、千足虫和播种虫，可能会改善线虫和跳虫等小型土壤动物的食物质量。这个项目研究了一种常见的母猪臭虫--猪瘟和土壤动物之间的相互作用。在本研究系统中，Porcellio scaber极大地增加了植物凋落物的分解。母猪臭虫可能会加速植物粪便进入土壤，并使依赖这种碎屑流入的土壤动物受益。通过提高碎屑的营养含量和促进微生物的定植，母猪饲养也有利于土壤中的有害动物。这项工作将通过田间和实验室实验来验证这些假说，并在自然土壤群落和对照实验室实验中展示波塞利奥赤霉病对土壤动物的整体影响。这项研究将有助于更好地理解碳是如何通过分解者食物网循环的，以及物种之间的相互作用如何导致分解速率的变化。该项目还将支持一名博士生的学位论文研究。

Ecologists have long been interested in the factors that control the decomposition of plant matter in terrestrial ecosystems. Decomposition is the primary process through which nutrients taken up by plants are recycled in the ecosystem. Although the physical environmental controls on decomposition have been well studied, relatively little is known about interactions among the animals that feed on detritus or how such interactions affect decomposition. Large detritivores, such as earthworms, millipedes and sow bugs, may improve the quality of food available for small soil animals such as nematodes and springtails. This project examines the interaction between a common sow bug, Porcellio scaber, and soil fauna. Porcellio scaber dramatically increases the breakdown of plant litter in this study system. The sow bugs may accelerate incorporation of plant litter into the soil, and benefit soil animals that depend on such influxes of detritus. Sow bug feeding may also benefit soil detritivores by improving the nutrient content of detritus and facilitating of microbe colonization. This work will test these hypotheses with field and laboratory experiments and demonstrate the overall impact of Porcellio scaber on soil fauna in a natural soil community and in controlled laboratory experiments. This study will contribute to a greater understanding of how carbon is cycled through decomposer foodwebs, and how species interactions contribute to variation in decomposition rates. This project will also support the dissertation research of a doctoral student.