Coordination Funds

生物多样性-生态系统功能（BEF）研究表明，生物多样性群落在促进生物量生产、碳固存、食草和捕食等生态系统功能方面具有重要意义。同样，植物多样性增加了生态系统的稳定性，但对树木多样性如何构建与植物相关的复杂营养相互作用网络知之甚少。为了了解树木多样性与生物量生产、元素循环和物种保护之间的关系，DFG与891研究组在中国亚热带地区启动了世界上最大的森林生物多样性实验，从而建立了BEF-China研究平台。我们提出的多学科研究单元MultiTroph将利用BEF-China实验的独特机会，在多营养水平上确定生物多样性与生态系统功能之间关系的机制。我们的目标是量化不同营养和功能的消费者群体与树木的物种相互作用，沿着实验树木多样性梯度，最终将不同的相互作用类型与大型食物网联系起来。研究的相互作用侧重于通过特定的相互作用模块（包括关键营养水平）确定的功能冗余和互补性。我们的指导原则是期望定量营养相互作用网络将有助于确定在物种丰富的栖息地中具有重叠生态位的广义/冗余群落中相互作用中的生态位重叠。这将与物种贫乏栖息地中具有分离生态位的专门/互补群落进行比较。申请者是来自不同研究领域的专家，包括土壤科学、植物学、生态网络、动物生态学和自然保护，我们将加强在中国的长期合作。我们的目标是与中国合作伙伴合作，应用新的方法，如DNA条形码/元条形码或稳定同位素来识别各种节肢动物的已实现食物生态位，以更好地了解多个功能群之间营养相互作用的具体联系。此外，还将研究土壤、植物、食草动物和捕食者之间的化学元素及其化学计量，以了解土壤过程如何与树木多样性相互作用，以及这些植物-土壤相互作用如何构建营养食物网。MultiTroph包括两个中心项目（协调、数据管理和综合）和六个专题子项目，重点是枯木分解、草食（包括采花粉蜜蜂）、种子捕食以及蚂蚁和黄蜂的捕食。腐木分解和元素从土壤流向植物到更高营养水平是超越个体营养联系的核心部分。我们相信，我们提议的研究单位将极大地扩展现有的森林生物多样性数据，从而全面了解森林生态系统中的多营养食物网。

Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research demonstrated the importance of biodiverse communities for promoting ecosystem functions such as biomass production, carbon sequestration, herbivory and predation. Likewise, plant diversity increases ecosystem stability but little is known on how tree diversity structures complex trophic interaction networks associated with plants. To understand how tree diversity is linked to biomass production, element cycling and species conservation, the DFG has initiated, with the Research Unit FOR 891, the largest forest biodiversity experiment worldwide located in subtropical China and thereby established the BEF-China research platform.Our proposed multi-disciplinary Research Unit MultiTroph will use the unique opportunity of the BEF-China Experiment to identify mechanisms underlying the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions across multi-trophic levels. We aim to quantify species interactions of different trophic and functional groups of consumers with trees along an experimental tree diversity gradient to ultimately connect the different interaction types to large food webs. The studied interactions focus on functional redundancy and complementarity identified via specific interaction modules including key trophic levels. Our guiding principle is the expectation that quantitative trophic interaction networks will help to identify niche overlaps within interactions in generalised/redundant communities with overlapping niches in tree species-rich habitats. This will be compared to specialised/complementary communities with separated niches in species-poor habitats. Applicants are experts from different research fields including soil sciences, botany, ecological networks, animal ecology and nature conservation and we will intensify our long-standing collaborations in China. We aim to apply novel methods in collaboration with Chinese partners such as DNA barcoding/meta-barcoding or stable isotopes to identify realised food niches of various arthropods to better understand specific links of trophic interactions across multiple functional groups. Additionally, selected chemical elements and their stoichiometry between the soil, plants, herbivores and predators will be studied to understand how soil processes are interacting with tree diversity and how these plant-soil interactions structure trophic food webs. MultiTroph comprises two central projects (coordination, data management and synthesis) and six thematic subprojects with a focus on deadwood decomposition, herbivory (including pollen-collecting bees), seed predation, and predation by ants and wasps. Deadwood decomposition and element flows from soil to the plants to higher trophic levels are central parts to go beyond individual trophic links.We are convinced that our proposed Research Unit will critically extend existing forest biodiversity data to achieve a holistic understanding of multi-trophic food webs in forest ecosystems.