Wood decomposition and decomposer interactions

Feldhaar & ThornWood分解和分解者相互作用（SP1）更广泛的研究背景：较高的树木多样性可能有利于saperylytic昆虫，通过提高枯木和森林异质性的多样性。通过提供食物和筑巢空间的物种觅食在树叶凋落物或土壤中，枯木是一个重要的环节之间的地上和地下food webs.Hypotheses：在这里，我们建议研究safetylic昆虫群落沿着一个树的多样性梯度在BEF-中国的实验。我们的主要假设是：（1）树木多样性与枯枝落叶量和枯枝落叶多样性呈正相关;（2）枯枝落叶量和枯枝落叶多样性的增加导致了昆虫群落功能性状多样性的增加。(3)随着树木多样性的增加，昆虫群落功能性状多样性的增加对木材分解有积极的影响。(4)由于小气候和昆虫群落垂直分层的差异，悬浮死木的分解速度比在地面上慢。方法：我们将描述自然发生的死木在所有核心地块的数量和多样性，以评估资源质量和可用性的saperylicinsects（WP 1）。我们将在所有的核心地块的功能和分类的多样性，从枯枝落叶层昆虫群落的特征。对于蚂蚁和白蚁，我们将评估落叶层和陷阱陷阱（SP3和SP 6）的物种库，因为地块内捕食性蚂蚁的存在可能会阻止其他昆虫在枯木上定居（WP 2）。在VIP地块中，我们将暴露四种不同树种的枯木，并允许昆虫定植或排除昆虫。我们将描述与木材性状有关的saperylytic昆虫群落，并将测量木材质量损失（WP 3）。此外，我们将比较木材分解和殖民化的saperylicinsects悬浮死木材与件暴露在地面上，再次与无昆虫exclusion.Innovation（WP 4）：我们将扩展以前的工作，包括树木多样性作为驱动程序的saperylicinsects社区和分解过程。我们将把树木多样性对分解者群落的直接影响从间接影响中分离出来，这些间接影响是通过影响当地物种库的环境变化介导的，从而改变枯木中的群落组装过程或分解者与其他营养级生物之间的相互作用。该项目将由Heike Feldhaar（拜罗伊特大学PI）和Simon Thorn（维尔茨堡大学联合PI）与我们的中国合作伙伴Arong Luo（中国科学院）合作开展。

Feldhaar & ThornWood decomposition and decomposer interactions (SP1)Wider research context: Higher tree diversity may be beneficial to saproxylic insects by enhancing the diversity of dead wood and forest heterogeneity. By providing food and nesting space for species foraging in leaf-litter or soil, dead wood is an important link between the above- and below-ground food web.Hypotheses: Here, we propose to study saproxylic insect communities along a tree diversity gradient in the BEF-China experiment. Our main hypotheses are: (1) Tree diversity is positively correlated to the amount and diversity of dead wood, which (2) leads to an increase in (functional trait) diversity of saproxylic insect communities. (3) Higher functional trait diversity of saproxylic insect communities with increasing tree diversity has a positive effect on wood decomposition. (4) Decomposition of suspended dead wood is slower than on the ground due to differences in microclimate and vertical stratification of insect communities.Methods: We will characterize the amount and diversity of naturally occurring dead wood in all core plots to assess resource quality and availability for saproxylic insects (WP1). We will characterize the functional and taxonomic diversity of saproxylic insect communities from dead wood in all core plots. For ants and termites, we will assess species pools from leaf litter and pitfall traps (with SP3 and SP6) since the presence of predatory ants within plots may prevent other insects from colonising dead wood (WP2). In the VIP plots we will expose dead wood from four different tree species and either allow insect colonization or exclude insects. We will characterize saproxylic insect communities in relation to wood traits and will measure wood mass loss (WP3). Moreover, we will compare wood decomposition and colonization by saproxylic insects of suspended dead wood with pieces exposed on the ground, again with and without insect exclusion (WP4).Innovation: We will extend previous work by including tree diversity as a driver of saproxylic insect communities and the entailing decomposition process. We will disentangle the direct effects of tree diversity on decomposer communities from indirect effects mediated through environmental changes affecting the local species pool, thereby altering community assembly processes in dead wood or interactions between decomposers and organisms of other trophic levels.Primary researchers involved: This project will be conducted by Heike Feldhaar (PI, Uni Bayreuth) and Simon Thorn (Co-PI, Uni Würzburg), in collaboration with our Chinese partner Arong Luo (Chinese Academy of Sciences).