Effects of enhanced structural complexity on dead-wood microbial diversity and wood decomposition

森林管理严重损害了依赖木材的生物的多样性，特别是由于清除了各种枯木资源。木生真菌和细菌是物种最丰富的谱系之一，对森林生态系统的功能有很大贡献。然而，我们对不同类群和后续生态系统过程中枯木中微生物多样性的驱动因素的了解仍处于初级阶段。在这里，我们利用一个大型的协作实验框架，来研究森林中的结构α(ESC)和β(ESBC)复杂性是否以及如何通过营林或自然干扰来增强微生物多样性，并改变以前同质生产森林的生态系统过程(分解)。更具体地说，我们将理清ESB/ESBC提供的因素，即推动斑块水平微生物多样性的资源特征和小气候条件的变异性，特别是这如何转化为地区水平的Beta多样性。这将使我们能够(1)从机制上更深入地了解微生物多样性模式和相关的组装过程，以及(2)在森林管理运作的相关空间尺度上提出具体建议，以维持生产林中的微生物多样性和随后的分解过程。最后，大型合作框架将通过将生态系统隔间(例如枯木和土壤)和/或分类(例如微生物、昆虫、苔藓植物)联系起来，推动进一步的想法和研究微生物枯木研究以外的问题。

The diversity of wood-dependent organisms suffers strongly from forest management, particularly due to the removal of diverse dead-wood resources. Wood-inhabiting fungi and bacteria are among the most species-rich lineages and contribute substantially to forest ecosystem functioning. However, our understanding of the drivers of the microbial diversity in dead wood across taxa and subsequent ecosystem processes is still rudimentary. We here take advantage of a large collaborative experimental framework to ask whether and how the Enhancement of Structural Alpha (ESC) and Beta (ESBC) Complexity in forests by silviculture or natural disturbances increases microbial diversity and modifies ecosystem processes (decomposition) in former homogeneous production forests. More specifically, we will disentangle the factors provided by ESB/ESBC, that is, variability in resource characteristics and microclimate conditions driving microbial diversity at patch level and particularly how this translates into beta diversity at district level. This will allow us to (i) gain a deeper mechanistic understanding of microbial diversity patterns and related assembly processes and (ii) concrete recommendations to maintain microbial diversity and subsequent decomposition processes in production forests at the relevant spatial scale at which forest management operates. Finally, the large collaborative framework will boost further ideas and study questions beyond microbial dead-wood research via linking ecosystems compartments (e.g., dead-wood and soil) and /or taxa (e.g., microbes, insects, bryophytes).