Forest loss and matrix composition are the major drivers shaping dung beetle assemblages in a fragmented rainforest

Context

Identifying the drivers shaping biological assemblages in fragmented tropical landscapes is critical for designing effective conservation strategies. It is still unclear, however, whether tropical biodiversity is more strongly affected by forest loss, by its spatial configuration or by matrix composition across different spatial scales.

Objectives

Assessing the relative influence of forest patch and landscape attributes on dung beetle assemblages in the fragmented Lacandona rainforest, Mexico.

Methods

Using a multimodel inference approach we tested the relative impact of forest patch size and landscape forest cover (measures of forest amount at the patch and landscape scales, respectively), patch shape and isolation (forest configuration indices at the patch scale), forest fragmentation (forest configuration index at the landscape scale), and matrix composition on the diversity, abundance and biomass of dung beetles.

Results

Patch size, landscape forest cover and matrix composition were the best predictors of dung beetle assemblages. Species richness, beetle abundance, and biomass decreased in smaller patches surrounded by a lower percentage of forest cover, and in landscapes dominated by open-area matrices. Community evenness also increased under these conditions due to the loss of rare species.

Conclusions

Forest loss at the patch and landscape levels and matrix composition show a larger impact on dung beetles than forest spatial configuration. To preserve dung beetle assemblages, and their key functional roles in the ecosystem, conservation initiatives should prioritize a reduction in deforestation and an increase in the heterogeneity of the matrix surrounding forest remnants.

     

Responses of black spruce (Picea mariana) and tamarack (Larix laricina) to flooding and ethylene

Black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) and tamarack (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) are the predominant tree species in the boreal peatlands of Alberta, Canada, where low nutrient availability, low soil temperature and a high water table limit their growth. Effects of flooding for 28 days on morphological and physiological responses were investigated in greenhouse-grown black spruce and tamarack seedlings in a growth chamber. Flooding reduced root hydraulic conductance, net assimilation rate and stomatal conductance, and increased water-use efficiency (WUE) and needle electrolyte leakage in both species. Although flooded black spruce seedlings maintained higher net assimilation rates and stomatal conductance than flooded tamarack seedlings, flooded tamarack seedlings were able to maintain higher root hydraulic conductance than flooded black spruce seedlings. Needles of flooded black spruce developed tip necrosis and electrolyte leakage after 14 days of flooding, and these symptoms were subsequently more prominent than in needles of flooded tamarack seedlings. Flooded tamarack seedlings exhibited no visible injury symptoms and developed hypertrophied lenticels at their stem base. Application of exogenous ethylene resulted in a significant reduction in net assimilation, stomatal conductance and root respiration, whereas root hydraulic conductivity increased in both species. Thus, although flooded black spruce seedlings maintained a higher stomatal conductance and net assimilation rate than tamarack seedlings, black spruce did not cope with the deleterious effects of prolonged soil flooding and exogenous ethylene as well as tamarack.     

Variation in post-wildfire regeneration of boreal mixedwood forests: underlying factors and implications for natural disturbance-based management

To test the direct regeneration hypothesis and support natural disturbance-based forest management we characterized the structure and composition of boreal mixedwood forests regenerating after large wildfires and examined the influence of pre-fire stand composition and post-fire competing vegetation. In stands which had been deciduous (Populus sp.)-dominated, conifer (white spruce)-dominated, or mixed pre-fire we measured regeneration stocking (presence in 10 m² plots), density and height 10–20 years post-burn in five wildfires in Alberta, Canada. Most plots regenerated to the deciduous or mixed stocking types; plots in the older fire and in stands that were pure conifer pre-fire had higher amounts of conifer regeneration. Surprisingly, regeneration in pre-fire ‘pure’ white spruce stands was most often to pine, although these had not been recorded in the pre-fire inventory. Pre-fire deciduous stands were the most resilient in that poplar species dominated their post-fire regeneration in terms of stocking, density and height. These stands also had the highest diversity of regenerating tree species and the most unstocked plots. High grass cover negatively affected regeneration density of both deciduous and conifer trees. Our results demonstrate the natural occurrence of regeneration gaps, pre- to post-fire changes in forest composition, and high variation in post-fire regeneration composition. These should be taken into consideration when developing goals for post-harvest regeneration mimicking natural disturbance.     

The influence of the herbicide 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) on the mineralization of litter-derived alkanes and the abundance of the alkane monooxygenase gene (alkB) in the detritusphere of Pisum sativum (L.)

In the present study, the temporal and spatial variation of the abundance of the alkane monooxygenase gene alkB and 16S rRNA genes in different soil compartments was analysed in the presence or absence of 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) after the addition of pea litter to soil in a microcosm study. Samples were analysed shortly after litter addition (T0) and 1?week (T1), 3?weeks (T3) and 6?weeks (T6) after the addition of litter. In addition also, the quantity and quality of litter-derived alkanes was analysed and measured. The results revealed a fast and complete degradation of MCPA in all compartments throughout the experiment. Nevertheless, significant changes in the distribution patterns of short- and middle-chained alkanes suggest an interaction of MCPA and alkane degradation. alkB gene copy numbers were highly influenced by the time point of analysis and by the investigated soil compartment. Overall, an increase in alkB gene copy numbers from T0 to T3 was visible in the upper soil compartments whereas a decrease compared to T0 was measured in the deeper soil compartments. MCPA addition resulted in an increase of alkB abundance at T6. Gene copy numbers of 16S rRNA were not influenced by sampling time and soil compartment. In contrast to the control treatments, a slight increase in 16S rRNA gene copy numbers was visible at T1 and T3 compared to T0 in all soil compartments.     

Inhibition of N-Type Calcium Channels by Fluorophenoxyanilide Derivatives

A set of fluorophenoxyanilides, designed to be simplified analogues of previously reported ω-conotoxin GVIA mimetics, were prepared and tested for N-type calcium channel inhibition in a SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma FLIPR assay. N-type or Ca_v2.2 channel is a validated target for the treatment of refractory chronic pain. Despite being significantly less complex than the originally designed mimetics, up to a seven-fold improvement in activity was observed.     

Local response of bacterial densities and enzyme activities to elevated atmospheric CO2 and different N supply in the rhizosphere of Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Altered flux of labile C from plant roots into soil is thought to influence growth and maintenance of microbial communities under elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. We studied the abundance and function of the soil microbial community at two levels of spatial resolution to assess the response of microorganisms in the rhizosphere of the whole root system and of apical root zones of Phaseolus vulgaris L. to elevated CO₂ and high or low N supply.

At the coarser resolution, microbial biomass C, basal respiration and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) patterns in the rhizosphere remained unaffected by elevated CO₂, because the C flux from the whole root system into soil did not change [as shown by Haase, S., Neumann, G., Kania, A., Kuzyakov, Y., Römheld, V., Kandeler, E., 2007. Elevation of atmospheric CO₂ and N-nutritional status modify nodulation, nodule carbon supply, and root exudation of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 39, 2208–2221]. At a higher spatial resolution, more low-molecular-weight compounds were released from apical root zones under elevated CO₂. Thus, at an early stage of plant growth (12 days after sowing), elevated CO₂ induced an increase of enzyme activities (xylosidase, cellobiosidase and leucine-aminopeptidase) in the rhizosphere soil of apical root zones. At later stages of plant growth (21 days after sowing), however, enzyme activities (those above as well as N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase and phosphatase) decreased under elevated CO₂. The abundance of total and denitrifying bacteria in the rhizosphere soil of apical root zones was unaffected by CO₂ elevation or N supply. Plant age seemed to be the main factor influencing the density of the bacterial community. In conclusion, the soil microbial community in the apical root zone responded to elevated CO₂ by altered enzyme regulation (production and/or activity) and not by greater bacterial abundance.     

Endogeic earthworms alter carbon translocation by fungi at the soil-litter interface

The effect of endogeic earthworms (Octolasion tyrtaeum (Savigny)) on the translocation of litter-derived carbon into the upper layer of a mineral soil by fungi was investigated in a microcosm experiment. Arable soil with and without O. tyrtaeum was incubated with ¹³C/¹⁵N-labelled rye leaves placed on plastic rings with gaze (64 μm mesh size) to avoid incorporation of leaves by earthworms. The plastic rings were positioned either on or 3 cm above the soil surface, to distinguish between biotic and chemical/physical translocation of nutrients by fungi and leaching.Contact of leaves to the soil increased ¹³C translocation, whereas presence of O. tyrtaeum reduced the incorporation of ¹³C into the mineral soil in all treatments. Although biomass of O. tyrtaeum decreased during the experiment, more ¹³C and ¹⁵N was incorporated into earthworm tissue in treatments with contact of leaves to the soil. Contact of leaves to the soil and the presence of O. tyrtaeum increased cumulative ¹³CO₂-C production by 18.2% and 14.1%, respectively.The concentration of the fungal bio-indicator ergosterol in the soil tended to be increased and that of the fungal-specific phospholipid fatty acid 18:2ω6 was significantly increased in treatments with contact of leaves to the soil. Earthworms reduced the concentration of ergosterol and 18:2ω6 in the soil by 14.0% and 43.2%, respectively. Total bacterial PLFAs in soil were also reduced in presence of O. tyrtaeum, but did not respond to the addition of the rye leaves. In addition, the bacterial community in treatments with O. tyrtaeum differed from that without earthworms and shifted towards an increased dominance of Gram-negative bacteria.The results indicate that litter-decomposing fungi translocate litter-derived carbon via their mycelial network in to the upper mineral soil. Endogeic earthworms decrease fungal biomass by grazing and disruption of fungal hyphae thereby counteracting the fungal-mediated translocation of carbon in soils.     

Shifts in rhizosphere microbial communities and enzyme activity of Poa alpina across an alpine chronosequence

This study quantifies the influence of Poa alpina on the soil microbial community in primary succession of alpine ecosystems, and whether these effects are controlled by the successional stage. Four successional sites representative of four stages of grassland development (initial, 4 years (non-vegetated); pioneer, 20 years; transition, 75 years; mature, 9500 years old) on the Rotmoos glacier foreland, Austria, were sampled. The size, composition and activity of the microbial community in the rhizosphere and bulk soil were characterized using the chloroform-fumigation extraction procedure, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and measurements of the enzymes β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, leucine aminopeptidase, acid phosphatase and sulfatase. The interplay between the host plant and the successional stage was quantified using principal component (PCA) and multidimensional scaling analyses. Correlation analyses were applied to evaluate the relationship between soil factors (C_org, N_t, C/N ratio, pH, ammonium, phosphorus, potassium) and microbial properties in the bulk soil. In the pioneer stage microbial colonization of the rhizosphere of P. alpina was dependent on the reservoir of microbial species in the bulk soil. As a consequence, the rhizosphere and bulk soil were similar in microbial biomass (ninhydrin-reactive nitrogen (NHR-N)), community composition (PLFA), and enzyme activity. In the transition and mature grassland stage, more benign soil conditions stimulated microbial growth (NHR-N, total amount of PLFA, bacterial PLFA, Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria), and microbial diversity (Shannon index H) in the rhizosphere either directly or indirectly through enhanced carbon allocation. In the same period, the rhizosphere microflora shifted from a G⁻ to a more G⁺, and from a fungal to a more bacteria-dominated community. Rhizosphere β-xylosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, and sulfatase activity peaked in the mature grassland soil, whereas rhizosphere leucine aminopeptidase, β-glucosidase, and phosphatase activity were highest in the transition stage, probably because of enhanced carbon and nutrient allocation into the rhizosphere due to better growth conditions. Soil organic matter appeared to be the most important driver of microbial colonization in the bulk soil. The decrease in soil pH and soil C/N ratio mediated the shifts in the soil microbial community composition (bacPLFA, bacPLFA/fungPLFA, G⁻, G⁺/G⁻). The activities of β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase and phosphatase were related to soil ammonium and phosphorus, indicating that higher decomposition rates enhanced the nutrient availability in the bulk soil. We conclude that the major determinants of the microflora vary along the successional gradient: in the pioneer stage the rhizosphere microflora was primarily determined by the harsh soil environment; under more favourable environmental conditions, however, the host plant selected for a specific microbial community that was related to the dynamic interplay between soil properties and carbon supply.