Dataset Information

Tree canopy arthropods have idiosyncratic responses to plant ecophysiological traits in a warm temperate forest complex.

ABSTRACT: Biodiversity studies on forest canopies often have narrow arthropod taxonomic focus, or refer to a single species of tree. In response, and to better understand the wide range of drivers of arthropod diversity in tree canopies, we conducted a large-scale, multi-taxon study which (a) included effect of immediate surroundings of an individual tree on plant physiological features, and (b), how these features affect compositional and functional arthropod diversity, in a warm, southern Afro-temperate forest. We found that tree species differed significantly in plant physiological features and arthropod diversity patterns. Surprisingly, we found negative correlation between surrounding canopy cover, and both foliar carbon and arthropod diversity in host trees, regardless of tree species. Subtle, tree intraspecific variation in physiological features correlated significantly with arthropod diversity measures, but direction and strength of correlations differed among tree species. These findings illustrate great complexity in how canopy arthropods respond to specific tree species, to immediate surroundings of host trees, and to tree physiological features. We conclude that in natural forests, loss of even one tree species, as well as homogenization of the crown layer and/or human-induced environmental change, could lead to profound and unpredictable canopy arthropod biodiversity responses, threatening forest integrity.

SUBMITTER: Swart RC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7670454 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Tree canopy arthropods have idiosyncratic responses to plant ecophysiological traits in a warm temperate forest complex.

Swart Rudi C RC Samways Michael J MJ Roets Francois F

Scientific reports 20201116 1

Biodiversity studies on forest canopies often have narrow arthropod taxonomic focus, or refer to a single species of tree. In response, and to better understand the wide range of drivers of arthropod diversity in tree canopies, we conducted a large-scale, multi-taxon study which (a) included effect of immediate surroundings of an individual tree on plant physiological features, and (b), how these features affect compositional and functional arthropod diversity, in a warm, southern Afro-temperate ...[more]

PMID: 33199797

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Project description:Deer overpopulation is a major threat to forest ecosystems worldwide resulting in loss of natural vegetation cover and increased sapling mortality. To resolve this problem of deer overpopulation, different strategies such as deer exclusion and gap creation have been explored to determine more efficient methods to restore deer-damaged forest ecosystems. In the current study, we applied a 2 × 2 factorial design of four different treatment groups in warm temperate secondary forests: closed canopy with deer as control, closed canopy without deer, clearcut with deer and clearcut without deer. We compared the decadal change in tree foliar cover and tree species richness among treatment groups to assess tree regeneration success. We also selected six tree species (Abies firma, Quercus acuta, Eurya japonica, Cinnamomum tenuifolium, Castanopsis sieboldii and Neolitsea sericea) that are common in the studied region and compared their regeneration success among the treatment groups. In the absence of deer, clearcutting increased the diversity of tree species and accelerated sapling growth, while under closed canopy conditions sapling heights did not exceed two meters. Tree saplings tended to be less abundant in treatments with deer compared to their counterpart, suggesting limited successful recruitment of saplings at the current deer density (10-13.5 deer km-2). In clearcut-with-deer treatment, non-tree species became abundant, and negatively affected recruitment of tree species as was suggested by regression analysis. However, these general trends were not equal for all tree species. Although clearcut-without-deer treatment facilitated sapling recruitment of all six tree species, Q. acuta, C. tenuifolium and C. sieboldii required deer exclusion for sapling recruitment while A. firma, N. sericea and E. japonica required increased light availability. Consequently, informed decisions can be made by identifying whether certain tree species are capable of naturally recruiting without human intervention and how best to ensure successful recruitment if necessary. By implementing effective strategies, time and resources will be saved, and management goals such as reestablishing tree cover rapidly and increasing tree species diversity can be achieved.

Project description:BackgroundThe phyllosphere microbiome is crucial for plant health and ecosystem functioning. While host species play a determining role in shaping the phyllosphere microbiome, host trees of the same species that are subjected to different environmental conditions can still exhibit large degrees of variation in their microbiome diversity and composition. Whether these intra-specific variations in phyllosphere microbiome diversity and composition can be observed over the broader expanse of forest landscapes remains unclear. In this study, we aim to assess the variation in the top canopy phyllosphere bacterial communities between and within host tree species in the temperate European forests, focusing on Fagus sylvatica (European beech) and Picea abies (Norway spruce).ResultsWe profiled the bacterial diversity, composition, driving factors, and discriminant taxa in the top canopy phyllosphere of 211 trees in two temperate forests, Veluwe National Parks, the Netherlands and Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany. We found the bacterial communities were primarily shaped by host species, and large variation existed within beech and spruce. While we showed that there was a core microbiome in all tree species examined, community composition varied with elevation, tree diameter at breast height, and leaf-specific traits (e.g., chlorophyll and P content). These driving factors of bacterial community composition also correlated with the relative abundance of specific bacterial families.ConclusionsWhile our results underscored the importance of host species, we demonstrated a substantial range of variation in phyllosphere bacterial diversity and composition within a host species. Drivers of these variations have implications at both the individual host tree level, where the bacterial communities differed based on tree traits, and at the broader forest landscape level, where drivers like certain highly plastic leaf traits can potentially link forest canopy bacterial community variations to forest ecosystem processes. We eventually showed close associations between forest canopy phyllosphere bacterial communities and host trees exist, and the consistent patterns emerging from these associations are critical for host plant functioning.

Dataset Information

Tree canopy arthropods have idiosyncratic responses to plant ecophysiological traits in a warm temperate forest complex.

Publications

Tree canopy arthropods have idiosyncratic responses to plant ecophysiological traits in a warm temperate forest complex.

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