Decomposers (Lumbricidae, Collembola) affect plant performance in model grasslands of different diversity

Decomposer invertebrates influence soil structure and nutrient mineralization as well as the activity and composition of the microbial community in soil and therefore likely affect plant performance and plant competition. We established model grassland communities in a greenhouse to study the interr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Ecology (Durham) 2006-10, Vol.87 (10), p.2548-2558
Main Authors:	Partsch, Stephan, Milcu, Alexandru, Scheu, Stefan
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Animal and plant ecology Animal, plant and microbial ecology Animals biodegradation Biodiversity Biological and medical sciences Biomass Collembola Correlation analysis decomposers Decomposition Earthworms Ecosystem forage legumes functional diversity Functional groups Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology General aspects grasses Grassland soils Grasslands greenhouse experimentation Herbs Insecta Insecta - physiology Invertebrates Legumes Lumbricidae Microcosms nitrogen Nitrogen - metabolism Nitrogen Isotopes Oligochaeta - physiology plant competition Plant Development plant diversity plant litter plant nutrition Plant Roots - growth & development Plant Shoots - growth & development Plants Plants - metabolism plant–animal interaction Poaceae - growth & development productivity provenance roots shoots soil arthropods Soil ecology soil invertebrates Species diversity Studies The Jena Experiment uptake mechanisms
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Summary:	Decomposer invertebrates influence soil structure and nutrient mineralization as well as the activity and composition of the microbial community in soil and therefore likely affect plant performance and plant competition. We established model grassland communities in a greenhouse to study the interrelationship between two different functional groups of decomposer invertebrates, Lumbricidae and Collembola, and their effect on plant performance and plant nitrogen uptake in a plant diversity gradient. Common plant species of Central European Arrhenatherion grasslands were transplanted into microcosms with numbers of plant species varying from one to eight and plant functional groups varying from one to four. Separate and combined treatments with earthworms and collembolans were set up. Microcosms contained^{15}\text{N}$labeled litter to track N fluxes into plant shoots. Presence of decomposers strongly increased total plant and plant shoot biomass. Root biomass decreased in the presence of collembolans and even more in the presence of earthworms. However, it increased when both animal groups were present. Also, presence of decomposers increased total N concentration and^{15}\text{N}$enrichment of grasses, legumes, and small herbs. Small herbs were at a maximum in the combined treatment with earthworms and collembolans. The impact of earthworms and collembolans on plant performance strongly varied with plant functional group identity and plant species diversity and was modified when both decomposers were present. Both decomposer groups generally increased aboveground plant productivity through effects on litter decomposition and nutrient mineralization leading to an increased plant nutrient acquisition. The non-uniform effects of earthworms and collembolans suggest that functional diversity of soil decomposer animals matters and that the interactions between soil animal functional groups affect the structure of plant communities.
ISSN:	0012-9658 1939-9170