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AimsSoil fauna is one of the major drivers of plant litter decomposition. This study aims to assess how soil fauna density and diversity may affect litter decomposition. Also, we assessed whether faunal communities inside the litterbags that are used to control the access of faunal groups or communities in ambient soils are better for predicting their effects on litter decomposition, given that soil fauna frequently move into and out of such litterbags.MethodsTo answer this question, we synthesized 5336 observations extracted from 46 publications to assess the effects of soil fauna communities, their density and diversity on the rate of litter decomposition (k) and litter mass loss.ResultsResults showed that (1) the presence of soil fauna significantly increased k by an average of 33.0% and that the effects were mainly controlled by initial litter concentrations of phosphorus and magnesium, (2) the density and diversity of soil fauna in litterbags significantly affected k and/or mass loss, but ambient communities had limited effects, and (3) the effects of soil fauna in litterbags on k were most significant during the early stages of decomposition (0 − 30% mass loss).ConclusionsOur study clearly showed that litterbag communities were better for predicting the effects of soil fauna on litter decomposition, and that their effects were most significant during the early stages of decomposition. These results improve our ability to estimate the contribution of soil fauna in liter decomposition and the associated carbon and nutrient cycling.

For decades, the term “rhizosphere fauna” has been used as a synonym to denote agricultural pests among root herbivores, mainly nematodes and insect larvae. We want to break with this constrictive view, since the connection between plants and rhizosphere fauna is far more complex than simply that of resource and consumer. For example, plant roots have been shown to be neither defenceless victims of root feeders, nor passive recipients of nutrients, but instead play a much more active role in defending themselves and in attracting beneficial soil microorganisms and soil fauna. Most importantly, significant indirect feed-backs exist between consumers of rhizosphere microorganisms and plant roots. In fact, the majority of soil invertebrates have been shown to rely profoundly on the carbon inputs from roots, breaking with the dogma of soil food webs being mainly fueled by plant litter input from aboveground. In this review we will highlight areas of recent exciting progress and point out the black boxes that still need to be illuminated by rhizosphere zoologists and ecologists.

Acute resource pulses can have dramatic legacies for organismal growth, but the legacy effects of resource pulses on broader aspects of community structure and ecosystem processes are less understood. Mass emergence of periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) provides an excellent opportunity to shed light on the influence of resource pulses on community and ecosystem dynamics: the adults emerge every 13 or 17 years in vast numbers over much of eastern North America, with a smaller but still significant number becoming incorporated into forest food webs. To study the potential effects of such arthropod resource pulse on primary production and belowground food webs, we added adult cicada bodies to the soil surface surrounding sycamore trees and assessed soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations, plant-available nutrients, abundance and community composition of soil fauna occupying various trophic levels, decomposition rate of plant litter after 50 and 100 days, and tree performance for 4 years. Contrary to previous studies, we did not find significant cicada effects on tree performance despite observing higher plant-available nutrient levels on cicada addition plots. Cicada addition did change the community composition of soil nematodes and increased the abundance of bacterial- and fungal-feeding nematodes, while plant feeders, omnivores, and predators were not influenced. Altogether, acute resource pulses from decomposing cicadas propagated belowground to soil microbial-feeding invertebrates and stimulated nutrient mineralization in the soil, but these effects did not transfer up to affect tree performance. We conclude that, despite their influence on soil food web and processes they carry out, even massive resource pulses from arthropods do not necessarily translate to NPP, supporting the view that ephemeral nutrient pulses can be attenuated relatively quickly despite being relatively large in magnitude.

Soil fauna is crucial to soil formation, litter decomposition, nutrient cycling, biotic regulation and for promoting plant growth. Yet soil organisms remain underrepresented in soil processes and in existing modelling exercises. This is a consequence of assuming that much of the below-ground diversity is just ecologically “redundant” and that soil food webs exhibit a higher degree of omnivory. However, evidence is mounting accumulating on the strong influence of abiotic filters (temperature, moisture, soil pH) and soil habitat characteristics in controlling their spatial and temporal patterns. From this, new emerging concepts such as “hot moments”, “biological accessabilityaccessibility” and “trophic cascades” have been coined to enable plausible explanations of the observed faunal responses to environmental changes. Here, I argue that many of these findings are indeed “happy accidents” (i.e. “eureka discoveries”) that remain disjointed between disciplines, impeding us from making significant breakthroughs. Therefore, here I provide some new perspectives on soil fauna research and highlight some experimental approaches that ato better explore the great variety of organisms living in soils and their complex interactions. A more comprehensive and dynamic holistic approach is needed to couple soil pedological and biological processes and to combine current experimental and theoretical knowledge if we aim to improve our predictive capacities in determining the persistence of soil organic matter and soil ecosystem functioning.

Climatic changes resulting from anthropogenic activities over the passed century are repeatedly reported to alter the functioning of pristine ecosystems worldwide, and especially those in cold biomes. Available literature on the process of plant leaf litter decomposition in the temperate Alpine zone is reviewed here, with emphasis on both direct and indirect effects of climate change phenomena on rates of litter decay. Weighing the impact of biotic and abiotic processes governing litter mass loss, it appears that an immediate intensification of decomposition rates due to temperature rise can be retarded by decreased soil moisture, insufficient snow cover insulation, and shrub expansion in the Alpine zone. This tentative conclusion, remains speculative unless empirically tested, but it has profound implications for understanding the biogeochemical cycling in the Alpine vegetation belt, and its potential role as a buffering mechanism to climate change.

AimSchizomids are one of the less-known arachnid groups in terms of their natural history and ecology. However, due to their remarkable short-range endemic distribution, they may be vulnerable to climate change and habitat loss. In Colombia, although the national IUCN red list of threatened invertebrates has categorized species of schizomids as vulnerable (VU), this assessment was based on expert criteria. Therefore, information about the ecology of schizomids is critical for a more accurate reassessment of their conservation status. In this study, we describe the habitat of two species of Surazomus in endangered Andean tropical forests of Colombia after a sampling effort of 15.12 m2 (n = 168 soil samples) and the collection of 6999 soil fauna individuals from the samples. We analyzed soil fauna communities associated with schizomids as well as different forest and environmental variables from permanent plots installed a decade ago in the Sabana de Bogotá region. Detailed information on climate, plant communities, and forest structure was obtained from these plots. Thus, we provide the first comprehensive habitat description of schizomids including both above- and belowground compartments. We found that each species lives in specific habitats with different soil fauna communities, suggesting a potential association between geographical fidelity and habitat conditions. This result could indicate that schizomids are highly sensitive to dramatic environmental changes, such as those experienced in the Andean region of Colombia.Implications for insect conservationOur study is valuable for the future reassessment of the conservation status of schizomids in the country, particularly considering that the previous categorization was based on expert criteria. Since habitat conditions and soil fauna communities are species-specific, schizomids could be disproportionately vulnerable to climate change and human disturbances in the Colombian Andes.

PurposeThis study aimed to explore the impact of the expansion and subsequent felling of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens), a dominant species in China's bamboo cultivation history, on both above-ground and underground soil fauna communities and the soil food web within Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) forests in Lushan Mountain, subtropical China.MethodsWe identified three distinct areas where Moso bamboo had expanded into pure Japanese cedar forests. In each area, two experimental scenarios were created: a deforestation site (DF) where Moso bamboo had intruded and was later felled, and a control site (UF) with ongoing bamboo growth. Soil fauna communities were collected using pitfall traps (above-ground soil fauna) and the Tullgren dry funnel method (underground soil fauna), while stable isotope analyses were used to determine the trophic levels of these communities.ResultsDeforestation significantly reduced the abundance of Acari, the most populous taxon, as well as Collembola, Diptera, and Diptera larvae. Above-ground Hymenoptera populations declined in deforested plots, while underground numbers rose. Undeforested forests supported higher densities of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Arachnida. Despite similar annual biomass trends across plots, deforested areas had a greater biomass, driven by larger soil fauna. Soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and organic matter content increased in deforested areas and showed a strong correlation with most soil fauna, especially Diptera larvae. Following deforestation, habitat alterations have affected soil fauna's food sources, resulting in a lower trophic level for groups like Diptera, Collembola, and Hymenoptera.ConclusionOur study underscores the significant impact of Moso bamboo expansion and subsequent felling on the soil fauna communities and food web in Cryptomeria japonica forests. These findings highlight the need for further research into the long-term effects and recovery patterns of these ecosystems.

PurposeIn order to determine the interactive effect of Phyllostachys pubescens (moso bamboo) expansion to adjacent coniferous forest (Cryptomeria japonica, Japanese cedar) on soil fauna communities and soil food web, we conducted a tangible investigation combined with natural abundance isotope analysis to examine how moso bamboo expansion process affects soil faunal composition and underground soil food web in Lushan mountain, southeast China.MethodsExact treatments are as follows: (1) moso bamboo forest, (2) ecotone area and (3) Japanese cedar forest. We collected 74 arthropod groups from the field.ResultsThe groups of Acari and Collembola were the two main soil fauna taxa with the highest abundance which accounted for 18.86–98.9% of the relative total abundance among various habitats. Peak of soil faunal density in moso bamboo and Japanese cedar forests appeared in May and November. Soil fauna community in ecotone was more similar to that in moso bamboo forest, indicating that the expansion process was still in infancy stage, and there was no significant difference in soil fauna community diversity index among the three forest types. Moso bamboo expansion did not affect the nutrient level of Collembola and Oribatida, but decreased that of Megsostigmata. The nutrient level of Hymenoptera and Coleoptera increased in ecotone, and Diptera kept in the third nutrient level in all three forest types, while the Hemiptera, Araneida and Pseudo-scorpionidea remained at a high level.ConclusionThe results demonstrated that in moso bamboo expansion process, soil fauna groups with low nutrient levels were more affected, while the soil faunas with high nutrient level were less affected.

● Earthworms significantly reduced soil CH 4 uptake at both temperatures, and warming significantly promoted soil CH 4 uptake. ● Earthworms significantly altered methanotroph community, and warming significantly altered methanogen community, and their interaction had a significant influence on both methanogen and methanotroph communities. ● Soil properties exhibited a negative impact on CH 4 uptake, while the α-diversity of methanotrophs was associated with enhanced CH 4 uptake. ● Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was identified as the most essential factor in forecasting soil CH 4 uptake. The function and service of biologically driven ecosystems are undergoing significant changes due to climate warming. Earthworms play a crucial role as soil engineer by modulating the effects of climate change on soil nutrient cycle through alterations to biotic and abiotic soil conditions. However, there is currently a scarcity of information regarding the impacts of earthworms and warming on soil CH 4 uptake and their associated microbial mechanisms. This study conducted a 61-day microcosm experiment to investigate the impact of warming (temperature rise from 14.2 °C to 17.2 °C) and the presence of earthworms ( Eisenia fetida and Moniligaster japonicus) on soil CH 4 uptake. We employed gas chromatography and high-throughput sequencing to investigate the fluctuations in soil CH 4 uptake and the microbial communities involved in methane cycling. Compared to low temperature conditions (14.2 °C), we observed that warming significantly increased soil CH 4 uptake in all treatments (non-earthworm: 51.85%; Eisenia fetida: 50.88%; Moniligaster japonicus: 71.78%). Both Eisenia fetida and Moniligaster japonicus significantly reduced soil CH 4 uptake at two temperatures compared to the non-earthworm treatment. Nevertheless, no significant impacts were found on soil CH 4 uptake due to the interactions between earthworms and warming. The methanotroph communities exhibited notable variations among earthworm treatments, whereas the methanogenic communities displayed significant differences among temperature treatments. The interaction between earthworm and warming also resulted in noticeable variations in both methanogenic and methanotrophic communities. The FAPROTAX analysis revealed that earthworms and warming altered relative abundance of methanogens and methanotroph associated with CH 4 cycle functions. Soil properties exhibited a negative impact on CH 4 uptake, with DOC identified as the most crucial variable in predicting soil CH 4 uptake, while the α-diversity of methanotrophs was associated with enhanced CH 4 uptake. This study emphasized the crucial role of soil fauna in adjusting soil greenhouse gas emissions under the context of global warming.

● Microbial attributes were compared between soil fauna gut and plant rhizosphere. ● Manure applications decreased or increased gut or rhizosphere bacterial diversity. ● Stochastic or deterministic processes drove gut or rhizosphere bacterial assembly. ● Manure applications increased bacterial network complexity of gut and rhizosphere. Diverse microbes inhabit animals and plants, helping their hosts perform multiple functions in agricultural ecosystems. However, the responses of soil fauna gut and plant rhizosphere microbiomes to livestock manure applications are still not well understood. Here we fed Protaetia brevitarsis larvae (PBL) with chicken manure and collected their frass. The frass and manure were applied as fertilizers to lettuce pots. We then compared the changes of microbial diversity, community assembly, and potential functions between the gut group (i.e., all PBL gut and frass samples) and the rhizosphere group (i.e., all rhizosphere soil samples). We revealed that manure applications (i.e., feeding or fertilization) decreased bacterial diversity in the gut group but increased that in the rhizosphere group. Particularly, the proportions of Bacilli in the gut group and Gammaproteobacteria in the rhizosphere group were increased (up to a maximum of 33.8% and 20.4%, respectively) after manure applications. Stochastic and deterministic processes dominated community assembly in the gut and rhizosphere microbiomes, respectively. Manure applications increased the microbial co-occurrence network complexity of both the gut and rhizosphere groups. Moreover, the proportions of functional taxa associated with human/animal pathogens in the gut group and carbon/nitrogen cycling in the rhizosphere group were enhanced (up to 2.6-fold and 24.6-fold, respectively). Our findings illustrate the different responses of microbial diversity, community assembly, and potential functions in soil fauna gut and plant rhizosphere to manure applications. The results could enhance our knowledge on the reasonable utilization of animal and plant microbiomes in agricultural management.