Desiccation resistance determines distribution of woodlice along forest edge-to-interior gradients

Pallieter De Smedt; Lander Baeten; Matty P. Berg; Emilie Gallet-Moron; Jörg Brunet; Sara A.O. Cousins; Guillaume Decocq; Martin Diekmann; Brice Giffard; Pieter De Frenne; Martin Hermy; Dries Bonte; Kris Verheyen

doi:10.1016/j.ejsobi.2017.12.002

Desiccation resistance determines distribution of woodlice along forest edge-to-interior gradients

Pallieter De Smedt^*
, Lander Baeten
, Matty P. Berg
, Emilie Gallet-Moron
, Jörg Brunet
, Sara A.O. Cousins
, Guillaume Decocq
, Martin Diekmann
, Brice Giffard
, Pieter De Frenne
, Martin Hermy
, Dries Bonte
, Kris Verheyen

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

Forest edges show strong abiotic and biotic gradients potentially altering community composition and ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. While abiotic gradients are well studied, short-scale biotic gradients, like detritivore species composition and their associated trait distribution remains a poorly explored research-field. We sampled woodlice in 160 forest patches across Europe at varying distances from the forest edge and discovered that species desiccation resistance determines distribution along forest edge-to-interior gradients. Forest edges are warmer and dryer compared to interiors and favour drought-tolerant species, while abundance and activity of drought-sensitive species is reduced at the edge. Key ecological factors for litter-dwelling detritivores (i.e. humidity) act as environmental filter, because of species-specific differences in desiccation resistance. Future research should focus on quantifying the consequences of a changing detritivore community and their associated functional traits for nutrient cycling.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-3
Number of pages	3
Journal	European Journal of Soil Biology
Volume	85
Early online date	9 Jan 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2017.12.002
Publication status	Published - 12 Feb 2018

Funding

P.D.S. holds a doctoral fellowship of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). M.P.B was financed by the Uyttenboogaart-Eliasen Foundation . We thank Ludmilla Martin and Kent Hansson for help with the field work. The research was funded by the ERA-Net BiodivERsA project smallFOREST , with national funders ANR (France), MINECO (Spain), FORMAS (Sweden), ETAG (Estonia), DFG/DLR (Germany) and BELSPO (Belgium) part of the 2011 BiodivERsA call for research proposals.

Funders
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Agence Nationale de la Recherche
Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas
Eesti Teadusagentuur
Belgian Federal Science Policy Office
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad
Uyttenboogaart-Eliasen Stichting

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 15 Life on Land

Keywords

Drought tolerance
Edge effects
Isopoda
Response trait
Small forest fragments

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10.1016/j.ejsobi.2017.12.002

Desiccation resistance determines distribution of woodlice along forest edge-to-interior gradientsFinal published version, 404 KBLicence: Article 25fa Dutch Copyright Act

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De Smedt, P., Baeten, L., Berg, M. P., Gallet-Moron, E., Brunet, J., Cousins, S. A. O., Decocq, G., Diekmann, M., Giffard, B., De Frenne, P., Hermy, M., Bonte, D., & Verheyen, K. (2018). Desiccation resistance determines distribution of woodlice along forest edge-to-interior gradients. European Journal of Soil Biology, 85, 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2017.12.002

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abstract = "Forest edges show strong abiotic and biotic gradients potentially altering community composition and ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. While abiotic gradients are well studied, short-scale biotic gradients, like detritivore species composition and their associated trait distribution remains a poorly explored research-field. We sampled woodlice in 160 forest patches across Europe at varying distances from the forest edge and discovered that species desiccation resistance determines distribution along forest edge-to-interior gradients. Forest edges are warmer and dryer compared to interiors and favour drought-tolerant species, while abundance and activity of drought-sensitive species is reduced at the edge. Key ecological factors for litter-dwelling detritivores (i.e. humidity) act as environmental filter, because of species-specific differences in desiccation resistance. Future research should focus on quantifying the consequences of a changing detritivore community and their associated functional traits for nutrient cycling.",

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AU - Berg, Matty P.

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AU - Brunet, Jörg

AU - Cousins, Sara A.O.

AU - Decocq, Guillaume

AU - Diekmann, Martin

AU - Giffard, Brice

AU - De Frenne, Pieter

AU - Hermy, Martin

AU - Bonte, Dries

AU - Verheyen, Kris

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N2 - Forest edges show strong abiotic and biotic gradients potentially altering community composition and ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. While abiotic gradients are well studied, short-scale biotic gradients, like detritivore species composition and their associated trait distribution remains a poorly explored research-field. We sampled woodlice in 160 forest patches across Europe at varying distances from the forest edge and discovered that species desiccation resistance determines distribution along forest edge-to-interior gradients. Forest edges are warmer and dryer compared to interiors and favour drought-tolerant species, while abundance and activity of drought-sensitive species is reduced at the edge. Key ecological factors for litter-dwelling detritivores (i.e. humidity) act as environmental filter, because of species-specific differences in desiccation resistance. Future research should focus on quantifying the consequences of a changing detritivore community and their associated functional traits for nutrient cycling.

AB - Forest edges show strong abiotic and biotic gradients potentially altering community composition and ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. While abiotic gradients are well studied, short-scale biotic gradients, like detritivore species composition and their associated trait distribution remains a poorly explored research-field. We sampled woodlice in 160 forest patches across Europe at varying distances from the forest edge and discovered that species desiccation resistance determines distribution along forest edge-to-interior gradients. Forest edges are warmer and dryer compared to interiors and favour drought-tolerant species, while abundance and activity of drought-sensitive species is reduced at the edge. Key ecological factors for litter-dwelling detritivores (i.e. humidity) act as environmental filter, because of species-specific differences in desiccation resistance. Future research should focus on quantifying the consequences of a changing detritivore community and their associated functional traits for nutrient cycling.

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KW - Edge effects

KW - Isopoda

KW - Response trait

KW - Small forest fragments

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Desiccation resistance determines distribution of woodlice along forest edge-to-interior gradients

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

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