Linking nematode trophic diversity to plantation identity and soil nutrient cycling
Chengwei Tu,
Ajuan Zhang,
Ruyi Luo,
Wei Qiang,
Yan Zhang,
Xueyong Pang,
Yakov Kuzyakov
Affiliations
Chengwei Tu
CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu 610041, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Ajuan Zhang
CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu 610041, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Ruyi Luo
CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu 610041, China
Wei Qiang
CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu 610041, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Yan Zhang
CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu 610041, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Xueyong Pang
CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu 610041, China; Corresponding author.
Yakov Kuzyakov
Department of Agricultural Soil Science, Department of Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Georg- August University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Peoples Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 117198 Moscow, Russia; Institute of Environmental Sciences, Kazan Federal University, 420049 Kazan, Russia
Ecological services provided by forest plantations depend on soil biodiversity, which encompasses taxonomic and functional diversity. These diversity components may respond specifically to environmental changes with consequences for soil functions. Given the large differences in plant-derived resource input between coniferous and broadleaved plantations, we investigated their impact on nematode species and trophic diversity, and on the soil nutrient cycling. The establishment of plantations (Larix gmelinii, Pinus tabuliformis, and Cercidiphyllum japonicum) 30 years ago led to a 31 %-37 % reduction in nematode species diversity, which is connected with decreased microbial biomass in soil. The reduced species diversity, however, was not linked to the cycling of organic matter, nitrogen, or phosphorus. Coniferous plantations (Larix gmelinii and Pinus tabuliformis) reduced nematode trophic diversity (34 %-55 %), indicating a strong decline in herbivorous and omnivorous-predatory groups of the food webs. This decline was primarily attributed to moisture limitations and reduced litter quality, and decreased nutrient cycling within the coniferous plantations. Conversely, the broadleaved plantation (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) maintained a complex nematode trophic structure with intensive nutrient cycling. Consequently, the trophic functional traits of nematode communities were determined by resource availability and linked to nutrient cycling in soil after plantation establishment.
