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Invertebrates and microorganisms are important but climate-dependent agents of wood decomposition globally. In this meta-analysis, we investigated what drives the invertebrate effect on wood decomposition worldwide. Globally, we found wood decomposition rates were on average approximately 40% higher when invertebrates were present compared to when they were excluded. This effect was most pronounced in the tropics, owing mainly to the activities of termites. The invertebrate effect was stronger for woody debris without bark as well as for that of larger diameter, possibly reflecting bark- and diameter-mediated differences in fungal colonisation or activity rates relative to those of invertebrates. Our meta-analysis shows similar overall invertebrate effect sizes on decomposition of woody debris derived from angiosperms and gymnosperms globally. Our results suggest the existence of critical interactions between microorganism colonisation and the invertebrate contribution to wood decomposition. To improve biogeochemical models, a better quantification of invertebrate contributions to wood decomposition is needed., (© 2024 Cambridge Philosophical Society.)

Lichens play important roles in habitat formation and community succession in polar and alpine ecosystems. Despite their significance, the ecological effects of lichen traits remain poorly researched. We propose a trait trade-off for managing light exposure based on climatic harshness. In the harshest cold environments, where abiotic stress predominates over biotic pressures, lichens should rely on photostable, recalcitrant and immobile substances such as allomelanin and hydrophobic compounds. These compounds provide durable protection without the need for continual synthesis. In milder conditions where biotic interactions - e.g. competition and pathogen presence - become increasingly pronounced, lichens should retain flexibility and produce simple protective secondary compounds that, in addition to functioning as light screens, can leach out to influence their direct environment. Preliminary empirical findings for Antarctic lichen species distribution are consistent with this hypothesised trade-off, in that lichens producing soluble compounds dominate in milder regions and are less represented at higher southern latitudes, where species producing insoluble compounds with a melanised thallus dominate. As climate change progresses, increasing temperatures and precipitation could make the currently coldest and driest areas more hospitable, allowing the ranges of lichens producing soluble compounds to expand, with cascading effects on rock weathering, nutrient cycling and other ecosystem processes., (© 2025 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2025 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Global warming increases the risk of wildfire and insect outbreaks, potentially reducing the carbon storage function of coarse woody debris (CWD). There is an increasing focus on the interactive effects of wildfire and insect infestation on forest carbon, but the impact of wood-boring beetle tunnels via their effect on the flammability of deadwood remains unexplored. We hypothesized that the presence of beetle holes, at natural densities, can affect its flammability positively through increased surface area and enhanced oxygen availability in the wood. To test this, wood-boring beetle holes were mimicked experimentally in decaying logs of two coniferous species, and flammability variables of these treated logs were compared. We found that wood-boring beetles partly increased the flammability of CWD of both species (via promoting deadwood smoldering combustion) when their holes were parallel with the airflow. Even when accounting for the influences of wood density and cracks, these radial holes continued to have a notable impact on deadwood flammability. While these holes did not make the wildfire more intense, they significantly increased carbon loss during combustion. This suggests that wood-boring beetles will enhance carbon release from deadwood into the atmosphere during wildfire., (© 2025 The Author(s). Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.)