Search

The distribution and species assembly of Japanese Protura collected from forest soils were examined using published databases and statistical analysis. We used records from 3110 sites where 71 taxa were found. The species richness of Protura ranged from one to 16 species, and TWINSPAN analysis of regional populations indicated that the northern and southern regions could be separated into distinct groups. Three major species assemblages were identified by cluster analysis from points containing more than six species. Three groups reflected historical migration from northern and western linkages to the Asian continent. The northern assemblage showed a negative correlation to winter minimum temperature and the other two assemblages exhibited relationships to precipitation and temperature. Vegetation was not responsible for proturan distribution. These results suggest that the history of Protura invasion explains the biogeography of these soil-based, small arthropods and also that climate change will induce a shift in the distribution of species irrespective of changes in vegetation type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Natural abundance of radiocarbon (14C) has been applied to estimate the turnover time of soil carbon (C) across different climate regions. However, despite the important functional role played by soil animals in decomposition processes, little is known about variation in their 14C concentrations across different climate regions. In this study, we measured 14C concentrations of earthworms collected in three forests in Japan. In addition, we also reviewed 14C data on earthworms that were previously reported. We used these data to test whether the diet ages (defined as time elapsed since C in the diet of earthworms was fixed from atmospheric CO2 by photosynthesis) differed according to feeding habits and across study sites in various climate regions ranging from cool temperate forest to tropical savanna. Multiple regression analysis showed that the diet ages of earthworms were significantly affected by both feeding habits and study sites. The diet ages of endogeic (soil-feeding) earthworms (8.3±0.4 years, mean±SE) were significantly older than those of epigeic (litter-feeding) earthworms (2.6±0.5 years), with anecic (litter-/soil-feeding) earthworms (5.7±0.9 years) having intermediate diet ages. When mean diet age was compared for each feeding habit, only that of endogeic earthworms differed significantly across the sites. However, it did not necessarily become younger in warmer climate regions. These results either suggest that the degree of decomposition of soil organic matter used by earthworms differs among the study sites, or that the difference in the turnover time of soil organic C used by earthworms across the sites is relatively small and variable due to factors other than temperature, such as soil texture and vegetation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Air and soil warming influences both plants and root herbivorous insects, but how warming alters their interactions is largely unknown. Because both the intensity of herbivory and plant susceptibility to the herbivory depend on temperature, it is difficult to predict the effects of insect herbivory on plant growth under warming. To analyse changes in belowground plant-insect interaction due to warming, we conducted a pot experiment using one grass species, Lolium perrene, and one beetle grub Anomala cuprea. Temperature (17 °C or 20.3 °C), presence or absence of a grub, and presence or absence of organic matter (OM) on the surface of the potted soil were manipulated. OM at the soil surface is an important resource for grubs, and contains neutral lipid fatty acids (NLFA) that can serve as a bacterial marker. NLFAs can be used as a tracer to determine whether grubs had fed upon OM, so we evaluated the consumption and vertical movement of a grub in response to warming. In the absence of grubs, plant biomass increased with warming, but was not affected by the OM treatment. In the presence of grubs, plant biomass was significantly decreased. Moreover, the interaction term between the temperature and grub treatments was significant, demonstrating that grub damage was more severe under warmer conditions. Grub mortality was not affected by any treatment. The bacterial NLFAs in a grub were significantly more detectable when OM was added relative to those without OM, and the amount increased with warming treatments. This suggests that the grub fed near the soil surface under both temperature conditions, but increased consumption rates under the warmer condition. The mean relative soil moisture content in the warmer conditions was significantly lower than that in the control conditions. OM additionally increased soil moisture, but it had no effect on herbivory damage, suggesting that plant susceptibility to herbivory was not attributable to soil moisture. These results show the importance of biological-context dependency of warming on a plant. Temperature changes will alter the root-herbivore interactions not by changing the plant susceptibility to herbivory but by increasing the consumption of the grub. Highlights • Effects of warming on a plant via a root feeding insect were tested. • Feeding of the insect was evaluated by analysis of neutral lipid fatty acids (NLFAs). • Plant was more damaged under the warming than control temperature. • NLFAs of an insect increased under the warming. • The warming will increase herbivore damage by increasing the herbivore consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological interactions that occur in and with soil are of consequence in many ecosystems on the planet. These interactions provide numerous essential ecosystem services, and the sustainable management of soils has attracted increasing scientific and public attention. Although soil ecology emerged as an independent field of research many decades ago, and we have gained important insights into the functioning of soils, there still are fundamental aspects that need to be better understood to ensure that the ecosystem services that soils provide are not lost and that soils can be used in a sustainable way. In this perspectives paper, we highlight some of the major knowledge gaps that should be prioritized in soil ecological research. These research priorities were compiled based on an online survey of 32 editors of Pedobiologia – Journal of Soil Ecology. These editors work at universities and research centers in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. The questions were categorized into four themes: (1) soil biodiversity and biogeography, (2) interactions and the functioning of ecosystems, (3) global change and soil management, and (4) new directions. The respondents identified priorities that may be achievable in the near future, as well as several that are currently achievable but remain open. While some of the identified barriers to progress were technological in nature, many respondents cited a need for substantial leadership and goodwill among members of the soil ecology research community, including the need for multi-institutional partnerships, and had substantial concerns regarding the loss of taxonomic expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]