Speaker
Description
Soil food-webs are crucial for nutrient cycling and ecosystem functioning in forests. They involve complex interactions between soil invertebrates, fungi and microbes, and are based on a variety of resources. Forest ecosystems dominated by distinct mycorrhizal associations exhibit significant differences in their biogeochemical properties on a global scale. A critical distinction lies in carbon allocation and sequestration, with ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) dominated systems harbouring substantially larger carbon stocks compared to those dominated by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, soil functioning in these two forest types depends on the local soil context, and the drivers and ecosystem effects of soil invertebrate communities in these systems are poorly explored. Up to date, there is no knowledge available on whether soil food-web structure and energy channeling across size classes differs between different mycorrhizal type dominated forests or if the feeding preferences of soil invertebrates change depending on the mycorrhizal system in which they feed.
Compound‐specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA) is a novel tool to explore complex food-web dynamics. The combined use of δ13C and δ15N of essential amino acids helps to disentangle trophic relationships since it provides comprehensive information on basal resource consumption, and the trophic position of consumers.
Here we present the results of our observational study, where we have analyzed nine groups of soil invertebrates in temperate, deciduous forest systems using CSIA-AA. The study aims at describing the use of plant, bacterial and fungal energy channels by different groups of consumers in soil and to elucidate structural differences in soil food webs among different mycorrhizal type dominated forests. As the first empirical quantification of root, bacterial and fungal energy channels in soil food webs across size classes, the study further marks the first application of CSIA-AA to a diverse array of consumers in soil food-webs.
| Status Group | Doctoral Researcher |
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