Communication between plants mediated by herbivore-induced volatile organic compounds has been extensively studied aboveground. However, the role of root herbivory in belowground plant-plant communication is much less understood. We here investigated whether root herbivores can trigger plant roots to emit warning signals to neighbouring plants that are not yet in direct contact with them. We used a

Agroecological practices are emerging as efficient alternatives to address the challenge of sustainable agriculture. The objective of this study was to examine whether plant residue amendments from stems and leaves (SL) of an agroforestry shrub (Piliostigma reticulatum) enriched with nitrogen (N) sources improve nutrient cycling in Soudano-Sahelian cropping systems. The experimental design was organized

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are terrestrial micro-habitats distributed in drylands and also in temperate coastal dunes. Biocrusts harbor phototrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms in the upper soil layer, which fulfil important ecological functions such as primary production and energy channelling via the microbial loop. Heterotrophic protists, although being an essential component of the

The growth response of Phaseolus vulgaris to dual inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and rhizobia was studied in a low-fertility tropical soil in Madagascar. Two isolates of AM fungi identified as Acaulospora sp. and Glomus sp., respectively, along with a cocktail of ten Rhizobium spp. strains were used to conduct a greenhouse experiment in a fully randomized block design with two factors

Soils systems provide essential ecosystem functions and services performed by a hyperdiverse array of fauna, but how soil communities respond to climate change remains an understudied topic. Although previous long-term studies have found variable effects of climate change manipulations on soil communities, precipitation often yields strong responses from fauna. In this study we used a field-based experiment

Large amounts of chemicals are released into soil environments due to human activities, thereby harming organisms and their habitats. Earthworms are important bioindicators for chemical risk assessments of soil ecosystems, but the question remains of how they respond to different patterns of pollution. Laboratory experiments in soil mesocosms were carried out to observe changes in the burrowing behaviour

Plant diversity has been shown to mitigate nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil in some ecosystems. We tested the generality of this diversity effect on ecosystem functioning, as an application of ecological theory by quantifying potential nitrous oxide emissions in grasslands restored from agriculture containing high and low diversity. We performed an initial plant survey to develop the study design

Peregrine pheretimoid earthworms, commonly known as jumping worms, are members of the family Megascolecidae that have become widely established outside of their native ranges. In many parts of the world this represents a second wave of earthworm invasions, following the introduction of peregrine European earthworms in the family Lumbricidae during the colonial era. Forest ecologists, turf managers

Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (eCO2) are known to significantly impact aboveground vegetation, with cascading effects on belowground systems. However, the effects of altered biogeochemical and hydrological cycles on belowground faunal assemblages remain unclear. Oribatid mites are abundant and hyperdiverse litter decomposers, with the potential to act as bioindicators of ecosystem

This study investigated the effects of environmental variables on soil fungal communities under different vegetation types in order to advance our understanding of soil fungal community assembly associated with restored vegetation and under different climate conditions. Three vegetation types (no grazing and logging in grasslands and forests, and planted herbs and small shrubs in bare land in the desert)

Elimination of tillage and planting winter cover crops are two conservation practices employed in agricultural row crop production to promote the accumulation of plant residues on the soil surface, improve soil structure, reduce erosion, and decrease losses of excess nutrients in runoff. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of no till management and two different cover crop species

Understanding the diversity and community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in stressful conditions is fundamental to predicting the occurrence and function of indigenous AM fungal associations in a changing soil environment. Here, using whole-soil inoculum, we investigated the effects of salinity on community structure and colonization rate of AM fungi in roots, and assessed their influence

Ferruginous tropical rocky outcrops such as that of banded iron formations, in Brazil also known as ‘cangas’, are characterized by severe abiotic conditions, such as shallow soils and high temperatures and represent unique hotspots of biodiversity. This study aimed to analyze a metaproteome from a typical canga soil, which may be critical to understanding the mechanisms for the maintenance of ecological

Soil enzymatic stoichiometry reflects the patterns of soil microbial resource allocation for the acquisition of nutrients from different forms of soil organic matter. Nitrogen enrichment derived from human activities greatly affects soil biological properties and chemical properties. However, the mechanism for changing soil enzymatic stoichiometry due to nitrogen enrichment remains unclear. We established

Unsustainable farming systems for a growing population in Sub-Saharan Africa stress natural resources and lead to soil degradation. Legume cultivation, however, promotes soil microbial communities and may help reverse soil degradation. The soil properties (pH, texture, C and nutrient contents) of a set of contrasting sites from two agro-ecological zones of Cameroon were determined. This study characterises

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi form a symbiotic association with host trees, functionally promoting the nutrient uptake in the hosts via their secretion of enzymes to degrade organic compounds. Because of the involvement in nutrient cycling, ECM fungi are important to the establishment of host trees and forest recovery. In Thailand, ECM fungi are mostly associated with host tree species in the Dipterocarpaceae

Understanding the spatial and temporal variation in protist communities is essential for comprehensive studies on diversity and biogeography, yet most research focuses on either spatial or temporal processes, ignoring their combined effects. Here we use an additive partitioning approach to estimate the contribution of temporal and spatial components to the total taxonomical (morphospecies) diversity

Litter decomposition is an important ecosystem process mediated by soil organisms. It has been widely estimated by determining mass loss rates of plant residues applied in litterbags. However, catabolic degradation of litter by soil organisms is overestimated when the transfer of undecomposed or partly decomposed litter outside the litterbags is not considered. To account for these constraints, 13C

To date, the field of ecological stoichiometry has focused mainly on macro-elements in aquatic systems. We investigated terrestrial systems and included micro-elements in the study to assess the elemental transfer in a detritivorous food web. We compared the food webs of six sites differing in the type and degree of metal pollution along two forest transects contaminated with copper or zinc. We measured

Truffles contribute both directly and indirectly to important dynamics in the soil web, being involved in a large number of ecological functions that are crucial for terrestrial ecosystems. Despite this, the interrelationships between true truffles, i.e. hypogeous ectomycorrhizal fungi producing valuable fruiting bodies, and other elements of the soil system are largely unknown. In this study, we aimed

In Africa, not only large number of termite species remain to be described, but also ecological studies on the termite fauna of the continent are scarce. For instance, the mechanisms underlying termite mounds distribution in ecosystems stay poorly known. The main goal of this study was to assess what determines the distribution of soil-feeding termites playing an important role in the recycling of

Strategic tillage (ST) has been proposed to help control weeds that germinate during fallow-periods in continuous no till (NT) farming systems, but its effects on soil biological properties are unclear. ST is a type of reduced tillage (RT) that places particular emphasis during the decision-making process on agro-climatic conditions, and the frequency, timing and implements used to till. Here, we assessed

Soil erosion is a natural process that drives the formation of lowland terrains in mountainous regions. Its role in ecosystem degradation has been strongly debated, due to the significant effect it has on a range of land types. Soil arthropods have been used as indicators of several disturbance types. However, little is known about arthropods in eroded sites in South Africa. The aim of this study was

Preservation of soil organic carbon (SOC) requires knowledge concerning the quantity and quality of both the SOC and the SOC-decomposing microbial community. In northern Germany, this information is assessed as part of Schleswig-Holstein’s long-term soil-monitoring programme, in which topsoils have been analysed since 1995. In this study, we evaluated long-term data from Schleswig-Holstein’s monitoring

Decomposition is a key process for rain forest nutrient cycling, and this may be altered by the increasing rate of deposition of reactive nitrogen on rain forests. Tropical heath forests are characterised by slow litter decomposition rates due to low quality litter, along with acidic soil pH and low availability of soil nitrogen (N). To investigate whether soil N or pH is most important in regulating

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has important effects on soil microbial community diversity and composition. While it is well-known that mowing, a widely used grassland management strategy, could mediate the impacts of N enrichment on macro-organism community composition, much less known is the intra-annual variation of soil microbial community and their responses to N deposition and mowing. Here

Earthworm-seed interactions are increasingly recognized as ecologically important. Efforts to study these interactions make use of either no-choice or choice feeding trials due to logistical constraints or differing objectives, however, evidence is lacking regarding the consistency of feeding preferences by earthworms between these scenarios. We conducted a small-scale study in which we compared ingestion

Accurate species identification is crucial in ecological research on sentinel species such as earthworms. Here, we developed a reliable and cost-efficient method for the rapid identification of taxa within the Allolobophora chlorotica complex of cryptic earthworm species. We combined high resolution melting (HRM) analysis with DNA barcoding (Bar-HRM) in a three-step approach: (i) selection of a mini-barcode

Soil removal by ants when building or adapting their nests generates ecological changes within the soil and on its surface, impacting both soil physical properties and plant growth. Ectatomma sp. 2 (E. ruidum complex) is a dominant hunting ant in numerous neotropical agricultural systems; however, its bioturbation impact on agroecosystems of economic importance, such as coffee, has not been studied

The present opinion paper suggests that springtails, which can live above- and/or belowground according to species requirements, have two strategies at their disposal to face environmental hazards, called ‘move’ or ‘change’. Species with poor dispersal capacity, often parthenogenetic, and living mainly in a confined environment, have to adapt themselves by increasing their phenotypic plasticity or

Non-native earthworms have increasingly become a global problem due to the strong effects they exert on biodiversity and ecosystem functions in their introduced habitat. Quantifying interactions between non-native earthworm and microbial communities in forest ecosystems should increase our understanding of non-native earthworm-induced changes in soil biogeochemical cycles and plant diversity. In a

Increased nitrogen (N) input into the ecosystem, which is mainly caused by anthropogenic activities, is usually not paralleled by a similar increase in phosphorus (P) input, and thus, can shift the ecosystem from N limitation to P limitation. Although the effects of N enrichment on ecosystem components have been intensively evaluated, the impacts of altered P resource availability and the interactive

Testate amoebae are ubiquitous unicellular eukaryotic micro-organisms. They occur in high abundances in terrestrial habitats and contribute to important ecological and biogeochemical processes like silicon cycling. Little is known about the growth of testate amoeba populations under hyperosmotic stress, as caused by salinity pulses due to coastal flooding. Given the increasing sea-levels in response

Aims Anthropogenic activities disturb forests and their associated mycorrhizal fungi. The combination of climate change and habitat fragmentation are linked to increased incidence of a canker disease in a Mediterranean-type forest tree in Western Australia. As changes in communities of mycorrhizal fungi could predispose these Mediterranean-type forest trees to decline, we investigated how two aspects

Reticulitermes grassei Clément is an Iberian subterranean termite whose feeding activity can damage both urban infrastructures and oak forests, becoming a main pest. In consequence, the development of new control methods compatible with the environmental conservation is a priority. Recently, techniques for termite control supported on the fact that the soil pH can be a chief factor in restricting termite

Much of the Brazilian savanna (known locally as the Cerrado) has been converted to pasture of African C4 grasses (exotic pastures) for livestock production. The resulting habitat simplification and decreased resource availability may be significant factors underlying the impact on some soil arthropod groups, although it is still unclear how the different soil groups respond to this impact in the Brazilian

Urbanisation is an important driver of environmental change and has the potential to alter the functioning of ecosystem processes. In urban forests, a key ecosystem process is litter decomposition, which is driven by the litter quality and composition of litter fauna. We examined whether the degree of urbanisation and forest size influence litter decomposition rates by the mesofauna in Basel (Switzerland)

Common-garden experiments with populations sampled along natural thermal gradients help to reveal local adaptation, disentangle environmental and genetic effects, and ultimately predict, by analogy, future biotic responses to climate change. In this regard, geothermal habitats are useful model systems as they exhibit dramatic changes in soil temperature. The springtail Protaphorura pseudovanderdrifti

Nematodes serve a key role in soil nutrient cycling by eating bacterial cells and fungal hyphae. However, little is known about how temperature changes affect multi-trophic interactions among host trees, root-associating fungi, and nematodes. The aim of this study was to identify abiotic and/or biotic factors that affect soil nematode communities. We constructed a pot microcosm with sandy soils from

The red oak (Quercus rubra L.) is a woody plant brought to Europe from North America for its decorative value and high tolerance to frost and pollution. The species has been planted for the reclamation of brownfield sites, and introduced to commercial forests to enrich local biodiversity. Although in Poland its presence was associated with depauperation of local flora, its invasive status is still

Wood ants (Formica rufa group) are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere and have an important effect on ecosystem processes. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the relationship between F. rufa and the soil biological quality and microarthropod diversity in a semi-arid black pine forest. Microarthropod sampling was conducted for 2 years, from October 2014 to September 2016, at four

Earthworms have a major role in soils and are used as biological indicators for ecological risk assessment. Aporrectodea caliginosa s.s. is one of the dominant earthworm species in agroecosystems and a good candidate for ecotoxicological testing. In order to improve knowledge on its life cycle, we performed growth and reproduction experiments. These data were used to calibrate an energy-based model

Fire is known to cause severe and protracted reductions in some invertebrate communities. Amphipods are prone to desiccation and, therefore, litter removal through fire could be expected to have a significant adverse impact on their populations. We aimed to determine the temporal and spatial response patterns in density of amphipods following seasonal fires in a natural grassland site in southern South

In-growth mesh bag technique is widely used for assessing production and turnover of the fungal mycelium in soil, but remains poorly standardized. This research aims at testing the use of quartz sand of different particle size, as a filling for in-growth mesh bags, in order to obtain a maximum amount of fungal mycelium. Mesh bags were incubated in a Norway spruce forest in Central Russia in June and

Bacterial community distribution along soil depth gradients is currently poorly understood at the large scale. We selected three typical paddy soils in three regions from north to south in China to investigate the vertical distribution (0–100 cm) of the bacterial community by Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing and identify its drivers. Results indicated that the dominant bacterial phyla in paddy soils

Legume-derived organic inputs such as crop residues or compounds derived from rhizodeposition can influence soil microbial activities implicated in the degradation of organic N. Crops succeeding legumes can also be important drivers of such microbial activities, and trait-based approaches can be employed to better understand the influence of plants on soil microbial activities. The objective of this

Peer-review is an integral part of the scientific process, but getting a sufficient number of busy scientists to provide constructive reviews on a manuscript can be a challenge. The majority of individuals that we polled have had experience in the last two years with having manuscripts rejected and then submitting them elsewhere and/or with receiving invitations to review the same manuscript for different

Inorganic fertilizers have been reported to have effects on both microbial activities and soil microbial community structure. However, the published results are often contradictory. To overcome short-term fluctuations in microbial parameters it is necessary to study their changes over the long term. We investigated the impact of a 40-y inorganic fertilization of a grassland field on selected soil microbial

Soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics and termite activity have now been widely accepted as key players for improving soil properties in tropical agro-ecosystems. Numerous studies have described environmental impacts of aboveground termite mounds, while few data are available on temporary structures built for food foraging, called termite sheetings. The effects of termite activity on soil properties resulting

Understanding the processes underlying species richness across multiple sites is a major challenge in ecology. Metacommunity theory assumes that local community assemblages are largely structured by spatial and environmental factors. However, the relative importance of these factors is not clear and has varied between studies. Most studies were conducted at sampling intervals that were short (<10 m)

Peatlands are the largest natural carbon store as a result of environmental conditions that limit decomposition rates. However, climate change is predicted to threaten peatland C sink function through rising temperatures, lowered water tables and the expansion of vascular plants. Here, by selecting four peatland habitats differing in their dominant plant communities and abiotic conditions, we investigated

Litter decomposition is a fundamental ecosystem process that is essential to nutrient cycling, to the flow of energy through the decomposer food web, and to soil carbon sequestration. For a given climate, litter quality is a major controller of decomposition via its impacts on the activities of decomposer communities, including those of microarthropods and microorganisms. In nature, litter quality

Through their manipulation of soil physical and chemical properties, earthworms have the potential to increase nutrient mineralization and benefit crop production. However, this effect is dependent on numerous factors including earthworm densities and ecological strategies. In addition to impacting density, soil environmental conditions may limit earthworm activity to specific times during the growing

Earthworms are ecosystem engineers and are able to induce considerable changes in soil. These modifications go beyond physical and chemical aspects, as earthworms also act as regulators of communities of microorganisms and invertebrates. Although several studies have sought to clarify the effects of earthworms on soil nematode communities, the observed effects are highly variable, and there is no consensus

One of the factors regulating the functioning of detrital food webs can be a supplementary input of carbon and nutrients from aboveground. The intensity of the “arthropod rain”, i.e., various invertebrates falling from the tree crowns in temperate forests, remains unquantified, although the importance of this phenomenon for the functioning of aquatic ecosystems is relatively well documented. The study

Fragmentation strongly shapes the distribution of organisms within forest patches through contrasting environmental conditions between the edge and interior habitat. Edge-to-interior distribution patterns are, however, poorly studied for litter- and soil-dwelling fauna, such as terrestrial gastropods, despite their high densities and significant impact on ecosystem processes, as both herbivores and

American chestnut (Castenea dentata), once dominant throughout the eastern deciduous forest of North America, was extirpated from its native range by chestnut blight fungus. Through development of blight-resistant trees, the reintroduction of chestnut is likely, though little is known about the biogeochemistry of forests influenced by chestnut. We performed a one-year laboratory incubation experiment