Speaker
Description
Ecosystem processes and multifunctionality are impacted by global change through the alteration of above-belowground multitrophic communities in terrestrial ecosystems. Global change manifests in many ways, one of them being the decline of aboveground invertebrate communities. Sharp invertebrate declines have been reported for German grasslands in particular, with heretofore little information about the consequences for trophic interactions and ecosystem functioning. With our study, we aim to investigate how aboveground invertebrate declines are impacting various soil ecosystem processes. We established an Ecotron experiment, titled Insect Armageddon, in which we experimentally reduced aboveground invertebrate biomass in three levels: 0% reduced, 64% reduced, and 100% reduced. A comprehensive set of approaches allowed us to assess belowground decomposition and energy fluxes via the construction of soil food webs for estimating key ecosystem processes such as belowground herbivory and pest-control. We expect intact aboveground invertebrate communities to support higher ecosystem functioning, and decreased functioning for communities with simulated aboveground invertebrate decline. Our first results show that reduced aboveground invertebrate biomass significantly increases belowground herbivore pressure. This finding suggests that declines in aboveground invertebrate communities can alter belowground trophic interactions and associated ecosystem processes with potential consequences for soil health.
| Status Group | Doctoral Researcher |
|---|---|
| FOR TALKS: Poster Presentation Option | Undecided/No preference |