Nutrient enrichment increased species richness of leaf litter fungal assemblages in a tropical forest

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 2827-2838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Kerekes ◽  
Michael Kaspari ◽  
Bradley Stevenson ◽  
R. Henrik Nilsson ◽  
Martin Hartmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Nutrient Enrichment ◽  
Fungal Assemblages

scholarly journals Biodiversity hanging by a thread: the importance of fungal litter-trapping systems in tropical rainforests

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake L. Snaddon ◽  
Edgar C. Turner ◽  
Tom M. Fayle ◽  
Chey V. Khen ◽  
Paul Eggleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Habitat Complexity ◽  
Tropical Rainforests ◽  
Dramatic Reduction ◽  
Experimental Removal ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
High Species Richness ◽  
Vital Resource

The exceptionally high species richness of arthropods in tropical rainforests hinges on the complexity of the forest itself: that is, on features such as the high plant diversity, the layered nature of the canopy and the abundance and the diversity of epiphytes and litter. We here report on one important, but almost completely neglected, piece of this complex jigsaw—the intricate network of rhizomorph-forming fungi that ramify through the vegetation of the lower canopy and intercept falling leaf litter. We show that this litter-trapping network is abundant and intercepts substantial amounts of litter (257.3 kg ha −1 ): this exceeds the amount of material recorded in any other rainforest litter-trapping system. Experimental removal of this fungal network resulted in a dramatic reduction in both the abundance (decreased by 70.2 ± 4.1%) and morphospecies richness (decreased by 57.4 ± 5.1%) of arthropods. Since the lower canopy levels can contain the highest densities of arthropods, the proportion of the rainforest fauna dependent on the fungal networks is likely to be substantial. Fungal litter-trapping systems are therefore a crucial component of habitat complexity, providing a vital resource that contributes significantly to rainforest biodiversity.

scholarly journals The conservation value of South East Asia's highly degraded forests: evidence from leaf-litter ants

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1582) ◽  
pp. 3256-3264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Woodcock ◽  
David P. Edwards ◽  
Tom M. Fayle ◽  
Rob J. Newton ◽  
Chey Vun Khen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Forest Conversion ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Ant Communities ◽  
Logged Forest

South East Asia is widely regarded as a centre of threatened biodiversity owing to extensive logging and forest conversion to agriculture. In particular, forests degraded by repeated rounds of intensive logging are viewed as having little conservation value and are afforded meagre protection from conversion to oil palm. Here, we determine the biological value of such heavily degraded forests by comparing leaf-litter ant communities in unlogged (natural) and twice-logged forests in Sabah, Borneo. We accounted for impacts of logging on habitat heterogeneity by comparing species richness and composition at four nested spatial scales, and examining how species richness was partitioned across the landscape in each habitat. We found that twice-logged forest had fewer species occurrences, lower species richness at small spatial scales and altered species composition compared with natural forests. However, over 80 per cent of species found in unlogged forest were detected within twice-logged forest. Moreover, greater species turnover among sites in twice-logged forest resulted in identical species richness between habitats at the largest spatial scale. While two intensive logging cycles have negative impacts on ant communities, these degraded forests clearly provide important habitat for numerous species and preventing their conversion to oil palm and other crops should be a conservation priority.

scholarly journals The influence of forest-forming tree species on diversity and spatial distribution of algae in forest litter

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yevhen Maltsev ◽  
Irina Maltseva
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Green Algae ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Forest Litter ◽  
Equal Distribution ◽  
Blue Green Algae ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The forest litter plays a significant role in forest ecosystems. The composition of the litter biota comprises micro- and mesofauna, and a great diversity of microorganisms, including unrecognized algae (eukaryotic representatives and Cyanoprokaryota). The aim of this work was to study the diversity of algae in the different types of forest litters and to clarify the relationship between the algae composition and the forest-forming tree species. Our results show that the pine forest litter is the most appropriate habitat for the development of green and yellow-green algae and that this litter type limits the variety of blue-green ones. The admixture of deciduous leaf litter to pine litter caused an increase in the species richness of blue-green algae and diatoms. The algae were unevenly distributed across the sub-horizons of pine litter. The highest species richness of algae was identified in the enzymatic sub-horizon of litter. The peculiarity of the composition of leaf litter algae was a significant variety of green, yellow-green and blue-green algae. The spatial organization of algae communities in the leaf litter was characterized by equal distribution of algae species in the litter-subhorizons.

Matrix habitat and species richness in tropical forest remnants

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 223-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Gascon ◽  
Thomas E Lovejoy ◽  
Richard O Bierregaard Jr. ◽  
Jay R Malcolm ◽  
Phillip C Stouffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Matrix Habitat ◽  
Forest Remnants

scholarly journals Do tropical forest leaves suffer more insect herbivory? A comparison of tropical versus temperate herbivory, estimated from leaf litter

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1381-1392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. Adams ◽  
Yangjian Zhang ◽  
Md. Basri ◽  
Noraini Shukor
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Insect Herbivory

scholarly journals How important is aerial leaf litter for insectivorous birds foraging in a Malaysian tropical forest?

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. e00722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Saiful Mansor ◽  
Fasihah Zarifah Rozali ◽  
Nurul Ashikin Abdullah ◽  
Shukor Md Nor ◽  
Rosli Ramli
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Insectivorous Birds

scholarly journals Relationships between Plant Biodiversity and Soil Fertility in a Mature Tropical Forest, Costa Rica

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin B. Nadeau ◽  
Thomas P. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Plant Biodiversity ◽  
Total N ◽  
Fertility Index ◽  
Tree Species Richness ◽  
Soil Fertility Index

We aimed to study relationships between plant biodiversity and soil chemical fertility in a mature tropical forest of Costa Rica. Soil samples were collected in nine sampling plots (5 m by 25 m) in order to identify P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and Al and total N contents, soil fertility index, CEC, pH, and C/N ratio. Furthermore, species richness, Shannon-Wiener and Simpson’s species diversities, structural richness, and structural diversity were calculated for each plot. Simple linear regression analyses were conducted. Tree species richness was inversely related to concentration levels of K, Ca, and P, CEC, and soil fertility index. Therefore, higher tree species richness tended to be found on sites with lower soil fertility, which is the complete opposite of temperate forests. As a result, tropical and temperate forest ecology should be considered separately. Shannon-Wiener tree species diversity was positively correlated to C/N ratio. Herb structural richness was positively correlated with soil fertility index and P concentration. Therefore, herb structural richness may be a good indicator of soil fertility. This study gives important insights on ecological relationships between plant biodiversity and soil chemical fertility in a primary tropical forest.

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