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Flooding in a Grassland Diversity Experiment:Response of Microorganisms, Microarthropods and Predator

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Flooding in a Grassland Diversity Experiment:Response of Microorganisms, Microarthropods and Predator Flooding in a grassland diversity experiment: response of microorganisms, microarthropods and predator – prey interactions Dissertation zur Erlangung des mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Doktorgrades "Doctor rerum naturalium" der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen im Promotionsprogramm Biologie der Georg-August University School of Science (GAUSS) vorgelegt von Diplom-Biologin Odette González Macé aus Tres Cantos, Spain Göttingen, März 2018 Betreuungsausschuss Stefan Scheu and Mark Maraun, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology; Göttingen University Mitglieder der Prüfungskommission Referent: Stefan Scheu Korreferent: Mark Maraun Weitere Mitglieder der Prüfungskommission: Marko Rohlfs, Population and Evolutionary Ecology, Bremen University Christoph Bleidorn, Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Göttingen University Klaus Hövemeyer, Zoology and Anthropology; Göttingen University Nico Eisenhauer, Experimental Interaction Ecology, Leipzig University Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 4. May. 2018 To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves Mahatma Gandhi Table of Contents SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................. 3 GENERAL INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 4 ABOVEGROUND‐BELOWGROUND FOOD WEB .......................................................................................... 4 DISTURBANCE ................................................................................................................................... 8 GRASSLAND AS MODEL SYSTEM: THE JENA EXPERIMENT ......................................................................... 13 STUDY OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES .................................................................................................. 15 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 2 ........................................................................................................................... 23 FLOOD‐INDUCED CHANGES IN SOIL MICROBIAL FUNCTIONS AS MODIFIED BY PLANT DIVERSITY ................ 24 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... 24 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 25 MATERIAL AND METHODS ................................................................................................................. 26 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................... 30 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................... 35 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................. 37 AKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... 37 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER 3 ........................................................................................................................... 41 RESPONSE OF COLLEMBOLA AND ACARI COMMUNITIES TO SUMMER FLOODING IN A GRASSLAND PLANT DIVERSITY EXPERIMENT ............................................................................................................. 42 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... 42 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 43 MATERIAL AND METHODS ................................................................................................................. 44 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................... 47 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................... 56 AKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 58 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 58 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL ............................................................................................................... 61 CHAPTER 4 ........................................................................................................................... 63 VARIATIONS IN TROPHIC NICHES OF GENERALIST PREDATORS WITH PLANT COMMUNITY COMPOSITION AS INDICATED BY FATTY ACIDS AND STABLE ISOTOPES .......................................................................... 64 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... 64 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 65 MATERIAL AND METHODS ................................................................................................................. 67 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................... 71 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................... 78 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................. 80 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................... 80 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 81 CHAPTER 5 ........................................................................................................................... 87 GENERAL DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................... 88 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................. 93 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 93 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ 96 LIST OF PUBLICATIONS ......................................................................................................... 98 PUBLISHED IN PEER‐REVIEWED JOURNALS: ........................................................................................... 98 SUBMITTED .................................................................................................................................... 98 THESIS DECLARATIONS ........................................................................................................ 99 DECLARATION OF THE AUTHOR’S OWN CONTRIBUTION TO MANUSCRIPTS WITH MULTIPLE AUTHORS .............. 99 PLAGIARISM DECLARATION .............................................................................................................. 100 Summary Flooding frequency is predicted to increase during the next decades. This will need a better understanding of flood impacts on terrestrial ecosystems and the development of strategies to mitigate potential damage. Plant diversity is expected to buffer flooding effects by providing a broad range of species responses. However, little effort has been made to synthesize soil responses to disturbances by flooding and the majority are simulated floods under greenhouse or field conditions. In contrast to these limited investigations I collected data information from a major natural flood occurred in 2013 to investigate the soil food web responses to flooding. My study took place in the context of one of the longest‐running biodiversity experiments worldwide. I investigated three compartments of the aboveground‐belowground food web: microorganisms (Chapter 2), microarthropods (Chapter 3) and predator‐prey interactions (Chapter 4). In Chapter 2 I analized the flood‐induced changes in soil microbial functions as modified by plant diversity. In the short‐term, microbial biomass was reduced in the severely flooded plots at high plant functional group richness. Flooding alleviated microbial nitrogen limitation, presumably due to the input of nutrient‐rich sediments. However, carbon and phosphorus limitation was greater in higher diversity plots and at higher flooding index. Furthermore, the activity of soil enzymes (including 1,4‐β‐N‐acetylglucosaminidase, phenol oxidase and peroxidase) increased with flooding
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