| Title: | Metabarcoding reveals that mixed forests mitigate negative effects of non-native trees on canopy arthropod diversity |
| Author(s): | Wildermuth B; Seifert CL; Husemann M; Schuldt A; |
| Address: | "Department of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Gottingen, Busgenweg 3, Gottingen, Germany. Museum of Nature, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, Hamburg, Germany" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1051-0761 (Print) 1051-0761 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Averting climate change-induced forest diebacks increasingly relies on tree species planted outside of their natural range and on the addition of non-native tree species to mixed-species forests. However, the consequences of such changes for associated biodiversity remain poorly understood, especially for the forest canopy as a largely understudied forest stratum. Here, we used flight interception traps and a metabarcoding approach to study the taxonomic and functional (trophic guilds) composition and taxon richness of canopy arthropods. We sampled 15 monospecific and mixed stands of native European beech, native Norway spruce-planted outside its natural range-and non-native Douglas fir in North-West Germany. We found that diversity of arthropods was lower in non-native Douglas fir compared to native beech stands. Taxon richness of herbivores was reduced by both conifer species. Other functional guilds, however, were not affected by stand type. Arthropod composition differed strongly between native broadleaved beech and monospecific coniferous (native spruce or non-native Douglas fir) stands, with less pronounced differences between the native and non-native conifers. Beech-conifer mixtures consistently hosted intermediate arthropod diversity and community composition compared to the respective monospecific stands. Moreover, arthropod diversity had a positive relationship with the number of canopy microhabitats. Our study shows that considering arthropod taxa of multiple functional groups reveals the multifaceted impact of non-native tree species on forest canopy arthropod communities. Contrasting to previous studies that primarily focused on the forest floor, we found that native beech hosts a rich diversity of arthropods, compared to lower diversity and distinct communities in economically attractive, and especially in non-native, conifers with few canopy microhabitats. Broadleaf-conifer mixtures did not perform better than native beech stands, but mitigated negative effects of conifers-making such mixtures a compromise to foster both forest-associated diversity and economic yield. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved" |
| Keywords: | DNA barcoding OTUs forestry genetic diversity insects invertebrates multi-taxon trophic guilds; |
| Notes: | "PublisherWildermuth, Benjamin Seifert, Carlo L Husemann, Martin Schuldt, Andreas eng 2023/09/30 Ecol Appl. 2023 Sep 29:e2921. doi: 10.1002/eap.2921" |
