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The role of biodiversity for soil processes remains poorly understood. Existing evidence suggests that functional diversity rather than species richness is relevant for soil functioning. However, the importance of functional diversity has rarely been assessed simultaneously at more than one trophic level, critically limiting the prediction of consequences of biodiversity loss for soil functioning. In a laboratory microcosm experiment, we tested the hypothesis that increasing functional dissimilarity of both litter-feeding soil fauna and litter mixtures interactively affects the rates of five different soil processes related to litter decomposition. We created trait-based functional dissimilarity gradients using five assemblages of two detritivore species and five mixtures of two plant litter species commonly found in Mediterranean shrubland ecosystems of southern France. With increasing drought periods predicted for Mediterranean ecosystems in the future, we additionally included two different watering frequencies to evaluate the impact of drought on soil processes and how drought interacts with functional dissimilarity. The different fauna assemblages and litter mixtures showed strong effects on litter mass loss, soil organic carbon and nitrogen leaching, as well as on soil microbial activities. Up to 20% of the variation in response variables was explained by functional dissimilarity, suggesting an ecologically relevant impact of functional diversity on soil process rates. Detritivore functional dissimilarity tended to have stronger effects when combined with increasingly dissimilar litter mixtures, suggesting that trait dissimilarity interacts across trophic levels. Drought affected several soil processes but did not modify the relationships between functional dissimilarity and process rates. Our results indicate that trait diversity of detritivore assemblages and litter mixtures is an important predictor of soil process rates. The common and easily measurable traits used in our study suggest straightforward application across different types of ecosystems and environmental conditions.

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Auteurs M. Coulis , N. Fromin , J.-F. David , J. Gavinet , A. Clet , S. Devidal , J. Roy , S. Hättenschwiler

Publication : Oikos

Date : 2025

Issue : November 2014

Pages : EV–1 – EV–13

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#ANR-Citation #CNRS #Ecotron de Montpellier

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Auteurs Alexandra Pardow , Christine Gehrig-Downie , Robbert Gradstein , Michael Lakatos

Publication : Biodiversity and Conservation

Date : 2025

Volume : 21

Issue : 14

Pages : 3637-3655

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#CNRS #FORET Nouragues

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Little is known about the role of plant functional diversity for ecosystem-level carbon (C) fluxes. To fill this knowledge gap, we translocated monoliths hosting communities with four and 16 sown species from a long-term grassland biodiversity experiment ('The Jena Experiment') into a controlled environment facility for ecosystem research (Ecotron). This allowed quantifying the effects of plant diversity on ecosystem C fluxes as well as three parameters of C uptake efficiency (water and nitrogen use efficiencies and apparent quantum yield). By combining data on ecosystem C fluxes with vegetation structure and functional trait-based predictors, we found that increasing plant species and functional diversity led to higher gross and net ecosystem C uptake rates. Path analyses and light response curves unravelled the diversity of leaf nitrogen concentration in the canopy as a key functional predictor of C fluxes, either directly or indirectly via LAI and aboveground biomass.

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Auteurs Alexandru Milcu , Christiane Roscher , Arthur Gessler , Dörte Bachmann , Annette Gockele , Markus Guderle , Damien Landais , Clément Piel , Christophe Escape , Sebastien Devidal , Olivier Ravel , Nina Buchmann , Gerd Gleixner , Anke Hildebrandt , Jacques Roy

Auteurs Bibiana Rojas , Andrius Pašukonis

Publication : PeerJ

Date : 2023

Volume : 7

Pages : e7648

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#CNRS #FORET Nouragues

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