TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fischer, Eric Wolfgang
A1  - Anders, Janet
A1  - Saalfrank, Peter
T1  - Cavity-altered thermal isomerization rates and dynamical resonant localization in vibro-polaritonic chemistry
JF  - The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr
N2  - It has been experimentally demonstrated that reaction rates for molecules embedded in microfluidic optical cavities are altered when compared to rates observed under "ordinary" reaction conditions. However, precise mechanisms of how strong coupling of an optical cavity mode to molecular vibrations affects the reactivity and how resonance behavior emerges are still under dispute. In the present work, we approach these mechanistic issues from the perspective of a thermal model reaction, the inversion of ammonia along the umbrella mode, in the presence of a single-cavity mode of varying frequency and coupling strength. A topological analysis of the related cavity Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surface in combination with quantum mechanical and transition state theory rate calculations reveals two quantum effects, leading to decelerated reaction rates in qualitative agreement with experiments: the stiffening of quantized modes perpendicular to the reaction path at the transition state, which reduces the number of thermally accessible reaction channels, and the broadening of the barrier region, which attenuates tunneling. We find these two effects to be very robust in a fluctuating environment, causing statistical variations of potential parameters, such as the barrier height. Furthermore, by solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation in the vibrational strong coupling regime, we identify a resonance behavior, in qualitative agreement with experimental and earlier theoretical work. The latter manifests as reduced reaction probability when the cavity frequency omega(c) is tuned resonant to a molecular reactant frequency. We find this effect to be based on the dynamical localization of the vibro-polaritonic wavepacket in the reactant well.
Y1  - 2022
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0076434
SN  - 0021-9606
SN  - 1089-7690
VL  - 156
IS  - 15
PB  - American Institute of Physics
CY  - Melville, NY
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fischer, Eric Wolfgang
A1  - Werther, Michael
A1  - Bouakline, Foudhil
A1  - Grossmann, Frank
A1  - Saalfrank, Peter
T1  - Non-Markovian vibrational relaxation dynamics at surfaces
JF  - The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr
N2  - Vibrational dynamics of adsorbates near surfaces plays both an important role for applied surface science and as a model lab for studying fundamental problems of open quantum systems. We employ a previously developed model for the relaxation of a D-Si-Si bending mode at a D:Si(100)-(2 x 1) surface, induced by a "bath " of more than 2000 phonon modes [Lorenz and P. Saalfrank, Chem. Phys. 482, 69 (2017)], to extend previous work along various directions. First, we use a Hierarchical Effective Mode (HEM) model [Fischer et al., J. Chem. Phys. 153, 064704 (2020)] to study relaxation of higher excited vibrational states than hitherto done by solving a high-dimensional system-bath time-dependent Schrodinger equation (TDSE). In the HEM approach, (many) real bath modes are replaced by (much less) effective bath modes. Accordingly, we are able to examine scaling laws for vibrational relaxation lifetimes for a realistic surface science problem. Second, we compare the performance of the multilayer multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree (ML-MCTDH) approach with that of the recently developed coherent-state-based multi-Davydov-D2 Ansatz [Zhou et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 014113 (2015)]. Both approaches work well, with some computational advantages for the latter in the presented context. Third, we apply open-system density matrix theory in comparison with basically "exact " solutions of the multi-mode TDSEs. Specifically, we use an open-system Liouville-von Neumann (LvN) equation treating vibration-phonon coupling as Markovian dissipation in Lindblad form to quantify effects beyond the Born-Markov approximation. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.
KW  - phonons
KW  - Vibrational states
KW  - Chemical dynamics
KW  - Adsorption
KW  - Surface science
KW  - Open quantum systems
KW  - Density-matrix
KW  - Coherent states
KW  - Markov processes
Y1  - 2022
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0092836
SN  - 0021-9606
SN  - 1089-7690
SN  - 1520-9032
VL  - 156
IS  - 21
PB  - AIP Publishing
CY  - Melville
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Penone, Caterina
A1  - Allan, Eric
A1  - Soliveres, Santiago
A1  - Felipe-Lucia, Maria R.
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
A1  - Seibold, Sebastian
A1  - Simons, Nadja K.
A1  - Schall, Peter
A1  - van der Plas, Fons
A1  - Manning, Peter
A1  - Manzanedo, Ruben D.
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Ammer, Christian
A1  - Bauhus, Juergen
A1  - Buscot, Francois
A1  - Ehbrecht, Martin
A1  - Goldmann, Kezia
A1  - Jung, Kirsten
A1  - Mueller, Joerg
A1  - Mueller, Joerg C.
A1  - Pena, Rodica
A1  - Polle, Andrea
A1  - Renner, Swen C.
A1  - Ruess, Liliane
A1  - Schoenig, Ingo
A1  - Schrumpf, Marion
A1  - Solly, Emily F.
A1  - Tschapka, Marco
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Wubet, Tesfaye
A1  - Fischer, Markus
T1  - Specialisation and diversity of multiple trophic groups are promoted by different forest features
JF  - Ecology letters
N2  - While forest management strongly influences biodiversity, it remains unclear how the structural and compositional changes caused by management affect different community dimensions (e.g. richness, specialisation, abundance or completeness) and how this differs between taxa. We assessed the effects of nine forest features (representing stand structure, heterogeneity and tree composition) on thirteen above- and belowground trophic groups of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria in 150 temperate forest plots differing in their management type. Canopy cover decreased light resources, which increased community specialisation but reduced overall diversity and abundance. Features increasing resource types and diversifying microhabitats (admixing of oaks and conifers) were important and mostly affected richness. Belowground groups responded differently to those aboveground and had weaker responses to most forest features. Our results show that we need to consider forest features rather than broad management types and highlight the importance of considering several groups and community dimensions to better inform conservation.
KW  - biodiversity exploratories
KW  - dark diversity
KW  - forest management
KW  - global change
KW  - land-use
KW  - multidiversity
KW  - specialisation
KW  - temperate forests
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13182
SN  - 1461-023X
SN  - 1461-0248
VL  - 22
IS  - 1
SP  - 170
EP  - 180
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Heinrichs, Steffi
A1  - Ammer, Christian
A1  - Mund, Martina
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Budde, Sabine
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Mueller, Joerg
A1  - Schoening, Ingo
A1  - Schulze, Ernst-Detlef
A1  - Schmidt, Wolfgang
A1  - Weckesser, Martin
A1  - Schall, Peter
T1  - Landscape-Scale Mixtures of Tree Species are More Effective than Stand-Scale Mixtures for Biodiversity of Vascular Plants, Bryophytes and Lichens
JF  - Forests
N2  - Tree species diversity can positively affect the multifunctionality of forests. This is why conifer monocultures of Scots pine and Norway spruce, widely promoted in Central Europe since the 18th and 19th century, are currently converted into mixed stands with naturally dominant European beech. Biodiversity is expected to benefit from these mixtures compared to pure conifer stands due to increased abiotic and biotic resource heterogeneity. Evidence for this assumption is, however, largely lacking. Here, we investigated the diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens at the plot (alpha diversity) and at the landscape (gamma diversity) level in pure and mixed stands of European beech and conifer species (Scots pine, Norway spruce, Douglas fir) in four regions in Germany. We aimed to identify compositions of pure and mixed stands in a hypothetical forest landscape that can optimize gamma diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens within regions. Results show that gamma diversity of the investigated groups is highest when a landscape comprises different pure stands rather than tree species mixtures at the stand scale. Species mainly associated with conifers rely on light regimes that are only provided in pure conifer forests, whereas mixtures of beech and conifers are more similar to beech stands. Combining pure beech and pure conifer stands at the landscape scale can increase landscape level biodiversity and conserve species assemblages of both stand types, while landscapes solely composed of stand scale tree species mixtures could lead to a biodiversity reduction of a combination of investigated groups of 7 up to 20%.
KW  - Fagus sylvatica
KW  - Pinus sylvestris
KW  - Picea abies
KW  - Pseudotsuga menziesii
KW  - forest management
KW  - tree species diversity
KW  - forest conversion
KW  - gamma diversity
KW  - landscape scale
KW  - Biodiversity Exploratories
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3390/f10010073
SN  - 1999-4907
VL  - 10
IS  - 1
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Tucker, Marlee A.
A1  - Boehning-Gaese, Katrin
A1  - Fagan, William F.
A1  - Fryxell, John M.
A1  - Van Moorter, Bram
A1  - Alberts, Susan C.
A1  - Ali, Abdullahi H.
A1  - Allen, Andrew M.
A1  - Attias, Nina
A1  - Avgar, Tal
A1  - Bartlam-Brooks, Hattie
A1  - Bayarbaatar, Buuveibaatar
A1  - Belant, Jerrold L.
A1  - Bertassoni, Alessandra
A1  - Beyer, Dean
A1  - Bidner, Laura
A1  - van Beest, Floris M.
A1  - Blake, Stephen
A1  - Blaum, Niels
A1  - Bracis, Chloe
A1  - Brown, Danielle
A1  - de Bruyn, P. J. Nico
A1  - Cagnacci, Francesca
A1  - Calabrese, Justin M.
A1  - Camilo-Alves, Constanca
A1  - Chamaille-Jammes, Simon
A1  - Chiaradia, Andre
A1  - Davidson, Sarah C.
A1  - Dennis, Todd
A1  - DeStefano, Stephen
A1  - Diefenbach, Duane
A1  - Douglas-Hamilton, Iain
A1  - Fennessy, Julian
A1  - Fichtel, Claudia
A1  - Fiedler, Wolfgang
A1  - Fischer, Christina
A1  - Fischhoff, Ilya
A1  - Fleming, Christen H.
A1  - Ford, Adam T.
A1  - Fritz, Susanne A.
A1  - Gehr, Benedikt
A1  - Goheen, Jacob R.
A1  - Gurarie, Eliezer
A1  - Hebblewhite, Mark
A1  - Heurich, Marco
A1  - Hewison, A. J. Mark
A1  - Hof, Christian
A1  - Hurme, Edward
A1  - Isbell, Lynne A.
A1  - Janssen, Rene
A1  - Jeltsch, Florian
A1  - Kaczensky, Petra
A1  - Kane, Adam
A1  - Kappeler, Peter M.
A1  - Kauffman, Matthew
A1  - Kays, Roland
A1  - Kimuyu, Duncan
A1  - Koch, Flavia
A1  - Kranstauber, Bart
A1  - LaPoint, Scott
A1  - Leimgruber, Peter
A1  - Linnell, John D. C.
A1  - Lopez-Lopez, Pascual
A1  - Markham, A. Catherine
A1  - Mattisson, Jenny
A1  - Medici, Emilia Patricia
A1  - Mellone, Ugo
A1  - Merrill, Evelyn
A1  - Mourao, Guilherme de Miranda
A1  - Morato, Ronaldo G.
A1  - Morellet, Nicolas
A1  - Morrison, Thomas A.
A1  - Diaz-Munoz, Samuel L.
A1  - Mysterud, Atle
A1  - Nandintsetseg, Dejid
A1  - Nathan, Ran
A1  - Niamir, Aidin
A1  - Odden, John
A1  - Oliveira-Santos, Luiz Gustavo R.
A1  - Olson, Kirk A.
A1  - Patterson, Bruce D.
A1  - de Paula, Rogerio Cunha
A1  - Pedrotti, Luca
A1  - Reineking, Bjorn
A1  - Rimmler, Martin
A1  - Rogers, Tracey L.
A1  - Rolandsen, Christer Moe
A1  - Rosenberry, Christopher S.
A1  - Rubenstein, Daniel I.
A1  - Safi, Kamran
A1  - Said, Sonia
A1  - Sapir, Nir
A1  - Sawyer, Hall
A1  - Schmidt, Niels Martin
A1  - Selva, Nuria
A1  - Sergiel, Agnieszka
A1  - Shiilegdamba, Enkhtuvshin
A1  - Silva, Joao Paulo
A1  - Singh, Navinder
A1  - Solberg, Erling J.
A1  - Spiegel, Orr
A1  - Strand, Olav
A1  - Sundaresan, Siva
A1  - Ullmann, Wiebke
A1  - Voigt, Ulrich
A1  - Wall, Jake
A1  - Wattles, David
A1  - Wikelski, Martin
A1  - Wilmers, Christopher C.
A1  - Wilson, John W.
A1  - Wittemyer, George
A1  - Zieba, Filip
A1  - Zwijacz-Kozica, Tomasz
A1  - Mueller, Thomas
T1  - Moving in the Anthropocene
BT  - global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements
JF  - Science
N2  - Animal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the extent of their movements in areas with a low human footprint. We attribute this reduction to behavioral changes of individual animals and to the exclusion of species with long-range movements from areas with higher human impact. Global loss of vagility alters a key ecological trait of animals that affects not only population persistence but also ecosystem processes such as predator-prey interactions, nutrient cycling, and disease transmission.
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam9712
SN  - 0036-8075
SN  - 1095-9203
VL  - 359
IS  - 6374
SP  - 466
EP  - 469
PB  - American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science
CY  - Washington
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schall, Peter
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
A1  - Heinrichs, Steffi
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Jung, Kirsten
A1  - Baumgartner, Vanessa
A1  - Blaser, Stefan
A1  - Böhm, Stefan
A1  - Buscot, Francois
A1  - Daniel, Rolf
A1  - Goldmann, Kezia
A1  - Kaiser, Kristin
A1  - Kahl, Tiemo
A1  - Lange, Markus
A1  - Müller, Jörg Hans
A1  - Overmann, Jörg
A1  - Renner, Swen C.
A1  - Schulze, Ernst-Detlef
A1  - Sikorski, Johannes
A1  - Tschapka, Marco
A1  - Türke, Manfred
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Wemheuer, Bernd
A1  - Wubet, Tesfaye
A1  - Ammer, Christian
T1  - The impact of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on regional biodiversity of multiple taxa in European beech forests
JF  - Journal of applied ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society
N2  - 1. For managed temperate forests, conservationists and policymakers favour fine-grained uneven-aged (UEA) management over more traditional coarse-grained even-aged (EA) management, based on the assumption that within-stand habitat heterogeneity enhances biodiversity. There is, however, little empirical evidence to support this assumption. We investigated for the first time how differently grained forest management systems affect the biodiversity of multiple above- and below-ground taxa across spatial scales. 2. We sampled 15 taxa of animals, plants, fungi and bacteria within the largest contiguous beech forest landscape of Germany and classified them into functional groups. Selected forest stands have been managed for more than a century at different spatial grains. The EA (coarse-grained management) and UEA (fine-grained) forests are comparable in spatial arrangement, climate and soil conditions. These were compared to forests of a nearby national park that have been unmanaged for at least 20years. We used diversity accumulation curves to compare -diversity for Hill numbers D-0 (species richness), D-1 (Shannon diversity) and D-2 (Simpson diversity) between the management systems. Beta diversity was quantified as multiple-site dissimilarity. 3. Gamma diversity was higher in EA than in UEA forests for at least one of the three Hill numbers for six taxa (up to 77%), while eight showed no difference. Only bacteria showed the opposite pattern. Higher -diversity in EA forests was also found for forest specialists and saproxylic beetles. 4. Between-stand -diversity was higher in EA than in UEA forests for one-third (all species) and half (forest specialists) of all taxa, driven by environmental heterogeneity between age-classes, while -diversity showed no directional response across taxa or for forest specialists. 5. Synthesis and applications. Comparing EA and uneven-aged forest management in Central European beech forests, our results show that a mosaic of different age-classes is more important for regional biodiversity than high within-stand heterogeneity. We suggest reconsidering the current trend of replacing even-aged management in temperate forests. Instead, the variability of stages and stand structures should be increased to promote landscape-scale biodiversity.
KW  - beta diversity
KW  - forest specialists
KW  - gamma diversity
KW  - heterogeneity
KW  - Hill numbers
KW  - saproxylic beetles
KW  - spatial grain
KW  - species accumulation curve
KW  - species richness
KW  - species turnover
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12950
SN  - 0021-8901
SN  - 1365-2664
VL  - 55
IS  - 1
SP  - 267
EP  - 278
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Meyer, Sebastian Tobias
A1  - Ptacnik, Robert
A1  - Hillebrand, Helmut
A1  - Bessler, Holger
A1  - Buchmann, Nina
A1  - Ebeling, Anne
A1  - Eisenhauer, Nico
A1  - Engels, Christof
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Halle, Stefan
A1  - Klein, Alexandra-Maria
A1  - Oelmann, Yvonne
A1  - Roscher, Christiane
A1  - Rottstock, Tanja
A1  - Scherber, Christoph
A1  - Scheu, Stefan
A1  - Schmid, Bernhard
A1  - Schulze, Ernst-Detlef
A1  - Temperton, Vicky M.
A1  - Tscharntke, Teja
A1  - Voigt, Winfried
A1  - Weigelt, Alexandra
A1  - Wilcke, Wolfgang
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
T1  - Biodiversity-multifunctionality relationships depend on identity and number of measured functions
JF  - Nature Ecology & Evolution
N2  - Biodiversity ensures ecosystem functioning and provisioning of ecosystem services, but it remains unclear how biodiversity-ecosystem multifunctionality relationships depend on the identity and number of functions considered. Here, we demonstrate that ecosystem multifunctionality, based on 82 indicator variables of ecosystem functions in a grassland biodiversity experiment, increases strongly with increasing biodiversity. Analysing subsets of functions showed that the effects of biodiversity on multifunctionality were stronger when more functions were included and that the strength of the biodiversity effects depended on the identity of the functions included. Limits to multifunctionality arose from negative correlations among functions and functions that were not correlated with biodiversity. Our findings underline that the management of ecosystems for the protection of biodiversity cannot be replaced by managing for particular ecosystem functions or services and emphasize the need for specific management to protect biodiversity. More plant species from the experimental pool of 60 species contributed to functioning when more functions were considered. An individual contribution to multifunctionality could be demonstrated for only a fraction of the species.
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0391-4
SN  - 2397-334X
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
SP  - 44
EP  - 49
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Soliveres, Santiago
A1  - van der Plas, Fons
A1  - Manning, Peter
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
A1  - Renner, Swen C.
A1  - Alt, Fabian
A1  - Arndt, Hartmut
A1  - Baumgartner, Vanessa
A1  - Binkenstein, Julia
A1  - Birkhofer, Klaus
A1  - Blaser, Stefan
A1  - Blüthgen, Nico
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Böhm, Stefan
A1  - Börschig, Carmen
A1  - Buscot, Francois
A1  - Diekötter, Tim
A1  - Heinze, Johannes
A1  - Hölzel, Norbert
A1  - Jung, Kirsten
A1  - Klaus, Valentin H.
A1  - Kleinebecker, Till
A1  - Klemmer, Sandra
A1  - Krauss, Jochen
A1  - Lange, Markus
A1  - Morris, E. Kathryn
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Oelmann, Yvonne
A1  - Overmann, Jörg
A1  - Pasalic, Esther
A1  - Rillig, Matthias C.
A1  - Schaefer, H. Martin
A1  - Schloter, Michael
A1  - Schmitt, Barbara
A1  - Schöning, Ingo
A1  - Schrumpf, Marion
A1  - Sikorski, Johannes
A1  - Socher, Stephanie A.
A1  - Solly, Emily F.
A1  - Sonnemann, Ilja
A1  - Sorkau, Elisabeth
A1  - Steckel, Juliane
A1  - Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf
A1  - Stempfhuber, Barbara
A1  - Tschapka, Marco
A1  - Türke, Manfred
A1  - Venter, Paul C.
A1  - Weiner, Christiane N.
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Werner, Michael
A1  - Westphal, Catrin
A1  - Wilcke, Wolfgang
A1  - Wolters, Volkmar
A1  - Wubet, Tesfaye
A1  - Wurst, Susanne
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Allan, Eric
T1  - Biodiversity at multiple trophic levels is needed for ecosystem multifunctionality
JF  - Nature : the international weekly journal of science
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19092
SN  - 0028-0836
SN  - 1476-4687
VL  - 536
SP  - 456
EP  - +
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
A1  - Lewinsohn, Thomas M.
A1  - Kahl, Tiemo
A1  - Grassein, Fabrice
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Birkhofer, Klaus
A1  - Renner, Swen C.
A1  - Sikorski, Johannes
A1  - Wubet, Tesfaye
A1  - Arndt, Hartmut
A1  - Baumgartner, Vanessa
A1  - Blaser, Stefan
A1  - Blüthgen, Nico
A1  - Börschig, Carmen
A1  - Buscot, Francois
A1  - Diekötter, Tim
A1  - Jorge, Leonardo Re
A1  - Jung, Kirsten
A1  - Keyel, Alexander C.
A1  - Klein, Alexandra-Maria
A1  - Klemmer, Sandra
A1  - Krauss, Jochen
A1  - Lange, Markus
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Overmann, Jörg
A1  - Pasalic, Esther
A1  - Penone, Caterina
A1  - Perovic, David J.
A1  - Purschke, Oliver
A1  - Schall, Peter
A1  - Socher, Stephanie A.
A1  - Sonnemann, Ilja
A1  - Tschapka, Marco
A1  - Tscharntke, Teja
A1  - Türke, Manfred
A1  - Venter, Paul Christiaan
A1  - Weiner, Christiane N.
A1  - Werner, Michael
A1  - Wolters, Volkmar
A1  - Wurst, Susanne
A1  - Westphal, Catrin
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Allan, Eric
T1  - Land-use intensification causes multitrophic homogenization of grassland communities
JF  - Nature : the international weekly journal of science
N2  - Land-use intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss(1,2). Alongside reductions in local species diversity, biotic homogenization at larger spatial scales is of great concern for conservation. Biotic homogenization means a decrease in beta-diversity (the compositional dissimilarity between sites). Most studies have investigated losses in local (alpha)-diversity(1,3) and neglected biodiversity loss at larger spatial scales. Studies addressing beta-diversity have focused on single or a few organism groups (for example, ref. 4), and it is thus unknown whether land-use intensification homogenizes communities at different trophic levels, above-and belowground. Here we show that even moderate increases in local land-use intensity (LUI) cause biotic homogenization across microbial, plant and animal groups, both above- and belowground, and that this is largely independent of changes in alpha-diversity. We analysed a unique grassland biodiversity dataset, with abundances of more than 4,000 species belonging to 12 trophic groups. LUI, and, in particular, high mowing intensity, had consistent effects on beta-diversity across groups, causing a homogenization of soil microbial, fungal pathogen, plant and arthropod communities. These effects were nonlinear and the strongest declines in beta-diversity occurred in the transition from extensively managed to intermediate intensity grassland. LUI tended to reduce local alpha-diversity in aboveground groups, whereas the alpha-diversity increased in belowground groups. Correlations between the alpha-diversity of different groups, particularly between plants and their consumers, became weaker at high LUI. This suggests a loss of specialist species and is further evidence for biotic homogenization. The consistently negative effects of LUI on landscape-scale biodiversity underscore the high value of extensively managed grasslands for conserving multitrophic biodiversity and ecosystem service provision. Indeed, biotic homogenization rather than local diversity loss could prove to be the most substantial consequence of land-use intensification.
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/nature20575
SN  - 0028-0836
SN  - 1476-4687
VL  - 540
SP  - 266
EP  - +
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Soliveres, Santiago
A1  - Manning, Peter
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
A1  - Alt, Fabian
A1  - Arndt, Hartmut
A1  - Baumgartner, Vanessa
A1  - Binkenstein, Julia
A1  - Birkhofer, Klaus
A1  - Blaser, Stefan
A1  - Bluethgen, Nico
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Boehm, Stefan
A1  - Boerschig, Carmen
A1  - Buscot, Francois
A1  - Diekoetter, Tim
A1  - Heinze, Johannes
A1  - Hoelzel, Norbert
A1  - Jung, Kirsten
A1  - Klaus, Valentin H.
A1  - Klein, Alexandra-Maria
A1  - Kleinebecker, Till
A1  - Klemmer, Sandra
A1  - Krauss, Jochen
A1  - Lange, Markus
A1  - Morris, E. Kathryn
A1  - Mueller, Joerg
A1  - Oelmann, Yvonne
A1  - Overmann, Jörg
A1  - Pasalic, Esther
A1  - Renner, Swen C.
A1  - Rillig, Matthias C.
A1  - Schaefer, H. Martin
A1  - Schloter, Michael
A1  - Schmitt, Barbara
A1  - Schoening, Ingo
A1  - Schrumpf, Marion
A1  - Sikorski, Johannes
A1  - Socher, Stephanie A.
A1  - Solly, Emily F.
A1  - Sonnemann, Ilja
A1  - Sorkau, Elisabeth
A1  - Steckel, Juliane
A1  - Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf
A1  - Stempfhuber, Barbara
A1  - Tschapka, Marco
A1  - Tuerke, Manfred
A1  - Venter, Paul
A1  - Weiner, Christiane N.
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Werner, Michael
A1  - Westphal, Catrin
A1  - Wilcke, Wolfgang
A1  - Wolters, Volkmar
A1  - Wubet, Tesfaye
A1  - Wurst, Susanne
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Allan, Eric
T1  - Locally rare species influence grassland ecosystem multifunctionality
JF  - Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London : B, Biological sciences
N2  - Species diversity promotes the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality). However, the relative functional importance of rare and common species in driving the biodiversity multifunctionality relationship remains unknown. We studied the relationship between the diversity of rare and common species (according to their local abundances and across nine different trophic groups), and multifunctionality indices derived from 14 ecosystem functions on 150 grasslands across a land use intensity (LUI) gradient. The diversity of above- and below-ground rare species had opposite effects, with rare above-ground species being associated with high levels of multifunctionality, probably because their effects on different functions did not trade off against each other. Conversely, common species were only related to average, not high, levels of multifunctionality, and their functional effects declined with LUI. Apart from the community level effects of diversity, we found significant positive associations between the abundance of individual species and multifunctionality in 6% of the species tested. Species specific functional effects were best predicted by their response to LUI: species that declined in abundance with land use intensification were those associated with higher levels of multifunctionality. Our results highlight the importance of rare species for ecosystem multifunctionality and help guiding future conservation priorities.
KW  - biodiversity
KW  - common species
KW  - ecosystem function
KW  - identity hypothesis
KW  - land use
KW  - multitrophic
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0269
SN  - 0962-8436
SN  - 1471-2970
VL  - 371
SP  - 3175
EP  - 3185
PB  - Royal Society
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Meyer, Sebastian T.
A1  - Ebeling, Anne
A1  - Eisenhauer, Nico
A1  - Hertzog, Lionel
A1  - Hillebrand, Helmut
A1  - Milcu, Alexandru
A1  - Pompe, Sven
A1  - Abbas, Maike
A1  - Bessler, Holger
A1  - Buchmann, Nina
A1  - De Luca, Enrica
A1  - Engels, Christof
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Gleixner, Gerd
A1  - Hudewenz, Anika
A1  - Klein, Alexandra-Maria
A1  - de Kroon, Hans
A1  - Leimer, Sophia
A1  - Loranger, Hannah
A1  - Mommer, Liesje
A1  - Oelmann, Yvonne
A1  - Ravenek, Janneke M.
A1  - Roscher, Christiane
A1  - Rottstock, Tanja
A1  - Scherber, Christoph
A1  - Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael
A1  - Scheu, Stefan
A1  - Schmid, Bernhard
A1  - Schulze, Ernst-Detlef
A1  - Staudler, Andrea
A1  - Strecker, Tanja
A1  - Temperton, Vicky
A1  - Tscharntke, Teja
A1  - Vogel, Anja
A1  - Voigt, Winfried
A1  - Weigelt, Alexandra
A1  - Wilcke, Wolfgang
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
T1  - Effects of biodiversity strengthen over time as ecosystem functioning declines at low and increases at high biodiversity
JF  - Ecosphere : the magazine of the International Ecology University
KW  - biodiversity ecosystem functioning (BEF)
KW  - ecosystem processes
KW  - grassland
KW  - mechanism
KW  - plant productivity
KW  - plant species richness
KW  - temporal effects
KW  - trophic interactions
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1619
SN  - 2150-8925
VL  - 7
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Soliveres, Santiago
A1  - Maestre, Fernando T.
A1  - Ulrich, Werner
A1  - Manning, Peter
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Bowker, Matthew A.
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel
A1  - Quero, Jose L.
A1  - Schöning, Ingo
A1  - Gallardo, Antonio
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Socher, Stephanie A.
A1  - Garcia-Gomez, Miguel
A1  - Ochoa, Victoria
A1  - Schulze, Ernst-Detlef
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Allan, Eric
T1  - Intransitive competition is widespread in plant communities and maintains their species richness
JF  - Ecology letters
N2  - Intransitive competition networks, those in which there is no single best competitor, may ensure species coexistence. However, their frequency and importance in maintaining diversity in real-world ecosystems remain unclear. We used two large data sets from drylands and agricultural grasslands to assess: (1) the generality of intransitive competition, (2) intransitivity-richness relationships and (3) effects of two major drivers of biodiversity loss (aridity and land-use intensification) on intransitivity and species richness. Intransitive competition occurred in >65% of sites and was associated with higher species richness. Intransitivity increased with aridity, partly buffering its negative effects on diversity, but was decreased by intensive land use, enhancing its negative effects on diversity. These contrasting responses likely arise because intransitivity is promoted by temporal heterogeneity, which is enhanced by aridity but may decline with land-use intensity. We show that intransitivity is widespread in nature and increases diversity, but it can be lost with environmental homogenisation.
KW  - Aridity
KW  - biodiversity
KW  - coexistence
KW  - drylands
KW  - land use
KW  - mesic grasslands
KW  - rock-paper-scissors game
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12456
SN  - 1461-023X
SN  - 1461-0248
VL  - 18
IS  - 8
SP  - 790
EP  - 798
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Allan, Eric
A1  - Manning, Pete
A1  - Alt, Fabian
A1  - Binkenstein, Julia
A1  - Blaser, Stefan
A1  - Blüthgen, Nico
A1  - Böhm, Stefan
A1  - Grassein, Fabrice
A1  - Hölzel, Norbert
A1  - Klaus, Valentin H.
A1  - Kleinebecker, Till
A1  - Morris, E. Kathryn
A1  - Oelmann, Yvonne
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Renner, Swen C.
A1  - Rillig, Matthias C.
A1  - Schaefer, Martin
A1  - Schloter, Michael
A1  - Schmitt, Barbara
A1  - Schöning, Ingo
A1  - Schrumpf, Marion
A1  - Solly, Emily
A1  - Sorkau, Elisabeth
A1  - Steckel, Juliane
A1  - Steffen-Dewenter, Ingolf
A1  - Stempfhuber, Barbara
A1  - Tschapka, Marco
A1  - Weiner, Christiane N.
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Werner, Michael
A1  - Westphal, Catrin
A1  - Wilcke, Wolfgang
A1  - Fischer, Markus
T1  - Land use intensification alters ecosystem multifunctionality via loss of biodiversity and changes to functional composition
JF  - Ecology letters
N2  - Global change, especially land-use intensification, affects human well-being by impacting the delivery of multiple ecosystem services (multifunctionality). However, whether biodiversity loss is a major component of global change effects on multifunctionality in real-world ecosystems, as in experimental ones, remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed biodiversity, functional composition and 14 ecosystem services on 150 agricultural grasslands differing in land-use intensity. We also introduce five multifunctionality measures in which ecosystem services were weighted according to realistic land-use objectives. We found that indirect land-use effects, i.e. those mediated by biodiversity loss and by changes to functional composition, were as strong as direct effects on average. Their strength varied with land-use objectives and regional context. Biodiversity loss explained indirect effects in a region of intermediate productivity and was most damaging when land-use objectives favoured supporting and cultural services. In contrast, functional composition shifts, towards fast-growing plant species, strongly increased provisioning services in more inherently unproductive grasslands.
KW  - Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning
KW  - ecosystem services
KW  - global change
KW  - land use
KW  - multifunctionality
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12469
SN  - 1461-023X
SN  - 1461-0248
VL  - 18
IS  - 8
SP  - 834
EP  - 843
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Marcus, Tamar
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Durka, Walter
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Schöning, Ingo
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Drees, Claudia
A1  - Assmann, Thorsten
T1  - Living in Heterogeneous Woodlands - Are Habitat Continuity or Quality Drivers of Genetic Variability in a Flightless Ground Beetle?
JF  - PLoS one
N2  - Although genetic diversity is one of the key components of biodiversity, its drivers are still not fully understood. While it is known that genetic diversity is affected both by environmental parameters as well as habitat history, these factors are not often tested together. Therefore, we analyzed 14 microsatellite loci in Abax parallelepipedus, a flightless, forest dwelling ground beetle, from 88 plots in two study regions in Germany. We modeled the effects of historical and environmental variables on allelic richness, and found for one of the regions, the Schorfheide-Chorin, a significant effect of the depth of the litter layer, which is a main component of habitat quality, and of the sampling effort, which serves as an inverse proxy for local population size. For the other region, the Schwabische Alb, none of the potential drivers showed a significant effect on allelic richness. We conclude that the genetic diversity in our study species is being driven by current local population sizes via environmental variables and not by historical processes in the studied regions. This is also supported by lack of genetic differentiation between local populations sampled from ancient and from recent woodlands. We suggest that the potential effects of former fragmentation and recolonization processes have been mitigated by the large and stable local populations of Abax parallelepipedus in combination with the proximity of the ancient and recent woodlands in the studied landscapes.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144217
SN  - 1932-6203
VL  - 10
IS  - 12
PB  - PLoS
CY  - San Fransisco
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Sree, K. Sowjanya
A1  - Keresztes, Aron
A1  - Müller-Röber, Bernd
A1  - Brandt, Ronny
A1  - Eberius, Matthias
A1  - Fischer, Wolfgang
A1  - Appenroth, Klaus-J.
T1  - Phytotoxicity of cobalt ions on the duckweed Lemna minor - Morphology, ion uptake, and starch accumulation
JF  - Chemosphere : chemistry, biology and toxicology as related to environmental problems
N2  - Cobalt (Co2+) inhibits vegetative growth of Lemna minor gradually from 1 mu M to 100 mu M. Fronds accumulated up to 21 mg Co2+ g(-1) dry weight at 10 mu M external Co2+ indicating hyperaccumulation. Interestingly, accumulation of Co2+ did not decrease the iron (Fe) content in fronds, highlighting L. minor as a suitable system for studying effects of Co2+ undisturbed by Fe deficiency symptoms unlike most other plants. Digital image analysis revealed the size distribution of fronds after Co2+ treatment and also a reduction in pigmentation of newly formed daughter fronds unlike the mother fronds during the 7-day treatment. Neither chlorophyll nor photosystem II fluorescence changed significantly during the initial 4 d, indicating effective photosynthesis. During the later phase of the 7-day treatment, however, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency decreased in the Co2+-treated daughter fronds, indicating that Co2+ inhibits the biosynthesis of chlorophyll rather than leading to the destruction of pre-existing pigment molecules. In addition, during the first 4 d of Co2+ treatment starch accumulated in the fronds and led to the transition of chloroplasts to chloro-amyloplasts and amylo-chloroplasts, while starch levels strongly decreased thereafter. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KW  - Chloroplast
KW  - Cobalt
KW  - Lemnaceae
KW  - Lemna minor
KW  - Phytotoxicity
KW  - Starch accumulation
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.03.008
SN  - 0045-6535
SN  - 1879-1298
VL  - 131
SP  - 149
EP  - 156
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Manning, Pete
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
A1  - Bossdorf, Oliver
A1  - Allan, Eric
A1  - Zhang, Yuan-Ye
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Blüthgen, Nico
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Böhm, Stefan
A1  - Börschig, Carmen
A1  - Hölzel, Norbert
A1  - Jung, Kirsten
A1  - Klaus, Valentin H.
A1  - Klein, Alexandra-Maria
A1  - Kleinebecker, Till
A1  - Krauss, Jochen
A1  - Lange, Markus
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Pasalic, Esther
A1  - Socher, Stephanie A.
A1  - Tschapka, Marco
A1  - Türke, Manfred
A1  - Weiner, Christiane
A1  - Werner, Michael
A1  - Gockel, Sonja
A1  - Hemp, Andreas
A1  - Renner, Swen C.
A1  - Wells, Konstans
A1  - Buscot, Francois
A1  - Kalko, Elisabeth K. V.
A1  - Linsenmair, Karl Eduard
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Fischer, Markus
T1  - Grassland management intensification weakens the associations among the diversities of multiple plant and animal taxa
JF  - Ecology : a publication of the Ecological Society of America
N2  - Land-use intensification is a key driver of biodiversity change. However, little is known about how it alters relationships between the diversities of different taxonomic groups, which are often correlated due to shared environmental drivers and trophic interactions. Using data from 150 grassland sites, we examined how land-use intensification (increased fertilization, higher livestock densities, and increased mowing frequency) altered correlations between the species richness of 15 plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate taxa. We found that 54% of pairwise correlations between taxonomic groups were significant and positive among all grasslands, while only one was negative. Higher land-use intensity substantially weakened these correlations(35% decrease in rand 43% fewer significant pairwise correlations at high intensity), a pattern which may emerge as a result of biodiversity declines and the breakdown of specialized relationships in these conditions. Nevertheless, some groups (Coleoptera, Heteroptera, Hymenoptera and Orthoptera) were consistently correlated with multidiversity, an aggregate measure of total biodiversity comprised of the standardized diversities of multiple taxa, at both high and lowland-use intensity. The form of intensification was also important; increased fertilization and mowing frequency typically weakened plant-plant and plant-primary consumer correlations, whereas grazing intensification did not. This may reflect decreased habitat heterogeneity under mowing and fertilization and increased habitat heterogeneity under grazing. While these results urge caution in using certain taxonomic groups to monitor impacts of agricultural management on biodiversity, they also suggest that the diversities of some groups are reasonably robust indicators of total biodiversity across a range of conditions.
KW  - Biodiversity indicators
KW  - correlation
KW  - fertilization
KW  - grassland management
KW  - grazing
KW  - land-use change
KW  - land-use intensity
KW  - mowing
KW  - multidiversity
KW  - multitrophic interactions
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1890/14-1307.1
SN  - 0012-9658
SN  - 1939-9170
VL  - 96
IS  - 6
SP  - 1492
EP  - 1501
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Washington
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Flöel, Agnes
A1  - Werner, Cordula
A1  - Grittner, Ulrike
A1  - Hesse, Stefan
A1  - Jöbges, Michael
A1  - Knauss, Janet
A1  - Seifert, Michael
A1  - Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth
A1  - Goevercin, Mehmet
A1  - Dohle, Christian
A1  - Fischer, Wolfgang
A1  - Schlieder, Regina
A1  - Nave, Alexander Heinrich
A1  - Meisel, Andreas
A1  - Ebinger, Martin
A1  - Wellwood, Ian
T1  - Physical fitness training in Subacute Stroke (PHYS-STROKE) - study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
JF  - Trials
N2  - Background: 
Given the rising number of strokes worldwide, and the large number of individuals left with disabilities after stroke, novel strategies to reduce disability, increase functions in the motor and the cognitive domains, and improve quality of life are of major importance. Physical activity is a promising intervention to address these challenges but, as yet, there is no study demonstrating definite outcomes. Our objective is to assess whether additional treatment in the form of physical fitness-based training for patients early after stroke will provide benefits in terms of functional outcomes, in particular gait speed and the Barthel Index (co-primary outcome measures) reflecting activities of daily living (ADL). We will gather secondary functional outcomes as well as mechanistic parameters in an exploratory approach.
 Methods/Design: Our phase III randomised controlled trial will recruit 215 adults with moderate to severe limitations of walking and ADL 5 to 45 days after stroke onset. Participants will be stratified for the prognostic variables of "centre", "age", and "stroke severity", and randomly assigned to one of two groups. The interventional group receives physical fitness training delivered as supported or unsupported treadmill training (cardiovascular active aerobic training; five times per week, over 4 weeks; each session 50 minutes; total of 20 additional physical fitness training sessions) in addition to standard rehabilitation treatment. The control intervention consists of relaxation sessions (non-cardiovascular active; five times per week week, over 4 weeks; each session 50 minutes) in addition to standard rehabilitation treatment. Co-primary efficacy endpoints will be gait speed (in m/s, 10 m walk) and the Barthel Index (100 points total) at 3 months post-stroke, compared to baseline measurements. Secondary outcomes include standard measures of quality of life, sleep and mood, cognition, arm function, maximal oxygen uptake, and cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure, pulse, waist-to-hip ratio, markers of inflammation, immunity and the insulin-glucose pathway, lipid profile, and others.
 Discussion: The goal of this endpoint-blinded, phase III randomised controlled trial is to provide evidence to guide post-stroke physical fitness-based rehabilitation programmes, and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this intervention.
Y1  - 2014
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-15-45
SN  - 1745-6215
VL  - 15
PB  - BioMed Central
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lange, Markus
A1  - Türke, Manfred
A1  - Pasalic, Esther
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Hessenmöller, Dominik
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Prati, Daniel
A1  - Socher, Stephanie A.
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
T1  - Effects of forest management on ground-dwelling beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae, Staphylinidae) in Central Europe are mainly mediated by changes in forest structure
JF  - Forest ecology and management
N2  - Forest management is known to influence species diversity of various taxa but inconsistent or even contrasting effects are reported for arthropods. Regional differences in management as well as differences in regional species pools might be responsible for these inconsistencies, but, inter-regional replicated studies that account for regional variability are rare. We investigated the effect of forest type on the abundance, diversity, community structure and composition of two important ground-dwelling beetle families, Carabidae and Staphylinidae, in 149 forest stands distributed over three regions in Germany. In particular we focused on recent forestry history, stand age and dominant tree species, in addition to a number of environmental descriptors. Overall management effects on beetle communities were small and mainly mediated by structural habitat parameters such as the cover of forest canopy or the plant diversity on forest stands. The general response of both beetle taxa to forest management was similar in all regions: abundance and species richness of beetles was higher in older than in younger stands and species richness was lower in unmanaged than in managed stands. The abundance ratio of forest species-to-open habitat species differed between regions, but generally increased from young to old stands, from coniferous to deciduous stands and from managed to unmanaged stands. The response of both beetle families to dominant tree species was variable among regions and staphylinid richness varied in the response to recent forestry history. Our results suggest that current forest management practices change the composition of ground-dwelling beetle communities mainly by favoring generalists and open habitat species. To protect important forest beetle communities and thus the ecosystem functions and services provided by them, we suggest to shelter remaining ancient forests and to develop near-to-nature management strategies by prolonging rotation periods and increasing structural diversity of managed forests. Possible geographic variations in the response of beetle communities need to be considered in conservation-orientated forest management strategies. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
KW  - Beech forest
KW  - Biodiversity Exploratories
KW  - Conifer plantations
KW  - Habitat preferences
KW  - Insects
KW  - Land use
Y1  - 2014
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2014.06.012
SN  - 0378-1127
SN  - 1872-7042
VL  - 329
SP  - 166
EP  - 176
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Simons, Nadja K.
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
A1  - Lewinsohn, Thomas M.
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Lange, Markus
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Pasalic, Esther
A1  - Socher, Stephanie A.
A1  - Türke, Manfred
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
T1  - Resource-mediated indirect effects of grassland management on arthropod diversity
JF  - PLoS one
N2  - Intensive land use is a driving force for biodiversity decline in many ecosystems. In semi-natural grasslands, land-use activities such as mowing, grazing and fertilization affect the diversity of plants and arthropods, but the combined effects of different drivers and the chain of effects are largely unknown. In this study we used structural equation modelling to analyse how the arthropod communities in managed grasslands respond to land use and whether these responses are mediated through changes in resource diversity or resource quantity (biomass). Plants were considered resources for herbivores which themselves were considered resources for predators. Plant and arthropod (herbivores and predators) communities were sampled on 141 meadows, pastures and mown pastures within three regions in Germany in 2008 and 2009. Increasing land-use intensity generally increased plant biomass and decreased plant diversity, mainly through increasing fertilization. Herbivore diversity decreased together with plant diversity but showed no response to changes in plant biomass. Hence, land-use effects on herbivore diversity were mediated through resource diversity rather than quantity. Land-use effects on predator diversity were mediated by both herbivore diversity (resource diversity) and herbivore quantity (herbivore biomass), but indirect effects through resource quantity were stronger. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing both direct and indirect effects of land-use intensity and mode on different trophic levels. In addition to the overall effects, there were subtle differences between the different regions, pointing to the importance of regional land-use specificities. Our study underlines the commonly observed strong effect of grassland land use on biodiversity. It also highlights that mechanistic approaches help us to understand how different land-use modes affect biodiversity.
Y1  - 2014
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0107033
SN  - 1932-6203
VL  - 9
IS  - 9
PB  - PLoS
CY  - San Fransisco
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gossner, Martin M.
A1  - Pasalic, Esther
A1  - Lange, Markus
A1  - Lange, Patricia
A1  - Boch, Steffen
A1  - Hessenmöller, Dominik
A1  - Müller, Jörg
A1  - Socher, Stephanie A.
A1  - Fischer, Markus
A1  - Schulze, Ernst-Detlef
A1  - Weisser, Wolfgang W.
T1  - Differential responses of herbivores and herbivory to management in temperate Eeuropean beech
JF  - PLoS one
N2  - Forest management not only affects biodiversity but also might alter ecosystem processes mediated by the organisms, i.e. herbivory the removal of plant biomass by plant-eating insects and other arthropod groups. Aiming at revealing general relationships between forest management and herbivory we investigated aboveground arthropod herbivory in 105 plots dominated by European beech in three different regions in Germany in the sun-exposed canopy of mature beech trees and on beech saplings in the understorey. We separately assessed damage by different guilds of herbivores, i.e. chewing, sucking and scraping herbivores, gall-forming insects and mites, and leaf-mining insects. We asked whether herbivory differs among different forest management regimes (unmanaged, uneven-aged managed, even-aged managed) and among age-classes within even-aged forests. We further tested for consistency of relationships between regions, strata and herbivore guilds. On average, almost 80% of beech leaves showed herbivory damage, and about 6% of leaf area was consumed. Chewing damage was most common, whereas leaf sucking and scraping damage were very rare. Damage was generally greater in the canopy than in the understorey, in particular for chewing and scraping damage, and the occurrence of mines. There was little difference in herbivory among differently managed forests and the effects of management on damage differed among regions, strata and damage types. Covariates such as wood volume, tree density and plant diversity weakly influenced herbivory, and effects differed between herbivory types. We conclude that despite of the relatively low number of species attacking beech; arthropod herbivory on beech is generally high. We further conclude that responses of herbivory to forest management are multifaceted and environmental factors such as forest structure variables affecting in particular microclimatic conditions are more likely to explain the variability in herbivory among beech forest plots.
Y1  - 2014
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104876
SN  - 1932-6203
VL  - 9
IS  - 8
PB  - PLoS
CY  - San Fransisco
ER  -