TY - JOUR A1 - Kim, Shin Woong A1 - Leifheit, Eva F. A1 - Maaß, Stefanie A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. T1 - Time-dependent toxicity of tire particles on soil nematodes JF - Frontiers in Environmental Science N2 - Tire-wear particles (TWPs) are being released into the environment by wearing down during car driving, and are considered an important microplastic pollution source. The chemical additive leaching from these polymer-based materials and its potential effects are likely temporally dynamic, since amounts of potentially toxic compounds can gradually increase with contact time of plastic particles with surrounding media. In the present study, we conducted soil toxicity tests using the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans with different soil pre-incubation (30 and 75 days) and exposure (short-term exposure, 2 days; lifetime exposure, 10 days) times. Soil pre-incubation increased toxicity of TWPs, and the effective concentrations after the pre-incubation were much lower than environmentally relevant concentrations. The lifetime of C. elegans was reduced faster in the TWP treatment groups, and the effective concentration for lifetime exposure tests were 100- to 1,000-fold lower than those of short-term exposure tests. Water-extractable metal concentrations (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the TWP-soils showed no correlation with nominal TWP concentrations or pre-incubation times, and the incorporated metals in the TWPs may be not the main reason of toxicity in this study. Our results show that toxic effects of TWPs can be time-dependent, both in terms of the microplastic particles themselves and their interactions in the soil matrix, but also because of susceptibility of target organisms depending on developmental stage. It is vital that future works consider these aspects, since otherwise effects of microplastics and TWPs could be underestimated. KW - Caenorhabditis elegans KW - exposure time KW - lifetime KW - microplastics KW - soil KW - incubation Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.744668 SN - 2296-665X VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lehmann, Anika A1 - Zheng, Weishuang A1 - Ryo, Masahiro A1 - Soutschek, Katharina A1 - Roy, Julien A1 - Rongstock, Rebecca A1 - Maaß, Stefanie A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. T1 - Fungal traits important for soil aggregation JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - Soil structure, the complex arrangement of soil into aggregates and pore spaces, is a key feature of soils and soil biota. Among them, filamentous saprobic fungi have well-documented effects on soil aggregation. However, it is unclear what properties, or traits, determine the overall positive effect of fungi on soil aggregation. To achieve progress, it would be helpful to systematically investigate a broad suite of fungal species for their trait expression and the relation of these traits to soil aggregation. Here, we apply a trait-based approach to a set of 15 traits measured under standardized conditions on 31 fungal strains including Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mucoromycota, all isolated from the same soil. We find large differences among these fungi in their ability to aggregate soil, including neutral to positive effects, and we document large differences in trait expression among strains. We identify biomass density, i.e., the density with which a mycelium grows (positive effects), leucine aminopeptidase activity (negative effects) and phylogeny as important factors explaining differences in soil aggregate formation (SAF) among fungal strains; importantly, growth rate was not among the important traits. Our results point to a typical suite of traits characterizing fungi that are good soil aggregators, and our findings illustrate the power of employing a trait-based approach to unravel biological mechanisms underpinning soil aggregation. Such an approach could now be extended also to other soil biota groups. In an applied context of restoration and agriculture, such trait information can inform management, for example to prioritize practices that favor the expression of more desirable fungal traits. KW - soil aggregation KW - traits KW - saprobic fungi KW - random forest KW - biomass KW - density KW - leucine amino peptidases Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02904 SN - 1664-302X VL - 10 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. A1 - Bielcik, Milos A1 - Chaudhary, Veer Bala A1 - Grünfeld, Leonie A1 - Maass, Stefanie A1 - Mansour, India A1 - Ryo, Masahiro A1 - Veresoglou, Stavros D. T1 - Ten simple rules for increased lab resilience JF - PLoS Computational Biology : a new community journal N2 - When running a lab we do not think about calamities, since they are rare events for which we cannot plan while we are busy with the day-to-day management and intellectual challenges of a research lab. No lab team can be prepared for something like a pandemic such as COVID-19, which has led to shuttered labs around the globe. But many other types of crises can also arise that labs may have to weather during their lifetime. What can researchers do to make a lab more resilient in the face of such exterior forces? What systems or behaviors could we adjust in 'normal' times that promote lab success, and increase the chances that the lab will stay on its trajectory? We offer 10 rules, based on our current experiences as a lab group adapting to crisis. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008313 SN - 1553-734X SN - 1553-7358 VL - 16 IS - 11 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maaß, Stefanie A1 - Hückelheim, Ronja A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. T1 - Collembola laterally move biochar particles JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Biochar is being discussed as a soil amendment to improve soil fertility and mitigate climate change. While biochar interactions with soil microbial biota have been frequently studied, interactions with soil mesofauna are understudied. We here present an experiment in which we tested if the collembolan Folsomia candida I) can transport biochar particles, II) if yes, how far the particles are distributed within 10 days, and III) if it shows a preference among biochars made from different feedstocks, i.e. pine wood, pine bark and spelt husks. In general, biochar particles based on pine bark and pine wood were consistently distributed significantly more than those made of spelt husks, but all types were transported more than 4cm within 10 days. Additionally, we provide evidence that biochar particles can become readily attached to the cuticle of collembolans and hence be transported, potentially even over large distances. Our study shows that the soil mesofauna can indeed act as a vector for the transport of biochar particles and show clear preferences depending on the respective feedstock, which would need to be studied in more detail in the future. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224179 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 14 IS - 11 PB - Public Library of Science CY - San Francisco ER - TY - GEN A1 - Maaß, Stefanie A1 - Hückelheim, Ronja A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. T1 - Collembola laterally move biochar particles T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Biochar is being discussed as a soil amendment to improve soil fertility and mitigate climate change. While biochar interactions with soil microbial biota have been frequently studied, interactions with soil mesofauna are understudied. We here present an experiment in which we tested if the collembolan Folsomia candida I) can transport biochar particles, II) if yes, how far the particles are distributed within 10 days, and III) if it shows a preference among biochars made from different feedstocks, i.e. pine wood, pine bark and spelt husks. In general, biochar particles based on pine bark and pine wood were consistently distributed significantly more than those made of spelt husks, but all types were transported more than 4cm within 10 days. Additionally, we provide evidence that biochar particles can become readily attached to the cuticle of collembolans and hence be transported, potentially even over large distances. Our study shows that the soil mesofauna can indeed act as a vector for the transport of biochar particles and show clear preferences depending on the respective feedstock, which would need to be studied in more detail in the future. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 770 Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-438839 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 770 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maass, Stefanie A1 - Daphi, Daniel A1 - Lehmann, Anika A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. T1 - Transport of microplastics by two collembolan species JF - Environmental pollution N2 - Plastics, despite their great benefits, have become a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, with micro-plastic particles having come into focus most recently. Microplastic effects have been intensely studied in aquatic, especially marine systems; however, there is lack of studies focusing on effects on soil and its biota. A basic question is if and how surface-deposited microplastic particles are transported into the soil. We here wished to test if soil microarthropods, using Collembola, can transport these particles over distances of centimeters within days in a highly controlled experimental set-up. We conducted a fully factorial experiment with two collembolan species of differing body size, Folsomia candida and Proisotoma minuta, in combination with urea-formaldehyde particles of two different particle sizes. We observed significant differences between the species concerning the distance the particles were transported. F. candida was able to transport larger particles further and faster than P. minuta. Using video, we observed F candida interacting with urea-formaldehyde particles and polyethylene terephthalate fibers, showing translocation of both material types. Our data clearly show that microplastic particles can be moved and distributed by soil microarthropods. Although we did not observe feeding, it is possible that microarthropods contribute to the accumulation of microplastics in the soil food web. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Microplastics KW - Soil KW - Collembolans KW - Transport KW - Pollution Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.03.009 SN - 0269-7491 SN - 1873-6424 VL - 225 SP - 456 EP - 459 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lozano, Yudi M. A1 - Aguilar-Trigueros, Carlos A. A1 - Onandia, Gabriela A1 - Maaß, Stefanie A1 - Zhao, Tingting A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. T1 - Effects of microplastics and drought on soil ecosystem functions and multifunctionality JF - Journal of applied ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society N2 - 1. Microplastics in soils have become an important threat for terrestrial systems as they may potentially alter the geochemical/biophysical soil environment and can interact with drought. As microplastics may affect soil water content, this could exacerbate the well-known negative effects of drought on ecosystem functionality. Thus, functions including litter decomposition, soil aggregation or those related with nutrient cycling can be altered. Despite this potential interaction, we know relatively little about how microplastics, under different soil water conditions, affect ecosystem functions and multifunctionality. 2. To address this gap, we performed an experiment using grassland plant communities growing in microcosms. Microplastic fibres (absent, present) and soil water conditions (well-watered, drought) were applied in a fully factorial design. At harvest, we measured soil ecosystem functions related to nutrient cycling (beta-glucosaminidase, beta-D-cellobiosidase, phosphatase, beta-glucosidase enzymes), respiration, nutrient retention, pH, litter decomposition and soil aggregation (water stable aggregates). As terrestrial systems provide these functions simultaneously, we also assessed ecosystem multifunctionality, an index that encompasses the array of ecosystem functions measured here. 3. We found that the interaction between microplastic fibres and drought affected ecosystem functions and multifunctionality. Drought had negatively affected nutrient cycling by decreasing enzymatic activities by up to similar to 39%, while microplastics increased soil aggregation by similar to 18%, soil pH by similar to 4% and nutrient retention by up to similar to 70% by diminishing nutrient leaching. Microplastic fibres also impacted soil enzymes, respiration and ecosystem multifunctionality, but importantly, the direction of these effects depended on soil water status. That is, under well-watered conditions, these functions decreased with microplastic fibres by up to similar to 34% while under drought they had similar values irrespective of the microplastic presence, or tended to increase with microplastics. Litter decomposition had a contrary pattern increasing with microplastics by similar to 6% under well-watered conditions while decreasing to a similar percentage under drought. 4. Synthesis and applications. Single ecosystem functions can be positively or negatively affected by microplastics fibres depending on soil water status. However, our results suggest that microplastic fibres may cause negative effects on ecosystem soil multifunctionality of a similar magnitude as drought. Thus, strategies to counteract this new global change factor are necessary. KW - enzymatic activities KW - grasslands ecosystem KW - litter decomposition KW - nutrient cycling KW - nutrient leaching KW - soil aggregation KW - soil pH KW - soil respiration Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13839 SN - 1365-2664 VL - 58 IS - 5 SP - 988 EP - 996 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford [u.a.] ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schittko, Conrad A1 - Onandia, Gabriela A1 - Bernard-Verdier, Maud A1 - Heger, Tina A1 - Jeschke, Jonathan M. A1 - Kowarik, Ingo A1 - Maaß, Stefanie A1 - Joshi, Jasmin T1 - Biodiversity maintains soil multifunctionality and soil organic carbon in novel urban ecosystems JF - Journal of ecology N2 - Biodiversity in urban ecosystems has the potential to increase ecosystem functions and support a suite of services valued by society, including services provided by soils. Specifically, the sequestration of carbon in soils has often been advocated as a solution to mitigate the steady increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere as a key driver of climate change. However, urban ecosystems are also characterized by an often high level of ecological novelty due to profound human-mediated changes, such as the presence of high numbers of non-native species, impervious surfaces or other disturbances. Yet it is poorly understood whether and how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning and services of urban soils under these novel conditions. In this study, we assessed the influence of above- and below-ground diversity, as well as urbanization and plant invasions, on multifunctionality and organic carbon stocks of soils in non-manipulated grasslands along an urbanization gradient in Berlin, Germany. We focused on plant diversity (measured as species richness and functional trait diversity) and, in addition, on soil organism diversity as a potential mediator for the relationship of plant species diversity and ecosystem functioning. Our results showed positive effects of plant diversity on soil multifunctionality and soil organic carbon stocks along the entire gradient. Structural equation models revealed that plant diversity enhanced soil multifunctionality and soil organic carbon by increasing the diversity of below-ground organisms. These positive effects of plant diversity on soil multifunctionality and soil fauna were not restricted to native plant species only, but were also exerted by non-native species, although to a lesser degree. Synthesis. We conclude that enhancing diversity in plants and soil fauna of urban grasslands can increase the multifunctionality of urban soils and also add to their often underestimated but very valuable role in mitigating effects of climate change. KW - Anthropocene KW - biological invasions KW - ecosystem function and services; KW - functional diversity KW - global change KW - non-native species KW - novel KW - ecosystems KW - urbanization Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13852 SN - 0022-0477 SN - 1365-2745 VL - 110 IS - 4 SP - 916 EP - 934 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hilgers, Leon A1 - Hartmann, Stefanie A1 - Pfaender, Jobst A1 - Lentge-Maass, Nora A1 - Marwoto, Ristiyanti M. A1 - von Rintelen, Thomas A1 - Hofreiter, Michael T1 - Evolutionary divergence and radula diversification in two ecomorphs from an adaptive radiation of freshwater snails JF - Genes N2 - (1) Background: Adaptive diversification of complex traits plays a pivotal role in the evolution of organismal diversity. In the freshwater snail genus Tylomelania, adaptive radiations were likely promoted by trophic specialization via diversification of their key foraging organ, the radula. (2) Methods: To investigate the molecular basis of radula diversification and its contribution to lineage divergence, we used tissue-specific transcriptomes of two sympatric Tylomelania sarasinorum ecomorphs. (3) Results: We show that ecomorphs are genetically divergent lineages with habitat-correlated abundances. Sequence divergence and the proportion of highly differentially expressed genes are significantly higher between radula transcriptomes compared to the mantle and foot. However, the same is not true when all differentially expressed genes or only non-synonymous SNPs are considered. Finally, putative homologs of some candidate genes for radula diversification (hh, arx, gbb) were also found to contribute to trophic specialization in cichlids and Darwin's finches. (4) Conclusions: Our results are in line with diversifying selection on the radula driving Tylomelania ecomorph divergence and indicate that some molecular pathways may be especially prone to adaptive diversification, even across phylogenetically distant animal groups. KW - speciation KW - adaptive radiation KW - molluscs KW - RNAseq KW - regulatory evolution KW - trophic specialization Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13061029 SN - 2073-4425 VL - 13 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - GEN A1 - Maaß, Stefanie T1 - Blick in die Zukunft BT - wie werden sich Pflanzengemeinschaften in Brandenburg verändern? T2 - Vielfalt in der Uckermark : Forschungsprojekte 2015 - 2018 Y1 - 2019 SP - 24 EP - 25 PB - oerding print GmbH CY - Braunschweig ER -