[Factors controlling soil macrofauna spatial pattern in a pure beech and a mixed beech-hornbeam forest]

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Soil Science
• Forestry

Background:

• Soil macrofauna plays a crucial role in forest ecosystem functioning.
• Understanding the factors influencing soil macrofauna distribution is essential for forest management.
• Previous studies have highlighted the importance of habitat characteristics for soil invertebrates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the spatial variability of soil macrofauna in pure beech (PS) and mixed beech-hornbeam (MS) forest stands.
• To identify the key environmental factors controlling soil macrofauna distribution in these different forest types.
• To compare the influence of litter quality and humus form activity on soil macrofauna.

Main Methods:

• Spatially explicit sampling of soil macrofauna at the stand level.
• Analysis of humic epipedon morphology and chemistry.
• Measurement of relative irradiance and soil bulk density.
• Characterization of litter composition in the mixed stand.

Main Results:

• Taxonomic diversity of soil macrofauna was similar between PS and MS stands.
• Average macrofauna abundance per sample was higher in the PS stand.
• Litter quality was the primary factor controlling macrofauna spatial variability in the MS stand.
• Humus form activity was the main driver of macrofauna spatial variability in the PS stand.

Conclusions:

• Soil macrofauna spatial variability is influenced by different factors depending on forest stand composition.
• Distal controls (e.g., litter quality) are significant when litter composition is heterogeneous.
• Proximal controls (e.g., humus form activity) are more important when litter composition is uniform.
• These findings have implications for understanding and managing soil biodiversity in temperate forests.