Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2025
05:28
Quantifying Corticolous Arthropods Using Sticky Traps
Published on: January 19, 2020
5.4K
Invertebrate Decline Has Minimal Effects on Oak-Associated Microbiomes
Cynthia Albracht1,2, François Buscot2,3, Nico Eisenhauer3,4
1Institute for Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology, Julius Kühn-Institut, Quedlinburg, Germany.
Environmental Microbiology
|February 12, 2025
Summary
Invertebrate decline significantly alters grassland leaf microbiomes, increasing fungal pathogens and specific bacteria. Belowground effects were minimal, but aboveground changes impacted plant-insect interactions.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Invertebrate biomass is declining globally, raising concerns about ecosystem stability.
- Biodiversity loss can disrupt trophic interactions and alter microbial communities.
- Ecosystem processes may be affected by cascading effects from invertebrate decline.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of simulated invertebrate decline on grassland ecosystems and Quercus robur L. saplings.
- To assess changes in oak biomass partitioning, mycorrhiza formation, and gene expression.
- To analyze the composition of leaf, root, and rhizosphere microbiomes.
Main Methods:
- Grassland mesocosms with varying levels of invertebrate biomass (36%, 100%, and none) were established.
- Quercus robur L. saplings were included to study effects beyond grasslands.
- Oak biomass, mycorrhiza, gene expression, and microbiome composition were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Invertebrate decline did not significantly impact oak performance or herbivory gene expression.
- Fungal communities in leaves showed increased saprotrophs and pathogens.
- Leaf bacterial communities shifted, with increases in Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria.
- Belowground microbiomes were minimally affected, but aphid infestations increased.
Conclusions:
- Invertebrate decline has more pronounced effects on aboveground leaf microbiomes than belowground.
- Changes in leaf microbial communities may have long-term implications for ecosystem health.
- Altered multitrophic interactions, like increased aphid infestation, play a role in microbiome shifts.
Related Concept Videos
02:07Conservation of Declining Populations
9.6K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
9.6K
02:11The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
34.9K
Plants have the impressive ability to create their own food through photosynthesis. However, plants often require assistance from organisms in the soil to acquire the nutrients they need to function correctly. Both bacteria and fungi have evolved symbiotic relationships with plants that help the species to thrive in a wide variety of environments.
34.9K
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
22.1K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
22.1K
01:39Keystone Species
21.5K
Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...
21.5K
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
17.4K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
17.4K
02:26Ecological Disturbance
17.0K
An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.
17.0K