Rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communities
Abstract Habitat degradation and associated reductions in ecosystem functions can be reversed by reintroducing or ‘rewilding’ keystone species. Rewilding projects have historically targeted restoration of processes such as grazing regimes or top‐down predation effects. Few projects focus on restorin...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11128 |
| _version_ | 1797244926204837888 |
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| author | Peter Contos Nicholas P. Murphy Zachary J. Kayll Tamara Morgan Joshua J. Vido Orsi Decker Heloise Gibb |
| author_facet | Peter Contos Nicholas P. Murphy Zachary J. Kayll Tamara Morgan Joshua J. Vido Orsi Decker Heloise Gibb |
| author_sort | Peter Contos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Habitat degradation and associated reductions in ecosystem functions can be reversed by reintroducing or ‘rewilding’ keystone species. Rewilding projects have historically targeted restoration of processes such as grazing regimes or top‐down predation effects. Few projects focus on restoring decomposition efficiency, despite the pivotal role decomposition plays in global carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling. Here, we tested whether rewilding entire communities of detritivorous invertebrates and fungi can improve litter decomposition efficiency and restore detritivore communities during ecological restoration. Rewilding was conducted by transplanting leaf litter and soil, including associated invertebrate and fungal communities from species‐rich remnant sites into species‐poor, and geographically isolated, revegetated farmland sites in a temperate woodland region of southeastern Australia. We compared communities in sites under the following treatments: remnant (conservation area and source of litter transplant), rewilded revegetation (revegetated farmland site with litter transplant) and control revegetation (revegetated site, no transplant). In one ‘before’ and three ‘after’ sampling periods, we measured litter decomposition and the abundance and diversity of detritivorous invertebrates and fungi. We quantified the effect of detritivores on the rate of litter decomposition using piecewise Structural Equation Modelling. Decomposition was significantly faster in rewilding sites than in both control and remnant areas and was largely driven by a greater abundance of invertebrate detritivores. Similarly, the abundance of invertebrate detritivores in rewilding revegetation sites exceeded the level of remnant communities, whereas there was little difference between control and remnant sites. In contrast, rewilding did not increase saprotrophic fungi relative abundance/diversity and there was no strong relationship between decomposition and fungal diversity. Our findings suggest the relatively simple act of transplanting leaf litter and soil can increase functional efficiency during restoration and alter community composition. Our methods may prove important across a range of contexts where other restoration methods have failed to restore ecosystem processes to pre‐degradation levels. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:18:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-91156e5aaafd4fad87c0cba5ce20300f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:18:46Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-91156e5aaafd4fad87c0cba5ce20300f2024-03-26T04:26:58ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-03-01143n/an/a10.1002/ece3.11128Rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communitiesPeter Contos0Nicholas P. Murphy1Zachary J. Kayll2Tamara Morgan3Joshua J. Vido4Orsi Decker5Heloise Gibb6Department of Environment and Genetics, Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaDepartment of Environment and Genetics, Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaDepartment of Environment and Genetics, Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaDepartment of Environment and Genetics, Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaDepartment of Environment and Genetics, Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaDepartment of Environment and Genetics, Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaDepartment of Environment and Genetics, Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaAbstract Habitat degradation and associated reductions in ecosystem functions can be reversed by reintroducing or ‘rewilding’ keystone species. Rewilding projects have historically targeted restoration of processes such as grazing regimes or top‐down predation effects. Few projects focus on restoring decomposition efficiency, despite the pivotal role decomposition plays in global carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling. Here, we tested whether rewilding entire communities of detritivorous invertebrates and fungi can improve litter decomposition efficiency and restore detritivore communities during ecological restoration. Rewilding was conducted by transplanting leaf litter and soil, including associated invertebrate and fungal communities from species‐rich remnant sites into species‐poor, and geographically isolated, revegetated farmland sites in a temperate woodland region of southeastern Australia. We compared communities in sites under the following treatments: remnant (conservation area and source of litter transplant), rewilded revegetation (revegetated farmland site with litter transplant) and control revegetation (revegetated site, no transplant). In one ‘before’ and three ‘after’ sampling periods, we measured litter decomposition and the abundance and diversity of detritivorous invertebrates and fungi. We quantified the effect of detritivores on the rate of litter decomposition using piecewise Structural Equation Modelling. Decomposition was significantly faster in rewilding sites than in both control and remnant areas and was largely driven by a greater abundance of invertebrate detritivores. Similarly, the abundance of invertebrate detritivores in rewilding revegetation sites exceeded the level of remnant communities, whereas there was little difference between control and remnant sites. In contrast, rewilding did not increase saprotrophic fungi relative abundance/diversity and there was no strong relationship between decomposition and fungal diversity. Our findings suggest the relatively simple act of transplanting leaf litter and soil can increase functional efficiency during restoration and alter community composition. Our methods may prove important across a range of contexts where other restoration methods have failed to restore ecosystem processes to pre‐degradation levels.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11128decompositionecological restorationecosystem processeslitter transplantsrewildingsoil inoculation |
| spellingShingle | Peter Contos Nicholas P. Murphy Zachary J. Kayll Tamara Morgan Joshua J. Vido Orsi Decker Heloise Gibb Rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communities Ecology and Evolution decomposition ecological restoration ecosystem processes litter transplants rewilding soil inoculation |
| title | Rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communities |
| title_full | Rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communities |
| title_fullStr | Rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communities |
| title_short | Rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communities |
| title_sort | rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communities |
| topic | decomposition ecological restoration ecosystem processes litter transplants rewilding soil inoculation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11128 |
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