Long‐term insect herbivory slows soil development in an arid ecosystem
Although herbivores are well known to alter litter inputs and soil nutrient fluxes, their long‐term influences on soil development are largely unknown because of the difficulty of detecting and attributing changes in carbon and nutrient pools against large background levels. The early phase of prima...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2013-05-01
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| Series: | Ecosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00411.1 |
| _version_ | 1818330942228398080 |
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| author | Aimee T. Classen Samantha K. Chapman Thomas G. Whitham Stephen C. Hart George W. Koch |
| author_facet | Aimee T. Classen Samantha K. Chapman Thomas G. Whitham Stephen C. Hart George W. Koch |
| author_sort | Aimee T. Classen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although herbivores are well known to alter litter inputs and soil nutrient fluxes, their long‐term influences on soil development are largely unknown because of the difficulty of detecting and attributing changes in carbon and nutrient pools against large background levels. The early phase of primary succession reduces this signal‐to‐noise problem, particularly in arid systems where individual plants can form islands of fertility. We used natural variation in tree‐resistance to herbivory, and a 15 year herbivore‐removal experiment in an Arizona piñon‐juniper woodland that was established on cinder soils following a volcanic eruption, to quantify how herbivory shapes the development of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) over 36–54 years (i.e., the ages of the trees used in our study). In this semi‐arid ecosystem, trees are widely spaced on the landscape, which allows direct examination of herbivore impacts on the nutrient‐poor cinder soils. Although chronic insect herbivory increased annual litterfall N per unit area by 50% in this woodland, it slowed annual tree‐level soil C and N accumulation by 111% and 96%, respectively. Despite the reduction in soil C accumulation, short‐term litterfall‐C inputs and soil C‐efflux rates per unit soil surface were not impacted by herbivory. Our results demonstrate that the effects of herbivores on soil C and N fluxes and soil C and N accumulation are not necessarily congruent: herbivores can increase N in litterfall, but over time their impact on plant growth and development can slow soil development. In sum, because herbivores slow tree growth, they slow soil development on the landscape. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T13:11:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b23a20f7cb20479e960474b9c84a595e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-8925 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T13:11:58Z |
| publishDate | 2013-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-b23a20f7cb20479e960474b9c84a595e2022-12-21T23:44:40ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252013-05-014511410.1890/ES12-00411.1Long‐term insect herbivory slows soil development in an arid ecosystemAimee T. Classen0Samantha K. Chapman1Thomas G. Whitham2Stephen C. Hart3George W. Koch4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085 USADepartment of Biological Sciences and Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001 USASchool of Natural Sciences, University of California and Sierra Nevada Research Institute, Merced, California 95343 USADepartment of Biological Sciences and Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001 USAAlthough herbivores are well known to alter litter inputs and soil nutrient fluxes, their long‐term influences on soil development are largely unknown because of the difficulty of detecting and attributing changes in carbon and nutrient pools against large background levels. The early phase of primary succession reduces this signal‐to‐noise problem, particularly in arid systems where individual plants can form islands of fertility. We used natural variation in tree‐resistance to herbivory, and a 15 year herbivore‐removal experiment in an Arizona piñon‐juniper woodland that was established on cinder soils following a volcanic eruption, to quantify how herbivory shapes the development of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) over 36–54 years (i.e., the ages of the trees used in our study). In this semi‐arid ecosystem, trees are widely spaced on the landscape, which allows direct examination of herbivore impacts on the nutrient‐poor cinder soils. Although chronic insect herbivory increased annual litterfall N per unit area by 50% in this woodland, it slowed annual tree‐level soil C and N accumulation by 111% and 96%, respectively. Despite the reduction in soil C accumulation, short‐term litterfall‐C inputs and soil C‐efflux rates per unit soil surface were not impacted by herbivory. Our results demonstrate that the effects of herbivores on soil C and N fluxes and soil C and N accumulation are not necessarily congruent: herbivores can increase N in litterfall, but over time their impact on plant growth and development can slow soil development. In sum, because herbivores slow tree growth, they slow soil development on the landscape.https://doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00411.1carbon cyclinginsect herbivorynitrogen cyclingpinepiñon-juniper woodlandprimary succession |
| spellingShingle | Aimee T. Classen Samantha K. Chapman Thomas G. Whitham Stephen C. Hart George W. Koch Long‐term insect herbivory slows soil development in an arid ecosystem Ecosphere carbon cycling insect herbivory nitrogen cycling pine piñon-juniper woodland primary succession |
| title | Long‐term insect herbivory slows soil development in an arid ecosystem |
| title_full | Long‐term insect herbivory slows soil development in an arid ecosystem |
| title_fullStr | Long‐term insect herbivory slows soil development in an arid ecosystem |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long‐term insect herbivory slows soil development in an arid ecosystem |
| title_short | Long‐term insect herbivory slows soil development in an arid ecosystem |
| title_sort | long term insect herbivory slows soil development in an arid ecosystem |
| topic | carbon cycling insect herbivory nitrogen cycling pine piñon-juniper woodland primary succession |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00411.1 |
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