Effects of summer rainfall manipulations on the abundance and vertical distribution of herbivorous soil macro-invertebrates

Staley, J. T., Hodgson, C. J., Mortimer, S. R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6160-6741, Morecroft, M. D., Masters, G. J., Brown, V. K. and Taylor, M. E. (2007) Effects of summer rainfall manipulations on the abundance and vertical distribution of herbivorous soil macro-invertebrates. European Journal of Soil Biology, 43 (3). pp. 189-198. ISSN 1164-5563 doi: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2007.02.010

Abstract/Summary

Soil invertebrate communities are likely to be highly vulnerable to low soil moisture, caused by a reduction in summer rainfall which is predicted for some regions under current climate change scenarios. However, the effects of changes in summer rainfall on soil invertebrate assemblages have rarely been tested experimentally. In this study, samples were taken in 2003 and 2004 from a long-running field experiment, to investigate the impact of 10 years of experimental summer drought and increased summer rainfall manipulations on the soil fauna of a calcareous grassland. Summer drought altered the soil invertebrate assemblage in the autumn, immediately following treatment application, but by the following spring treatment effects were no longer apparent. The two most common root herbivore species responded differently to the summer rainfall manipulations. Larvae of the dominant root-chewing species, Agriotes lineatus, were more numerous under enhanced rainfall in both the spring and autumn. In contrast, abundance of the Coccoidea Lecanopsis formicarum was unaffected by the rainfall manipulations. The responses of root herbivores to an increased incidence of summer droughts are therefore likely to vary, depending on their feeding strategy and life history. (c) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/9207
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development Interdisciplinary centres and themes > Soil Research Centre
Uncontrolled Keywords	climate change, coccoidea, elateridae, enhanced rainfall, root-feeder, soil fauna, soil moisture, summer drought, wireworm, CHANGING PRECIPITATION PATTERNS, PLANT COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, GENUS, AGRIOTES ESCH, CLIMATE-CHANGE, CALCAREOUS GRASSLAND, INSECT HERBIVORES, WIREWORMS, MOISTURE, COLEOPTERA, TEMPERATURE
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