Project Details
Projekt
Plant-animal interactions in space and time: Impact of enhanced forest structural heterogeneity on invertebrate community dynamics, herbivory, pollination, predation, and parasitism
Applicants
Professorin Dr. Alice Classen; Professorin Dr. Heike Feldhaar; Professor Dr. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
Subject Area
Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
Forestry
Ecology of Land Use
Forestry
Ecology of Land Use
Term
since 2022
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 459717468
Increasing structural heterogeneity at local and landscape scales can enhance species richness and stabilize invertebrate-mediated ecosystem functions by increasing both alpha- and beta-diversity. The spatial and temporal scales at which different invertebrate species groups respond to heterogeneity should depend on their mobility, niche breadth, and surrounding landscape structure, but remain poorly understood. At very short temporal scales species activities are strongly influenced by weather and microclimate variation caused by small-scale heterogeneity. Over longer temporal scales successional changes in forest structure, which modify microclimatic conditions and resource availability, influence population densities, richness and community composition of invertebrates. In the second phase of BETA-FOR, we will expand experimental approaches to identify the spatial and temporal scales at which structural forest heterogeneity affects invertebrate communities, their interactions, and ecosystem functions. In five work packages we will address (i) successional dynamics of trap-nesting bee and wasp communities, and associated predation and parasitism, (ii) the contribution of arthropod predators to the regulation of forest herbivore populations, (iii) effects of structural heterogeneity on floral resources, pollinator performance, and pollination, (iv) temporal dynamics of ground-dwelling invertebrates and their role in seed removal, and (v) short-term effects of microclimate and activity patterns on seed removal and predation. The results will advance our understanding of how habitat heterogeneity shapes invertebrate species performance, community assembly, and functioning and will inform biodiversity-friendly and resilient forest management strategies.
DFG Programme
Research Units
