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Decline in diversity of tropical soil fauna under experimental warming

Szczygiel, Hubert1; Butler, Orpheus2; Nottingham, Andrew3

Published Oct 31, 2024 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.xksn02vrd

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Oct 31, 2024 version files 368.59 KB

Abstract

Climate change is exacerbating a global decline in biodiversity. Numerous observational studies link rising temperatures to declining biological abundance, richness, and diversity in terrestrial ecosystems, yet few studies have considered the highly diverse and functionally significant communities of tropical forest soil and leaf litter fauna. Here, we report major declines in the order-level richness and diversity of soil and leaf litter fauna following three years of experimental whole-profile soil warming in a tropical forest. This decline was greatest during the dry season, suggesting that warming effects could be exacerbated by drought. Contrary to findings from higher latitudes, total faunal abundance increased under warming, with major shifts in community composition. These responses were driven by increased dominance of a relatively small number of thermophilic taxa, and of oribatid mites in particular. Our study provides direct experimental evidence that warming causes diversity declines and compositional shifts for tropical forest soil and leaf litter fauna, a result with potential consequences for soil carbon cycling and which highlights the vulnerability of tropical biodiversity to climate change.