Tierökologie (Scheu)


Community, Trait and Phylogenetic Ecology (‘CTPE’) of Soil Animals

My research focuses on

  1. Patterns and processes of soil animals (Chen 2018 dissertation; Xie, Chen et al. 2022)
  2. Evolution & ecology of functional traits (Chen et al. 2017; Noske et al. & Chen et al. 2024)
  3. Multidimensional trophic niches (Potapov et al. & Chen 2021; Hao, Chen et al. 2020)
According to the concept of ecological niches, species can coexist because they use different resources, food and microhabitats while tolerating the same environmental conditions. Soils represent a terrestrial ecosystem that harbours great biodiversity, but why so many species coexist in such a small space without competing with each other has long puzzled ecologists. To study the processes of community assembly in soil, I analyse the functional traits of several soil animal taxa collected from different environments. I examine traits that reflect species' multidimensional niches, including those related to food resources (α-niche traits) and those that reflect species' adaptation to abiotic environments (β-niche traits). Since traits vary between species, I ask what causes such variation: On the one hand, traits are determined by ecological factors, such as abiotic environments and biotic interactions. On the other hand, traits are characteristics that species inherit from common ancestors, with phylogenetically closely related species inevitably sharing similar traits. My study aims to unravel the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that underlie and regulate the diversity of soil animals, and to help elucidate the functional roles of soil animals in terrestrial ecosystems.

Representative Publications
  • Potapov, A. M., M. M. Pollierer, S. Salmon, V. Šustr & T.-W. Chen (correspondence). (2021) Multidimensional trophic niche revealed by complementary approaches: gut content, digestive enzymes, fatty acids and stable isotopes in Collembola. Journal of Animal Ecology, 90: 1919-1933 doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13511
  • Xie, Z. (equal), T.-W. Chen (equal), M. Potapov, F. Zhang, D. Wu, S. Scheu & X. Sun. (2022) Ecological and evolutionary processes shaping belowground springtail communities along elevation. Journal of Biogeography, 49: 469-482 doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14317
  • Hao, C. (equal), T.-W. Chen (equal), Y. Wu, L. Chang & D. Wu. (2020) Snow microhabitats provide food resources for winter-active Collembola. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 143: 107731 doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107731
Evolution and Ecology of Functional Traits
  • Noske, J. E., J.-Z. Lu, I. Schaefer, M. Maraun, S. Scheu & T.-W. Chen (correspondence). 2024. Niche dimensions in soil oribatid mite community assembly under native and introduced tree species. Ecology and Evolution, 14: e11431 doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11431
  • Chen, T.-W., P. Sandmann, I. Schaefer & S. Scheu. (2017) Neutral lipid fatty acid composition as trait and constraint in Collembola evolution. Ecology and Evolution, 7: 9624-9638 doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3472
  • Kreider, J. (equal), T.-W. Chen (equal), T. R. Hartke, D. Buchori, P. Hidayat, R. Nazaretta, S. Scheu & J. Drescher. (2021) Rainforest conversion to monocultures favours generalist ants with large colonies. Ecosphere, 12: e03717 doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3717
  • Xie, Z., J. Lux, Y. Wu, T.-W. Chen, J. Zhu, J. Zhang, D. Wu & S. Scheu. (2024) Intraspecific variability and species turnover drive variations in Collembola body size along a temperate-boreal elevation gradient. Geoderma, 441: 116731 doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116731
Multidimensional Trophic Niche
  • Xiao, T., B. Zhang, H. Zhao, Z. Xie, Y. Zhang, D. Wu, T.-W. Chen, S. Scheu & I. Schaefer. (2024) Differential changes in body size and stoichiometry in cryptic species of the earthworm Eisenia nordenskioldi with elevation. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 189: 109262. doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109262
  • Zhang, B., H. Chen, M. Deng, X. Li, T.-W. Chen, L. Liu, S. Scheu & S. Wang. (2023) Multidimensional stoichiometric mismatch explains differences in detritivore biomass across three forest types. Journal of Animal Ecology, 92: 454-465 doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13859
  • Potapov, A. M., F. Beaulieu; K. Birkhofer, S. L. Bluhm, M. I. Degtyarev, M. Devetter, A. A. Goncharov, K. B. Gongalsky, B. Klarner, D. I. Korobushkin, D. F. Liebke, M. Maraun, R. J. McDonnell, M. M. Pollierer, I. Schaefer, J. Shrubovych, I. I. Semenyuk, A. Sendra, J. Tuma, M. Tůmová, A. B. Vassilieva, T.-W. Chen, S. Geisen, O. Schmidt, A. V. Tiunov & S. Scheu. (2022) Feeding habits and multifunctional classification of soil-associated consumers from protists to vertebrates. Biological Reviews, 97: 1057-1117 doi.org/10.1111/brv.12832
Soil Biodiversity and Community Ecology
  • Potapov, A. M., T.-W. Chen, A. V. Striuchkova, J. M. Alatalo, …, A. Zoughailech, O. Aschford, O. K. Filho & S. Scheu. (2024) Global fine-resolution data on springtail abundance and community structure. Scientific Data, 11:22 doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02784-x
  • Liu, S., C. Hao, Z. Xie, Y. Wu, A. Liang, L. Chang, D. Wu & T.-W. Chen (senior scientist). (2024) Conservation tillage impacts on soil biodiversity: Additional insights from the Collembola-associated bacteria. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 362: 108827 doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2023.108827
  • Wu, Y., Z. Xie, Z. Wan, Q.-Q. Ji, J. Yang, T.-W. Chen (correspondence), D. Wu (correspondence) & S. Scheu. (2023) Elevational changes in canopy Collembola community composition are primarily driven by species turnover on Changbai Mountain, northeastern China. Biodiversity and Conservation, 32: 4853-4872 doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02734-4
  • Gao, M., C. Peng, Y. Hu, W. Liu, Y, Ye, Y. Zheng & T.-W. Chen (senior scientist). (2023) Composition and vertical distribution of agricultural soil macrofauna community after an extreme high temperature event in the Summer of 2022. Ecological Indicators, 153: 110439 doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110439
  • Potapov, A. M., C. A. Guerra, J. van den Hoogen, A. Babenko, …, T.-W. Chen, … T. W. Crowther, N. Eisenhauer & S. Scheu. (2023) Globally invariant metabolism but density-diversity mismatch in springtails. Nature Communications, 14: 674 doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36216-6
  • Xie, Z., X. Sun, J. Lux, T.-W. Chen, M. Potapov, D. Wu & S. Scheu. (2022) Drivers of Collembola assemblages along an altitudinal gradient in northeast China. Ecology and Evolution, 12: e8559 doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8559
  • Ji, Q., T.-W. Chen & D. Wu. (2022) A review on beetle community assembly. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 41: 174-181 doi.org/10.13292/j.1000-4890.202201.035 (in Chinese with English abstract)
  • Zhang, B., T.-W. Chen, E. Mateos, S. Scheu & I. Schaefer. (2019) DNA-based approaches uncover cryptic diversity in the European Lepidocyrtus lanuginosus species group (Collembola: Entomobryidae). Invertebrate Systematics, 33: 661-670 doi.org/10.1071/IS18068
  • Zhang, B. (equal), T.-W. Chen (equal), E. Mateos, S. Scheu & I. Schaefer. (2018) Cryptic species in Lepidocyrtus lanuginosus (Collembola: Entomobryidae) are sorted by habitat type. Pedobiologia, 68: 12-19 doi.org/10.1016/j.pedobi.2018.03.001
  • Chen, T.-W. (2018) Assembly processes in soil animal communities: Integrating phylogeny and trait-based approaches. Dissertation; summa cum laude. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany
  • Chen, T.-W., C.-P. Wang & P.-C. L. Hou. (2008) A review on the impacts of the invasive earthworms, Pontoscolex corethrurus, on forest ecosystems. Quarterly Journal of Chinese Forestry, 41: 135-148 dx.doi.org/10.30064%2fQJCF.200803.0010 (in Chinese with English abstract)
  • Chang, W.-L., C.-Y. Yang, Y.-H. Huang, D. Chao & T.-W. Chen. (2004) Prevalence and observation of intestine-dwelling gregarines in the millipede Trigoniulus corallinus (Spirobolida: Pachybolidae) collected from Shoushan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Formosan Entomologist, 24: 137-145 dx.doi.org/10.6661%2fTESFE.2004013
Gut Microbiota of Soil Animals
  • Gong, X. (equal), T.-W. Chen (equal), Y. Zhang, L. Zhang, V. Pižl, K. Tajovský & M. Devetter. (2022) Gut microbiome reflect adaptation of earthworms to cave and surface environments. Animal Microbiome, 4: 47 doi.org/10.1186/s42523-022-00200-0
  • Gong, X. (equal), T.-W. Chen (equal), S. L. Zieger, C. Bluhm, K. Heidemann, I. Schaefer, M. Maraun, M. Liu & S. Scheu. (2018) Phylogenetic and trophic determinants of gut microbiota in soil oribatid mites. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 123: 155-164 doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.05.011
  • Wu, Y., C. Hao, T.-W. Chen, Z. Xie, Y. Zhang, P. Guan, D. Wu & S. Scheu. (2023) Environmental distances are more important than geographic distances for predicting earthworm gut bacterial community composition. European Journal of Soil Biology, 118: 103520 doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2023.103520
  • Hao, C., N. de Jonge, D. Zhu, L. Feng, B. Zhang, T.-W. Chen, D. Wu & J. L. Nielsen. (2022) Food origin influences microbiota and stable isotope enrichment profiles of cold-adapted Collembola (Desoria ruseki). Frontiers in Microbiology, 13: 1030429 doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1030429
  • Hao, C., T.-W. Chen & D. Wu. (2022) A review on gut microbial diversity of soil animals. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 42: 3093-3105 dx.doi.org/10.5846/stxb202009182433 (in Chinese with English abstract)
A Plant Study
  • Talbot, B, T.-W. Chen, S. Zimmerman, S. Joost, A. J. Eckert, T. M. Crow, D. Semizer-Cuming, C. Seshadri & S. Manel. (2017) Combining genotype, phenotype, and environment to infer potential candidate genes. Journal of Heredity, 108: 207-216 doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esw077

Other Interesting Activities

Languages

English, German, Mandarin