Jingxuan Olivia Chen

Soil fauna as driver of the architecture of forest floors

The forest floor (FF) comprises the organic horizons that lie on top of the mineral soil in forests, exhibiting significantly faster turnover rates compared to the mineral soil. Its heightened reactivity, combined with its surface position makes it more responsive to temperature fluctuations and other above-ground changes in forest ecosystems than the mineral soil. FF controls include environmental conditions, organisms and the processes they induce, such as litter decomposition and nitrogen mineralization. The FF plays a crucial role in facilitating tree growth, supplying nutrients, and serving as habitats for soil organisms. Currently, temperate European forests are undergoing significant change. FF stocks in German forests have decreased over the last decade. Early studies suggested that FFs are primarily structured by the activity of soil animals. My focus is on understanding the mechanisms responsible for FF transformations and their feedback on soil fauna. To investigate the formation and dynamics of FFs, the structure of decomposer animal communities across forest sites differing in nutrient status and temperature is examined. The structure and trophic relationships of decomposer soil animals are explored to understand their role in FF dynamics.