Ambient and substrate energy influence decomposer diversity differentially across trophic levels

Sammanfattning

The species-energy hypothesis predicts increasing biodiversity with increasing energy in ecosystems. Proxies for energy availability are often grouped into ambient energy (i.e., solar radiation) and substrate energy (i.e., non-structural carbohydrates or nutritional content). The relative importance of substrate energy is thought to decrease with increasing trophic level from primary consumers to predators, with reciprocal effects of ambient energy. Yet, empirical tests are lacking. We compiled data on 332,557 deadwood-inhabiting beetles of 901 species reared from wood of 49 tree species across Europe. Using host-phylogeny-controlled models, we show that the relative importance of substrate energy versus ambient energy decreases with increasing trophic levels: the diversity of zoophagous and mycetophagous beetles was determined by ambient energy, while non-structural carbohydrate content in woody tissues determined that of xylophagous beetles. Our study thus overall supports the species-energy hypothesis and specifies that the relative importance of ambient temperature increases with increasing trophic level with opposite effects for substrate energy.

Nyckelord

biodiversity; coleoptera; deadwood; Europe; saproxylic; species-energy hypothesis; trophic guild

Publicerad i

Ecology Letters
2023, volym: 26, nummer: 7, sidor: 1157-1173
Utgivare: WILEY

SLU författare

• Hjältén, Joakim

  • Institutionen för vilt, fisk och miljö, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Associerade SLU-program

SLU Nätverk växtskydd
SLU Skogsskadecentrum

Globala målen (SDG)

SDG15 Ekosystem och biologisk mångfald

UKÄ forskningsämne

Ekologi

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14227

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/122391