The effects of invertebrates on wood decomposition across the world

Denis M Njoroge; Gbadamassi G O Dossa; Douglas Schaefer; Juan Zuo; Michael D Ulyshen; Sebastian Seibold; Amy E Zanne; Brad Oberle; Rhett D Harrison; Shengjie Liu; Xiaobo Li; Tone Birkemoe; Melanie K Taylor; Philip J Burton; David B Lindenmayer; Jari Kouki; Yagya Adhikari; Johannes H C Cornelissen

doi:10.1111/brv.13134

The effects of invertebrates on wood decomposition across the world

Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2024 Sep 16. doi: 10.1111/brv.13134. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Denis M Njoroge^{1

2

3

4}, Gbadamassi G O Dossa², Douglas Schaefer⁵, Juan Zuo¹, Michael D Ulyshen⁶, Sebastian Seibold⁷, Amy E Zanne^{8

9}, Brad Oberle¹⁰, Rhett D Harrison¹¹, Shengjie Liu¹², Xiaobo Li¹³, Tone Birkemoe¹⁴, Melanie K Taylor^{6

15}, Philip J Burton¹⁶, David B Lindenmayer¹⁷, Jari Kouki¹⁸, Yagya Adhikari¹⁹, Johannes H C Cornelissen²⁰

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China.
³ University of Chinese Academy of sciences (UCAS), Beijing, 100049, China.
⁴ Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
⁵ Centre for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China.
⁶ USDA Forest Service, 320 Green Street, Athens, 30602, GA, USA.
⁷ Forest Zoology, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Pienner Str. 7, Tharandt, 01737, Germany.
⁸ Department of Biology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
⁹ Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, 12545, NY, USA.
¹⁰ New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, 10458, NY, USA.
¹¹ CIFOR-ICRAF, St Eugene Office Park, Lake Road, Lusaka, Zambia.
¹² School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 518107, China.
¹³ College of Resources and Environment, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering/Engineering and Technology Research Center for Agricultural Land Pollution Integrated Prevention and Control of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Guangzhou, 510225, China.
¹⁴ Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003 NMBU, Ås, 1432, Norway.
¹⁵ Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 140 Green Street, Athens, 30602, GA, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, 4837 Keith Ave., Terrace, V8G 1K7, BC, Canada.
¹⁷ Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
¹⁸ School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 111 (Yliopistokatu 7), Joensuu, 80101, Finland.
¹⁹ Department of Soil Ecology, University Bayreuth, Dr.-Hans-Frisch-Str. 1-3, Bayreuth, D-95448, Germany.
²⁰ Systems Ecology, A-LIFE, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, Amsterdam, 1081 HZ, The Netherlands.

PMID: 39279349
DOI: 10.1111/brv.13134

Abstract

Invertebrates and microorganisms are important but climate-dependent agents of wood decomposition globally. In this meta-analysis, we investigated what drives the invertebrate effect on wood decomposition worldwide. Globally, we found wood decomposition rates were on average approximately 40% higher when invertebrates were present compared to when they were excluded. This effect was most pronounced in the tropics, owing mainly to the activities of termites. The invertebrate effect was stronger for woody debris without bark as well as for that of larger diameter, possibly reflecting bark- and diameter-mediated differences in fungal colonisation or activity rates relative to those of invertebrates. Our meta-analysis shows similar overall invertebrate effect sizes on decomposition of woody debris derived from angiosperms and gymnosperms globally. Our results suggest the existence of critical interactions between microorganism colonisation and the invertebrate contribution to wood decomposition. To improve biogeochemical models, a better quantification of invertebrate contributions to wood decomposition is needed.

Keywords: bark effect; carbon cycle; dead wood; invertebrate effect; meta‐analysis; woody debris.

Abstract

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