The aim of this dissertation was to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying biodiversity ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships and the provisioning of ecosystem functions in temperate forest soils. I studied the role of tree diversity on soil microbial properties, standard litter decomposition, abiotic soil properties, and soil surface temperature. All studies took place in the Kreinitz tree diversity experiment in Central Germany which was established in 2005. It spans a tree diversity gradient from 1 to 6 different commonly cultivated tree species. My experiments included measurements within the whole diversity gradient in November 2017 and a high-resolution time series on monocultures and five-species mixtures in 2017 and 2018. In addition, I utilized tree inventory data about tree mortality, height, diameter and biomass. Chapter I aimed to assess general BEF relationships in soil. Chapter II followed a spatio-temporal framework explaining BEF relationships in forest soils via the spatial and temporal stability of biotic and abiotic properties, based on concepts like species asynchrony and complementarity. Chapter III utilized the perturbation of the extreme summer drought of 2018. It focused on biodiversity-resistance relationships and assessed how tree species richness and identity affected tree mortality rates in the experiment. All three studies showed that tree species identity and community composition are essential in shaping BEF relationships in temperate forest soils and are pivotal for the stable provisioning of ecosystem functions. The influence of tree species identity and community composition could be related to changes in abiotic soil properties and microclimatic conditions (i.e. soil surface temperature). I found evidence that spatio-temporal dynamics are indeed crucial determinants in BEF relationships in forest ecosystems. Overall, my thesis indicated how climate change and other global change factors will likely influence the provisioning and stability of soil ecosystem functions in forest via their intense pressure on tree community composition and the perturbation of spatiotemporal patterns. Overall, this dissertation advanced our mechanistic understanding of BEF relationships in temperate forest soils. While it underlined the dangers of global change for the provisioning of ecosystem functions, it also offered vantage points to prepare our forests for a changing future.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:79422 |
| Date | 09 June 2022 |
| Creators | Gottschall, Felix |
| Contributors | Universität Leipzig |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion, doc-type:doctoralThesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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