Dead Wood Microbial Diversity

Work program 1

Sampling of microbial communities

Work program 2

Measuring decay and explanatory variables

Work program 3

Microbial diversity at α-, β- and γ- level

Work program 4

Direct and indirect drivers of wood decomposition at α-, β- and γ- level

Work program 5

Effects of key performing species on microbial community structure and decomposition

Team

Prof. Dr. Claus Bässler

Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity

Email: Baessler@bio.uni-frankfurt.de

PI

Bronwyn Lira Dyson

Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity

PhD

Objectives

Alpha (α) Patch-level:

We expect microorganisms in patches to be influenced by the ESC treatment, with variation in dead wood and microclimate affecting their diversity. While microclimate has a minor impact on fungal and bacterial richness, different types of dead wood host distinct fungal and bacterial communities. Overall, we anticipate a positive relationship between microorganism diversity and ESC. We also expect moisture, affected by canopy openness and dead wood type, to influence decomposition rates, but whether microbial diversity correlates with decomposition is unclear.

Beta (β) Patch-level:

Beta-diversity among patches is determined by microclimate and dead wood diversity. Microclimate mainly affects fungi, whereas dead wood influences both fungi and bacteria. Due to host specificity, we expect dead wood diversity to have a stronger impact on microbial beta-diversity among patches, especially for fungi. Overall, we expect a positive relationship between microbial beta-diversity and ESC. We anticipate that microbial community differences are linked to decomposition rate differences.

Gamma (γ)-level:

At the district level, we expect higher gamma-diversity for ESC compared to control, but the opposite trend for decomposition rates. We will also examine how beta-level treatments contribute to overall gamma diversity.