Sharing the burden? Earthworms and woodlice show seasonal complementarity in peak abundances in soil in an oak-beech temperate woodland.

Abstract

Complementarity between functional analogues can confer resistance and resilience on ecosystems in the face of environmental change. High biodiversity can lead to increased ecosystem functionality through complementary effects. Earthworms, woodlice and millipedes can have high densities in leaf litter and soils, but little is known about their seasonal patterns. The two groups play important roles in the breakdown and incorporation of organic matter into soils. Differences in peak abundance could affect the rates of litter break down and incorporation in different seasons. We sampled earthworms, woodlice and millipedes from leaf litter soil every month for ten years in a New Forest woodland. We used non-parametric regression to explore monthly and yearly variation in the abundance of decomposer organisms and soil temperature and moisture. Earthworms have a distinct seasonal peak in density different from woodlice and millipedes. Earthworm peak density is in the winter and spring and is correlated with greatest soil moisture. Woodlice (and millipede) have their peak density is in the summer and is correlated with the highest soil temperatures. This means that earthworms, woodlice and millipedes have complementary peaks in abundance. These two groups have similar functional roles in litter decomposition and these data imply ecological complementarity in this important ecological process. This effect is likely to be widespread in lowland woodland in the UK and Europe, with only extreme temperatures and low pH limiting the distribution. Increased summer drought as a result of climate change may lead to changes in the relative abundance of these three groups and in particular local extinctions of earthworms which will in turn affect litter decomposition.