Abstract
The biodiversity–ecosystem function relationship is a central topic in ecology. Fungi are the dominant decomposers of organic plant material in terrestrial ecosystems and display tremendous species diversity. However, little is known about the fungal diversity–decomposition relationship. We evaluated fungal community assemblies and substrate quality in different stages of wood decay to assess the relationships between fungal species richness and weight loss of wood substrate under laboratory conditions. Wood-inhabiting fungal communities in the early and late stages of pine log decomposition were used as a model. Colonisation with certain species prior to inoculation with other species resulted in four-fold differences in fungal species richness and up to tenfold differences in the rate of wood substrate decomposition in both early- and late-decaying fungal communities. Differences in wood substrate quality had a significant impact on species richness and weight loss of wood and the relationships between the two, which were negative or neutral. Late communities showed significantly negative species richness–decay relationships in wood at all decay stages, whereas negative relationships in early communities were significant only in the intermediate decay stage. Our results suggest that changes in fungal communities and wood quality during wood decomposition affect the fungal diversity–decomposition relationship.
Highlights
The biodiversity–ecosystem function relationship is a central topic in ecology
We evaluated the effects of fungal communities and substrate quality on the relationships between fungal species richness and wood weight loss in microcosms with early and late fungal communities with known fungal succession and wood powder substrates in three stages of decay
The results were in line with previous laboratory studies that reported negative relationships between fungal species richness and substrate weight loss
Summary
The biodiversity–ecosystem function relationship is a central topic in ecology. Fungi are the dominant decomposers of organic plant material in terrestrial ecosystems and display tremendous species diversity. Laboratory studies carried out under controlled conditions have reported negative relationships between fungal species richness and weight loss of plant materials[11,12] To explain this discrepancy, a better understanding of the mechanisms driving fungal diversity–decomposition relationships is required. Delignification of wood by white rot fungi and holocellulose-selective decomposition by brown rot fungi both alter wood chemical composition in the intermediate stages of decay, leaving the recalcitrant components of wood, such as lignin, to accumulate in the later stages These physicochemical changes affect fungal competition, and community development[25,26] and wood decay abilities[27,28], and should be studied to reveal their impact on fungal diversity–decomposition relationships. Laboratory studies in which fungal communities and resource quality are carefully controlled are needed to clarify the complex fungal diversity–decomposition relationships on natural resources
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