Forest Floor Research Articles

Contrasting immediate impact of prescribed fires and experimental summer fires on soil organic matter quality and microbial properties in the forest floor and mineral soil in Mediterranean black pine forest

Prescribed fire (PB) is used to achieve ecological objectives and to reduce fuel hazard thus limiting detrimental impacts of wildfire and appropriate selection of prescription window is critical for these goals. Operational use of PB in the Mediterranean forest is scarce and information about its effects on soil remains incomplete. This study for the first time i) compared the immediate impact of spring and autumn PB and experimental summer fire on key properties of forest floor and mineral topsoil in Mediterranean black pine forest, and ii) assessed the capacity of PB to reduce fuel, with limited immediate impacts on soil. PB significantly reduced the 32.5 % of pre-fire forest floor depth, while summer fire consumed 88.5 % and exposed about 30 % of the mineral soil surface. Mean maximum temperature during fire at the mineral soil surface was 23 °C in PB, in contrast to 128 °C in summer fire, while soil heating at 2 cm depth was negligible in both cases. PB did not cause immediate changes in OM quality parameters, and chemical (C and N concentrations, C/N and pH) and microbiological properties (Cmic, Cmic/C, and β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase activities) in forest floor or mineral topsoil (0–2 cm). By contrast, summer fire greatly increased OM recalcitrance and reduced Cmic, Cmic/C and enzyme activities in forest floor immediately after fire. In the mineral topsoil, only microbial properties were significantly reduced. The maximum temperature reached during fire in forest floor and topsoil was associated with most of the overall changes in properties in both layers. The findings suggest that prescribed fire can significantly reduce fuel with limited initial impacts on soil. Although these findings are encouraging for operational use of prescribed burning in the ecosystem under study, long-term monitoring of repeated application of the technique on soil properties and other ecosystem components is necessary.

Distribution pattern and factors affecting litter stocks at the slope-scale in a karst forest in subtropical China

Litter distribution significantly affects nutrient cycling, energy transfer, and various ecosystem services. However, little is known about how microtopography affects litter accumulation and distribution on the forest floor. Distribution characteristics of litter stocks at the slope-scale and their relationship with topography and rock exposure rate (RER) in a typical subtropical karst forest in China were determined by measuring the litter stock and RER of 300 grids of1 × 1 m in a 10 × 120 m square on a limestone hill. The results showed that (1) the average litter stock of karst forest was 691.54 ± 332.60 g∙m-2, among which 65.81% was undecomposed litter; (2) the spatial distribution of litter stocks was uneven with moderate variation, presenting five aggregated areas and four sparse areas on the entire slope; (3) there was a significant negative correlation between RER and litter stock (R = −0.37, P < 0.01), which increased with increasing slope gradient and slope position; and (4) the RER coupled with topography in karst areas directly affected litter accumulation via the redistribution process and indirectly affected the decomposition rate by altering the microenvironment, which reshaped the slope-scale distribution pattern of litter stocks. Our research highlights the importance of the complex slope-scale morphology of karst ecosystems in altering nutrient cycling and energy transfer by mediating litter redistribution, providing new insights into the formation of the high environmental heterogeneity in karst habitats.

A new high elevation species of Oreophryne Boettger (Anura: Microhylidae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia.

We examined the morphology of 50 specimens of Sulawesian Oreophryne and recognize a distinct, undescribed species. Based on morphological data and supported with phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, it is herein described and named as Oreophryne riyantoi sp. nov. The new species is diagnosed by having a combination of rounded snout in dorsal and lateral view, indistinct tympanum, narrow interorbital distance, small hands, small terminal discs on fingers and toes, toes without webbing, short legs, and dorsal surfaces of head, body and limbs irregularly tuberculated in life. It was found in leaf litter on the forest floor in extremely wet primary montane forest on Mount Mekongga at an altitude of 2528 m asl. The forest-dwelling habit of this terrestrial frog is unusual because other terrestrial Oreophryne occuring at high-altitude live in open grassy or fern dominated meadows. Four endemic species of Oreophryne are now known from Sulawesi. However, herpetological research activities, including high elevation surveys and additional taxonomic work, are necessary to achieve a comprehensive understanding of Oreophryne diversity and phylogeography in Sulawesi.

Microhabitat requirements and occupancy of understorey bird forest specialists in Southern Mistbelt Forests of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Monitoring species’ habitat selection and microhabitat requirements is vital for conservation and management, though studies on bird species’ habitat selection at relatively fine scales are often limited. Camera traps are useful techniques for studying bird communities, particularly elusive species that are challenging to document using traditional survey techniques. Here, we installed 184 camera traps during the non-breeding and breeding seasons to study understorey forest-specialist birds’ habitat requirements in 14 selected Southern Mistbelt Forest patches of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We conducted foliage profile and forest structure surveys and an inventory of tree species richness to characterise forest microhabitat. Over 7182 trap days, we had 615 detections of ten understorey forest-specialists, most of which were insectivores. We modelled the occupancy of Lemon Doves (Aplopelia larvata), Chorister Robin-chats (Cossypha dichroa), Crested Guineafowls (Guttera pucherani), and Red-necked Spurfowls (Pternistis afer) to determine microhabitat characteristics that influenced detection probability and occupancy. The main microhabitat characteristics influencing forest-specialist understorey birds were tree species richness, leaf litter, and water cover. Forest structural characteristics that influenced the occupancy of the selected understorey forest-specialists were those within 5 m of the forest floor. Microhabitat requirements for the birds were species-specific, with seasonal variation for Lemon Doves. Conservation strategies should maintain undisturbed forest understorey to allow for the persistence of understorey forest-specialist bird species.

Vertical profile and flux measurements of ammonia in a deciduous forest in Japan towards improvement of bi-directional exchange model

Ammonia (NH3) is a major component of reduced nitrogen. A bi-directional exchange of NH3 takes place between the atmosphere and surface. Although the study of reduced nitrogen is gaining prominence in recent years, quantification of NH3 deposition is technically challenging due to its complex properties; consequently, this generates significant uncertainty regarding the estimation of total nitrogen deposition. Based on past studies, it has been reported that Asia has numerous high-risk nitrogen deposition sites; however, only a few studies have investigated the NH3 exchange in this region. To clarify the exchange process and achieve improved accuracy regarding the estimation of nitrogen deposition in Asia, we conducted measurements of vertical profile and flux of NH3 in a forest in Japan during summer (July 21–August 1, 2015), winter (February 23–February 29, 2016), and autumn (September 27–October 11, 2016). We measured daytime and nighttime NH3 concentrations at four or five heights of an observation tower in the forest by using filter-pack holders, and determined NH3 fluxes by using the aerodynamic gradient method. During daytime, NH3 showed emission above the canopy in summer, and near the forest floor in winter. There was no clear emission trend in autumn. During nighttime, NH3 showed deposition from the top of the canopy to the forest floor for all observed periods. NH3 exchange in the forest possibly had seasonal and diurnal variations. The flux measurements showed large NH3 emissions at daytime in summer and small depositions at nighttime in summer and autumn. Mean flux during the observation periods was 0.026 μg m−2 s−1. The daytime flux during leafy periods was found to have a strong correlation with solar radiation. At daytime in summer, flux also had strong correlations with relative humidity and horizontal wind speed. We also estimated NH3 fluxes in summer by employing a bi-directional exchange model to verify the applicability of the model at the study site. Inferred fluxes obtained via the model showed large emissions during daytime and agreed with the observation results; however, the model could not reproduce the nighttime deposition. This discrepancy was improved by applying more suitable cuticular resistances.

Multi-Scale Altitudinal Patterns of Soil and Litter Invertebrate Communities in a Warm Temperate Deciduous Broadleaf Forest

The diversity and spatial patterns of soil invertebrates are the cornerstones for understanding their ecological functions, which are crucial to maintaining nutrient cycling and soil health in forest ecosystems. Based on a continuous altitudinal gradient (1020–1770 m) composed of 119 plots, this study analyzed the spatial patterns of invertebrate communities in temperate mountain forest litter and soil using multi-scale ordination. The results indicate that along the altitudinal gradient, the invertebrate communities in both litter and soil layers exhibit “patches” at a scale of approximately 33 plots that are mainly composed of Mesostigmata and Apterogasterine oribatid mites. In the litter layer, at the 11-plot scale, an aggregation of Onychiuridae is also formed, while in the soil layer, there are “patches” represented by Diadocidiidae at the 33-plot scale. The positive–negative associations among invertebrate taxa also shift between the litter and soil layers, as well as among “patches”. Our study confirms that the richness of invertebrates in temperate-forest litter is higher and forms multi-scale assembly “patches” despite the higher abundance of invertebrates in the soil layer. Future studies should delve deeper into the aggregation mechanisms of these specific taxa and may require higher sampling densities to reveal the multi-scale spatial patterns of soil invertebrates.

Temperate food forest soil and dead organic matter carbon content relative to adjacent land

AbstractSoil is identified as the terrestrial carbon (C) pool with the highest potential for C sequestration. This study therefore examined the soil organic carbon (SOC) under four different but adjacent land‐use systems in the temperate climate zone: a food forest, redwood forest, pasture land and agricultural field in Dartington, UK. Soil samples were collected at 0‐ to 20‐cm and 20‐ to 40‐cm depth at all four sites. Two soil fractionation methodologies were applied as well as analysis for C content. Additionally, carbon content from dead organic matter (DOM) was estimated from the woody and non‐woody litter in the food forest and redwood forest. Similar total SOC was found between all four systems. However, due to the difference in turnover rates of C in different soil fractions, the food forest soil exhibited a similar long‐term storage of C as the redwood forest, while pasture land and agricultural field stored less C in the long term. The redwood forest exhibited a higher non‐woody litter C content than the food forest, but similar amounts of coarse and fine woody litter.

Enhanced ethanol production using hydrophobic resin detoxified Pine forest litter hydrolysate and integrated fermentation process development supplementing molasses.

Globally escalating ethanol demand necessitates the use of hybrid technologies integrating first- and second-generation biofuel feedstocks for achieving the futuristic targets of gasoline replacement with bioethanol. In present study, an optimized two-step sequential pre-treatment (first dilute alkali, then dilute acid) of Pine forest litter (PFL) was developed. Furthermore, the saccharification of pre-treated PFL was optimized through Response Surface Methodology using Box-Behnken Design, wherein 0.558g/g of reducing sugar was released under the optimized conditions (12.5% w/v of biomass loading, 10 FPU/g of PFL enzyme loading, 0.15% v/v Tween-80 and 48h incubation time). Moreover, during hydrolysate fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCIM 3288 strain, 22.51 ± 1.02g/L ethanol was produced. Remarkably, hydrophobic resin (XAD-4) treatment of PFL hydrolysate, significantly removed inhibitors (Furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and phenolics) and increased ethanol production to 27.38 ± 1.18g/L. Furthermore, during fermentation of molasses supplemented PFL hydrolysate (total initial sugar: 100 ± 3.27g/L), a maximum of 46.02 ± 2.08g/L ethanol was produced with 0.482g/g yield and 1.92g/l/h productivity. These findings indicated that the integration of molasses to lignocellulosic hydrolysate, would be a promising hybrid technology for industrial ethanol production within existing bio-refinery infrastructure.

Micro-endemism pattern and Wolbachia infection of Quedius obliqueseriatus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), a montane rove beetle endemic of the North-Western Caucasus

We conducted an integrative taxonomic study of a forest floor dwelling montane rove beetle Quedius obliqueseriatus Eppelsheim, 1889. It is one of many endemic species of the North-Western Caucasus, a region considered a global biodiversity hotspot. Examination of the morphological characters in 93 specimens of Q. obliqueseriatus and phylogenetic assessment of the COI barcode for 28 of them, revealed that this species in fact consists of two distinct (p-distance of 4.0%) allopatric lineages, western and eastern. They subtly differ in the structure of the aedeagus, which was not noticed in the previous revision of this species. Nuclear DNA markers (H3, ITS1, ITS2, Wg and 28S) sampled in both lineages, did not show any divergence. Variation of the non-genitalic morphological characters, such as body size or coloration, is continuous across both lineages. Discovery of microendemic lineages within an endemic rove beetle species highlights how little is understood about the patterns and drivers of endemism in arthropods of the North-Western Caucasus. We refrained from the description of a new species due to shortage of data from the area where newly discovered western and eastern lineages meet. As Q. obliqueseriatus was found to be largely infected with Wolbachia, we gave a review of this infection among insects and other arthropods and its impact on speciation. Finally, we described our method of removal of the WolbachiaCOI amplicon by endonuclease restriction enzyme in order to get the desired beetle amplicon from infected specimens.

Continuous microhabitats as crossroads of fungal communities in a primeval temperate forest

Forests represent the largest terrestrial ecosystem on Earth, covering about 30% of its surface, and their microbial inhabitants carry out crucial ecosystem processes. Forests comprise a wide variety of microhabitats including soil, litter, living trees and dead wood. Forest fungi can form hyphal networks within or across such microhabitats in search of nutrients, and translocate plant-derived carbon from roots to soil. Various drivers affect their occurrence, such as climate and the presence of competing species. Drivers and predictors of fungal diversity at the fine scale of a forest stand composed of a range of microhabitats are, however, much less clear than those operating at larger scales. The aim of this study is to determine what best captures the heterogeneity of fungal communities in a 5000 m2 mixed forest stand in the temperate natural forest Žofín using a metabarcoding survey of the ITS2 region of fungal rRNA across seven microhabitats: soil, litter, fine roots, senescent leaves, twigs, branches and dead trees. We assessed the impact of microhabitat patchiness as well as the predictive power of niche and neutral processes in shaping fungal diversity and community structure within and across microhabitats. Environmental filters such as phosphorus content, carbon/nitrogen ratio and pH were significant predictors of fungal community composition between microhabitats. Contrastingly, fungal communities displayed significant spatial patterns only in soil, litter and roots, i.e. continuous microhabitats. When focusing on pairs of samples collected at the same approximate location, continuous microhabitats displayed a higher similarity, on average, between themselves and other microhabitats, as opposed to semi-continuous and patchy microhabitats. As the ultimate sink of organic matter, soil harbored the highest number of recurrent fungal units from other microhabitats, emphasizing that not only does soil collect debris across the forest floor, but it also acts as a crossroad where locally abundant fungi collide.

How much do field mice prefer dwarf bamboo seeds? Two-choice experiments between seeds of Sasa borealis and several tree species on the forest floor.

Bambusoideae is a taxon of mass-flowering monocarpic perennials with a long life cycle. Forest ecosystems are affected by Bambusoideae seeding and death events in various ways, including an increased abundance of Apodemus spp. The utilization and preference of dwarf bamboo seeds over tree seeds by field mice remain elusive. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether field mice prefer dwarf bamboo to tree seeds. We examined one dwarf bamboo species (Sasa borealis) against four tree species with varying acorn/fruit traits (Castanea crenata, Quercus crispula, Fagus crenata, and Lindera triloba). The seeds were placed in a container in a forest among dead S. borealis culms, with an automatic camera monitoring the setup. The examined seeds were mainly foraged by two field mouse species, Apodemus speciosus and Apodemus argenteus, with preference in the following order: C. crenata, L. triloba, S. borealis, F. crenata, and Q. crispula. Our findings indicated that during S. borealis mast seeding years, predation pressure on F. crenata and Q. crispula seeds could be considerably reduced. This suggests that mast seeding might disrupt the normal pattern of survival, and seed dispersal patterns, potentially altering the forest vegetation composition.

USE OF PHYTO-INDICATION METHODS IN ASSESSMENT OF RELATIONSHIP OF NITROGEN CONTENT IN PLANTS WITH THEIR GROWING CONDITIONS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF FORESTS IN THE SOUTHERN MOSCOW REGION)

The relationship of the chemical composition of plants with conditions of their growth and their contribution to soil nitrogen during dying is revealed. The study was based on the materials of geobotanical relevés of 15 forest plots in the subzone of coniferous-deciduous forests in the south of the Moscow Region. Two methods of phytoindication were used. The type of habitat conditions was determined according to the Vorobyov-Pogrebnyak’s indicator species. The point values of soil nitrogen richness were calculated according to the Tsyganov’s scale. The nitrogen content in plant organs, samples of forest litter and soil was determined using gas chromatography. The analysis of the data showed a correlation between the types of forest vegetation conditions and the points on the Tsyganov’s nitrogen richness scale for the conditions of the southern Moscow Region. The nitrogen content in the forest litter has a high reliable relationship with the types of habitat conditions. It is shown that plants from the habitats which are richer in nitrogen according to the Tsyganov’s nitrogen richness scale have a higher nitrogen content in leaves, stems and rhizomes than plants growing in poorer soil conditions. The conducted study has shown the validity of using phytoindication scales for the assessment of soil conditions.

Short-term nitrogen deposition changes chemical composition of litter and soil organic matter in a Moso bamboo forest

To investigate the effects of short-term nitrogen (N) deposition on organic matter composition of litter and soil in Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) forests, we established a N-addition treatments (50 kg N·hm-2·a-1) to simulate the ambient and N deposition in a subtropical Moso bamboo forest from July 2020 to January 2022. We analyzed the organic matter composition of Moso bamboo leaf/root litter and soil by using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) technique. The results showed that short-term N deposition significantly increased the relative content of soil phenols by 50.9%, while significantly decreased fatty acids by 26.3%. The rela-tive content of alkanes & alkenes and lignin in leaf litter was significantly increased by 51.9% and 33.5%, respectively, while that of phenols and polysaccharides significantly decreased by 52.2% and 56.3%. In root litter, eleva-ted N significantly decreased the relative content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by 16.6%. Moreover, the relative content of fatty acids in soil organic matter was significantly positively correlated with the relative content of poly-saccharides in leaf litter. The relative content of phenols in soil organic matter was significantly positively correlated with the relative content of lignin, and negatively correlated with the relative content of polysaccharides in leaf litter. Our results demonstrated that short-term N deposition did not change the concentration of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and C/N of the soil, leaf litter, and root litter, but significantly altered the chemical composition of organic matter. In addition, the changes in chemical composition of organic matter in soil under short-term N deposition were affected by the composition of organic matter in leaf litter.

Исследование влияния климатических факторов на скорость разложения лесной подстилки

The decomposition of the litter changes its indicators under the influence of climatic changes. Taking into account the impact of this process on the global carbon cycle, the decomposition process is a feedback affecting future climate change. The special role of the litter decomposition process in the overall carbon cycle on a regional and global scale determines the importance of studying the regularity of the influence of climatic parameters on the rate of decomposition of forest litter. Known approaches to solving this problem are based on a probabilistic analysis of the relationship between climatic factors. It is indicated that the task of determining the relationship between temperature and soil moisture when assessing their joint impact on the decomposition rate of forest litter can be formulated in a slightly different way. From the point of view of the ecology of the forest ecosystem, the following statement of the problem is no less interesting: under what relationship of these factors can the decomposition rate reach extreme values? The author proposes a representation of the problem being solved in the form of an extreme problem, taking into account some restrictive conditions imposed on the desired function of the relationship between temperature and soil moisture. The proposed new approach to solving the problem of the influence of climatic factors such as soil temperature and humidity, which consists of calculating the conditions leading to an extremum of the decomposition rate of forest litter, allows us to determine the function of the relationship between these factors and the point at which the decomposition rate reaches a peak. The solution to the problem allowed us to calculate the optimal type of the studied relationship, at which the rate of decomposition of the forest litter reaches an extreme. The results of the study can be used in modeling the processes of the influence of climatic factors on the overall carbon cycle of the forest ecosystem

Cryphonectria carpinicola discovered in Japan: first report of the sexual state on Carpinus tree.

Cryphonectria carpinicola is an ascomycetous fungus that has been regularly found in its asexual form on European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) in Europe over the past two decades. Here we describe the discovery of C. carpinicola in Japan and report for the first time its sexual state on Carpinus species. No symptomatic trees were observed, but stromata were found saprotrophically on broken branches of Carpinus species on the forest floor. The sexual structures of C. carpinicola resembled that of other Cryphonectria species and strongly resembled those of the closely related species C. radicalis. A phylogenetic tree based on the internal transcribed spacer sequences showed monophyly for the Japanese and European isolates of C. carpinicola. Further studies on the distribution and host range of C. carpinicola in Japan and on the life history strategies of this fungus are needed.

Analisis Produksi Serasah Mangrove pada Hutan Mangrove Desa Kurau Timur, Kabupaten Bangka Tengah, Bangka Belitung

Mangrove forests have many ecological functions such as retaining and trapping sediments, dampening waves, providing protection for fish and other biota, and assimilating nutrients. Most of the nutrients returned to the forest floor are in the form of litter. Litter has an important role for the soil and the microorganisms in it. This study aims to measure the productivity of mangrove litter in the mangrove forest of Kurau Timur Village, Central Bangka Regency, Bangka Belitung. The method used to measure litter production is litter storage using a 1m x 1m litter trap with litter collection every 7 days for 3 months. Environmental parameter data analysis was performed by PCA (Principal Component Analysis). The rate of litter production in the mangrove forest of East Kurau Village is with a dry weight of 2.72 gr/m2/day. The components that make up litter are grouped into 3 components, namely leaves (66%), stems (18%), and flowers/fruits (16%). The litter layer on the mangrove forest floor of Kurau Timur Village is with an average dry weight of 69.02 grams, a water content of 40.73%, and an estimated average biomass of 3.08 tons/ha.

Diversity and species richness of land snails inhabiting an impacted macro-zone-Mfamosing limestone hill in Sub-Saharan Region

The land snail diversity and abundance and some ecological aspects of the fauna in a threatened limestone hill in Mfamosing, Cross Rivers state, Nigeria was investigated between May 2017 and June 2018. Twelve plots of 10 m x 10 m each using a combination of leaf litter in the forest floor (litter and topsoil in a total of ninety sample bags) were sampled from which shells were extracted by handpicking. A total of 289 (two hundred and eighty-nine) specimens representing twenty-three species in seven molluscan families were recorded. The carnivorous Streptaxidae family dominated the fauna regarding species richness while the family Urocyclidae dominated species abundance. The families Eucolinidae and Aillyidae accounted for the least dominant species. The family Streptaxidae with seven species accounted for over 30% of the mollusk abundance, while Urocyclidae had the highest number of individual specimens. True estimates of diversity using Chao2 and second-order Jack-Knife estimators yielded 25 and 24 species respectively. The Land Snail diversity in Mfamosing limestone hill when compared with those from other parts of Nigeria (Okomu in Edo State) and some other parts of the world (Sabah, Malaysia) is relatively high, with moderate levels of species abundance, showing relatively high differentiation, local dominance and endemism by few species. This reveals that Mfamosing limestone hill is one of the biodiversity hotspots for terrestrial mollusks and requires urgent conservation measures, given the current rate of Limestone quarrying in the region.

Effects of Forest Gaps on Forest Floor Microbial Community Composition in Pinus tabulaeformis Forests in a Rocky Mountain Area, Beijing, China

Forest gaps induce environmental heterogeneity, but their effects on the local forest floor microbial communities are not fully understood. This research investigated the impact of forest gap positions on the forest floor microbial community composition to provide baseline information for projects to accelerate nutrient cycling and forest regeneration and enhance ecosystem services. A one-year-old forest gap and an area of 40–50 m2 in Pinus tabulaeformis plantations were selected in the Beijing mountainous area. Forest floor samples were collected from the following positions: gap center, gap border, and adjacent closed canopy. Our study demonstrated that gap positions significantly influenced the forest floor microbial community composition. The Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and total bacteria, as well as the fungi, were significantly greater in the forest gap center and gap border compared to those in the closed canopy, and the dissolved organic carbon, readily oxidized organic carbon, ammonia nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen followed the same trend. Compared with those of the closed canopy, the Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, total bacteria, and fungi in the gap center were markedly greater by 23%, 25%, 22%, and 24% and by 14%, 14%, 11%, and 16% in the gap border, respectively (p &lt; 0.05). Redundancy analysis demonstrated that shifts in the litter microbial community composition were predominantly predicted by litter moisture and β-1,4-glucosidase. In addition, we discovered that the microbial community composition was greater in the undecomposed forest layer than that in the semi-decomposed layer. In summary, gap positions and forest floor layers have a significant impact on microbial community composition. Nevertheless, additional long-term investigations are needed. Our study provides a reference for the promotion of nutrient cycling to guide future ecological management.

Non-native earthworms increase the abundance and diet quality of a common woodland salamander in its northern range.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10530-023-03168-3.

Organic Agriculture in Bhutan: Dream of 100% Organic is Stalled at Reality of 1% Organic

Bhutan is a poor country with 51% of the population employed in agriculture, and little manufacturing. Forests accounts for 71% of Bhutan, and agriculture 8%. The average landholding is 1.4 hectares per household. Many farmers practice ‘traditional’ farming using forest litter and farm yard manure. The inputs for chemical agriculture (synthetic fertilisers and pesticides) are generally imported and expensive. Bhutan announced a goal of 100% organic agriculture in 2006. Looking after the environment and animal welfare, and not poisoning insects and other living things are precepts congruent with Buddhism, the national religion of Bhutan. So, organic agriculture appears to be a ‘good fit’ for Bhutan. Yet, nearly two decades after declaring the 100% goal, there appears to have been near zero progress based on the parameter of certified organic agriculture. Longitudinal data of organic agriculture hectares for the past two decades reveal that the goal of 100% appears to be wishful thinking, with the reality of 1.09% organic agriculture. In the meantime, a neighbouring Indian state of India, Sikkim, with many geographic, climatic and demographic comparables, has achieved its goal of 100% organic. Sikkim is a blueprint of how to achieve 100% organic, while Bhutan is a blueprint for how not to (so far).