RA3 PAPER: Soil mesofauna food webs

The threat of a major tree pathogen to forest soil mesofauna food webs and ecosystem functioning

March 2024

Struijk M, Stavert J, Le Grice R, Schwendenmann L, Romera J, Mitchell G, Yang J, Hjelm F. 2024. The threat of a major tree pathogen to forest soil mesofauna food webs and ecosystem functioning. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 12.*

ABSTRACT

This research focuses on the impact of Phytophthora agathidicida on the soil mesofauna community structure, functional feeding groups and energy fluxes in kauri forests, for kauri and adjacent broadleaf trees.

Soil mesofauna communities were sampled from kauri and adjacent broadleaf trees. Analysis accounted for factors including kauri canopy health scores, tree diameter, slope, forest floor depth, and soil carbon dioxide efflux. Soil samples were analysed for the presence of P. agathidicida, total carbon, and total nitrogen.

Soil mesofauna food webs were constructed for kauri and broadleaf trees and analysed for uniqueness associated with kauri and the impact of the presence of P. agathidicida on key foodweb characteristics.

KEYWORDS

soil food web, trophic group, foundation species, kauri dieback, Agathis australis, Phytophthora agathidicida, energy flux, soil fauna