Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Ecosystem
functions
SPE
FG
Soil
properties
FAM
GEN
FAM
FG
BM
trophic
FAM
FA
SPE
Fatty acids
Nematoda
Enchytraeidae
Araneae
Carabidae
SPE
GEN
FG
wings
Figure 5.5
Two-dimensional second-stage NMDS based on pairwise rank correlates between indi-
vidual NMDS plots. Patterns in multivariate community composition are related to each other at
different levels of resolution for fatty acids (profiles based on individual FAs vs. biomarker groups);
Nematoda (functional groups vs. genus vs. family); Enchytraeidae (genus vs. species); Araneae
(functional groups vs. species vs. family); and Carabidae (functional groups based on feeding guild
or wing morphology vs. species vs. family) and to multivariate patterns observed for soil proper-
ties (pH, SWC, C
org
, and N
tot
) and ecosystem functions (N mineralization, yield, and grain protein
content). The closer two symbols are located to each other, the more their observed multivariate
patterns are related to each other. BM, biomarker; FAM, family; FG, functional groups; GEN, genus;
SPE, species.
on feeding preferences related more closely to soil properties than functional grouping
according to wing morphology.
Relating patterns in community composition of soil organisms to multivariate pat-
terns in ecosystem functions (N mineralization, yield, and grain protein content) sug-
gest that nematode community composition was closely related to functions at all three
organizational levels (
Figure 5.5
)
. A weaker relationship was observed between microbial
community composition based on FA profiles or functional groups and multivariate pat-
terns of functional parameters. Arthropod or enchytraeid community composition did not
relate well to the analyzed ecosystem functions, independent of the taxonomic or func-
tional resolution.
Multivariate patterns at both taxonomic levels (family and genus) for nematode com-
munity composition related closely to each other (
Figure 5.5
)
. However, aggregation of
individuals to the functional group level changed the information content of the multivar-
iate data. While multivariate patterns based on taxonomic levels resembled the observed
patterns in soil properties (pH, SWC, C
org
, and N
tot
), functional group composition of
nematodes rather reflected the multivariate patterns based on ecosystem functions (N
mineralization, yield, and grain protein content). The differences between the informa-
tion used to relate microbial community composition based on FA profiles or biomarker
grouping to soil properties and ecosystem functions were almost redundant, and the same
holds true for Enchytraeid communities analyzed at the species or genus level and spider
community composition analyzed at any taxonomic or functional level. Carabid beetles
showed the most pronounced difference in information content if analyzed at different
taxonomic or functional resolutions. Multivariate analyses of carabid communities at
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