FSD 2010 - Forey_Eisenhauer

5th International Symposium-Workshop on Frugivores and Seed Dispersal (1985-2010)

Estelle Forey (First author)

Groupe de Recherche ECODIV
Faculté des Sciences & des Techniques
Bâtiment IRESE A, Place Emile Blondel
Université de Rouen
F-76821 Mont Saint Aignan Cedex

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Nico Eisenhauer (Speaker)

Georg-August-University Göttingen J.F. Blumenbach
Institute of Zoology and Anthropology
Berliner Str. 28 37073 Göttingen
Germany

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Activities

Estelle Forey. I study the factors determining the structure and dynamic of plant communities (i.e. plant species assembly rules) for understanding how communities and biodiversity are affected by environmental changes. I am interested in external factors at the community (environmental constraint sensus lato) as well as in internal factors. Among internal factors, I particularly focus on plant-plant interactions (such as facilitation, competition). More recently, since my recruitment to Ecodiv lab (University of Rouen), I have also analyzed plant-soil fauna interactions through earthworm and seed interactions. Present experiments aim to determine if earthworms’ activity (seed dispersal, burial and digestion) might directly affect plant communities and if this process is species-specific. My work combines theoretical, empirical and experimental approaches in various herbaceous ecosystems (coastal sand dunes, chalk grasslands, steppes).

Nico Eisenhauer. In a nutshell, I study the impacts of current global change phenomena on aboveground-belowground interrelationships and functions in grassland and forest ecosystems. In the framework of the Jena Experiment I study the belowground consequences of aboveground diversity loss as well as belowground feedback mechanisms. Moreover, I am interested in the consequences of the anthropogenic spread of exotic ecosystem engineers for native ecosystems. Furthermore, I study the interactions between earthworms and plant seeds. My experiments indicate that earthworms directly influence plant communities by dispersing, burying and feeding on plant seeds and seedlings.

Abstract

Importance of earthworm – seed interactions for the composition of plant communities: a review

By Estelle Forey, Thibaud Decaens, Stefan Scheu, Sebastien Barot, Estelle Langlois, Pierre Margerie, Kam-Rigne Laossi, Nico Eisenhauer*

* J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen

Soil seed banks are crucial elements for the understanding of plant population and community ecology. Among animal species, earthworms are increasingly recognised as important dispersers and predators of seeds. Through direct and indirect effects, they might affect either positively or negatively the distribution, survival and establishment of seeds in plant communities. Thereby, earthworms may affect seedling establishment by a variety of mechanisms such as selective ingestion and digestion of seeds, acceleration or delaying of seed germination, and downward or upward seed transport. Seed displacements might for instance reduce exposure to harsh environmental constrains and to aboveground seed predators. Surface earthworm casts and middens often contain many viable seeds and might be important regeneration niches for plant seedlings and therefore likely favour specific plant strategies. Nevertheless, the role of earthworm as seed dispersers and mediators of seed bank dynamics has seldom been considered in past studies, especially in case of natural plant communities. Many aspects of the processes induced by earthworm activity remain obscure. Thus, we propose in this review to discuss the potential consequences of earthworm-mediated impacts on soil seed banks, plant community dynamics and potential outlooks in plant evolution, restoration, and conservation ecology.

Related references

See the Seed Disperser of the Month : Earthworm