the use of collembola as...

The use of Collembola as

bio-indicators

Charlene Janion-Scheepers

Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa

@cjanion

“… a species or group of species that readily reflects: 1) the abiotic or biotic state of an environment;

2) represents the impact of environmental change on a habitat, community or

ecosystem;

3) or is indicative of the diversity of a subset of taxa, or of wholesale diversity,

within an area”

What is a biological indicator?

McGeoch et al. (2011) Koedoe

Biological indicators

Wardle et al. (2004) Science, Bardgett & van der Putten (2014) Nature

Importance of soil biota

Soil biota understudied, although soils are integral to agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and the maintenance of ecosystem services. The use of soil fauna as bio-indicators restricted to a few well-known groups.

Soil biota as indicators

Soil biota as indicators

http://www.soilhealthlab.co.za/

Soil biota as indicators

Uys et al. (2010) PlosOne

Soil biota as indicators

(a) Fungi (Aspergillus clavatus)—M. Truter, (b) Nematoda—M. Marais, (c) Protozoa—Flickr user: Picturepest*, (d) Enchytraeidae— WikiCommons user: Cherus*, (e) Tardigrada—R. Goldstein & V. Madden*, (f) Acari (Tectocepheus velatus)—L. Coetzee, (g) Microcoryphia—B. Marlin*, (h) Diplura—A. Murray*, (i) Protura—A. Murray*, (j) Collembola (Isotomurus maculatus)—C. Janion-Scheepers, (k) Oligochaeta—S. Shepherd*, (l) Amphipoda (Talitroides topitotumbest) C. Griffiths, (m) Gastropoda (Achatina imaculata)—D. Herbert, (n) Gastropoda (Chlamydephorus sexangulus)—D. Herbert (o) Isopoda (Porcellio scaber)—C. Griffiths, (p) Diplopoda (Centrobolus sp.)—M. Hamer, (q) Idiopidae (Galeosoma planiscutatum)—P. Webb, (r) Opiliones—L. Lotz, (s) Scorpiones (Opisthacanthus sp.) eating Chilopoda—J. Measey, (t) Pseudocorpiones—L. Deharveng, (u) Scarabaeinae (Scarabaeus cupreus)—Scarab Research Group, University of Pretoria, (v) Termitoidae (Hodotermes mossambicus)—J. Mitchell, (w) Formicidae (Camponotus sp.)—B. Braschler, (x1) Hepialidae (Eudalaca ammon)—R. Schutte, (x2) Gryllotalpidae (Gryllotalpa africana)—M. Picker/C. Griffiths, (x3/x4) Apidae (Anthophora braunsiana, and their nests)—A. Weaving, (y1) Scincidae (Scolxotes gronovii)—J. Measey, (y2) Cape mole rat (Georychus capensis)—J. Measey. Photographs contributed by authors unless otherwise indicated (* licenced under creative commons licence).

Collembola

Hoskins et al. (2015) Scientific Reports

Collembola

About 8,200 species worldwide.

Deharveng (2004) Pedobiologia

Europe

Southeast Asia

South Africa???

South Africa

Diversity of Collembola in South Africa

• Knowledge of Collembola in South Africa poor compared to

other countries

• From the literature, 124 recorded species of which 75

endemic, 24 widespread and 25 introduced (Janion-

Scheepers et al. 2015)

• Over 1000 species expected for SA

Diversity of Collembola in South Africa

Barcoding of Collembola

Barcoding of Collembola

Unique

BINs: 376;

(1485

specimens)

Non-unique

BINs – 59;

(5880

specimens)

www.boldsystems.org

Barcoding of Collembola

Collembola ecomorphological groups

Euedaphic Atmobiotic Epiedaphic

Collembola community structure

as bio-indicators

Iuñes de Oliveira Filho et al. (2016)

Collembola community structure can be used as a tool to assess land use effects on soil quality. Not only the presence of certain Collembola species, but also the diversity of ecomorphological groups is important for soil processes.

Collembola as bio-indicators:

habitat restoration

Liu et al. (2012) Pedobiologia

Collembola as bio-indicators: pollution

Badenhorst (2016)

Collembola as bio-indicators: fire

Janion-Scheepers et al. (2016) Appl. Soil Ecol.

Pre-fire

Collembola as bio-indicators:

climate change and invasive species

Chown et al. (2007) Proc. R. Soc. B, McGeoch et al. (2006) Austral Ecol., Janion et al. (2010), Janion-Scheepers et al. (2018) PNAS

5 15

Test temperature (°C)

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Tim

e (m

in)

I. cf. palustris, Invasive

5 15

Test temperature (°C)

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

Tim

e (m

in)

T. bisetosa, Indigenous

Invasive Indigenous

5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 27.5 28.8

Temperature (°C)

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.20

0.22

Egg d

eve

Isotomurus cf. palustris Cryptopygus antarcticus Ceratophysella denticulata C. dubius C. tricuspis Isotoma notabilis Pogonognathellus flavescens

Lab and field experiments found invasive springtails do

better under warmer and drier conditions.

Soil biota as bio-indicators

Community level effect?

Cakir & Makineci (in press) Appl. Soil Ecol.

Soil biota as bio-indicators

Collembola x spider interaction

Summary

• The use of some terrestrial invertebrate bio-indicators are well developed in South Africa

• More groups of soil biota need to be included as bio-indicators

• For some groups, using morpho-species or functional groups is sufficient

• To use Collembola as bio-indicators, wider geographic sampling and expansion of barcoding library needed

• Building of taxonomic capacity of Collembola and other soil biota

SERG (Soil Ecosystem Research Group) - photos and data Collaborators - Lientjie Badenhorst, Steven Chown, Charles Haddad Travel support Prof. Schalk Louw

Acknowledgments

www.collembola.co.za

Thank you!

Franken et al. 2017 Oecologia

The role of physiology

Collembola

Beetle Spider Spider

Gut contents of Friesea bispinosa

• Saprophagous

(decomposing/decaying plant

material)

• Fungivorous (fungal hyphae)

• Phytophagous (pests include

Sminthurus viridis, lucerne

flea)

• Predatory (feed on

nematodes, rotifers, and

other Collembola)

Photo: Andy Murray

Diet

Collembolan mouthparts: (A) typical mandible and (B) maxilla; (C) reduced mandible and (D) maxilla of Cyphoderidae; (E) piercing and sucking mandible and (F) maxilla of Neanura; (G-I) various mandibles of Neanuridae and (J-L) various maxillae of Neanuridae.

Diet