Effects of Phyllostachys pubescens expansion on underground soil fauna community and soil food web in a Cryptomeria japonica plantation, Lushan Mountain, subtropical China

Purpose In order to determine the interactive effect of Phyllostachys pubescens(moso bamboo) expansion to adjacent coniferous forest (Cryptomeria japonica, Japanese cedar) on soil fauna communities and soil food web, we conducted a tangible investigation combined with natural abundance isotope analysis to examine how moso bamboo expansion process affects soil faunal composition and underground soil food web in Lushan mountain, southeast China. Methods Exact treatments are as follows: (1) moso bamboo forest, (2) ecotone area and (3) Japanese cedar forest. We collected 74 arthropod groups from the field. Results The groups of Acari and Collembola were the two main soil fauna taxa with the highest abundance which accounted for 18.86–98.9% of the relative total abundance among various habitats. Peak of soil faunal density in moso bamboo and Japanese cedar forests appeared in May and November. Soil fauna community in ecotone was more similar to that in moso bamboo forest, indicating that the expansion process was still in infancy stage, and there was no significant difference in soil fauna community diversity index among the three forest types. Moso bamboo expansion did not affect the nutrient level of Collembola and Oribatida, but decreased that of Megsostigmata. The nutrient level of Hymenoptera and Coleoptera increased in ecotone, and Diptera kept in the third nutrient level in all three forest types, while the Hemiptera, Araneida and Pseudo-scorpionidea remained at a high level. Conclusion The results demonstrated that in moso bamboo expansion process, soil fauna groups with low nutrient levels were more affected, while the soil faunas with high nutrient level were less affected.