Tree communities influence food webs in European forest floors
Freiburg, 08/05/2026
An international research team has studied how much the activity of food webs in forest floors depends on tree species. The scientists conclude that the special properties of tree species in relation to how they obtain and store energy and nutrients have a greater influence on food webs than previously thought.
Ecosystems around the world are changing rapidly as a result of climate change. But until now little has been known about what precisely is happening in the soil. A crucial role is played by plants: through dead plant material and through their roots, they supply the energy for food webs in the soil. These food webs are made up of a complex blend of soil organisms such as bacteria, fungi, earthworms and insects that decompose organic materials.
An international research team from nine European institutions has now studied how much the activity of these food webs in forest floors depend on the species of the trees. The researchers show that the special properties of tree species in relation to how they obtain and store energy and nutrients have a greater influence on food webs than previously thought. The study involved Professor Jürgen Bauhus, Professor Michael Scherer-Lorenzen and Dr Janna Wambsganß from the University of Freiburg. The team has published its results in the renowned scientific journal Nature.
“The study shows that simply mixing certain tree species and thereby creating greater biodiversity in forests is not enough to create healthy soils. Far from it: in fact, the effects of mixtures of tree species on ecosystem functions in the surface and subsurface sectors of forests can have the opposite effect,” says Professor Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, who holds the Chair of Geobotany at the University of Freiburg. “Increased tree growth through mixing does not lead to the food webs in the soil functioning better. The findings are an important contribution to the understanding of mixed stocks and ultimately to the preservation of functioning forest floors.”
“The study shows that simply mixing certain tree species and thereby creating greater biodiversity in forests is not enough to create healthy soils. Far from it: in fact, the effects of mixtures of tree species on ecosystem functions in the surface and subsurface sectors of forests can have the opposite effect.”
Prof. Dr Michael Scherer-Lorenzen
Chair of Geobotany at the University of Freiburg
Fast-growing tree species promote greater soil activity
The team looked at 64 forests in four European countries for its study. The researchers analysed how the flow of energy takes place there through trophic, i.e. metabolism-related, interaction between soil organisms.
This revealed that forests that are dominated by fast-growing species such as birch or hornbeam with high photosynthesis rates display greater soil activity. According to the research, these trees supply more nutrient-rich organic substances and create a warmer forest climate, which promotes the metabolism of the soil organisms and increases the rate of decomposition and the nutrient cycle.
By contrast, forests that are dominated by slower-growing species, such as fir or pine, display reduced soil activity. They store less energy and nutrients in the food webs. Simply mixing different tree species does not increase the processes in the soil, but often in fact even reduces them slightly – despite an increased surface productivity of the trees.
Precise introduction of tree species
The results offer guidance for forest management: in future, it may be more effective to introduce specific tree species on the basis of their functional properties, in order to preserve crucial ecosystem processes. At the same time, climate change will probably benefit more drought-tolerant and slower-growing tree species. This could slow soil processes with consequences for the carbon cycle, availability of nutrients, and the resilience of the forest.
Furher information
- Original publication: Henneron, L., Wardle, D.A., Berg, M.P. et al. (2026). Tree community resource economics control soil food web multifunctionality. Nature (2026). Doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10455-1
- The study is part of the SoilForEUROPE project, which is funded by the European Biodiversity Partnership BiodivERsA. National funding was provided by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO), the Belgian Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (Formas).
- The study was designed on the basis of the now-concluded project FunDivEUROPE, which was coordinated by the Chair of Geobotany at the University of Freiburg.
- Professor Jürgen Bauhus holds the Chair of Silviculture and is the speaker for the Future Forests Cluster of Excellence at the University of Freiburg. His research looks at the management of forests to deliver ecosystem services, at the consequences of silviculture measures on the ecosystem, and at adapting forests to global change. He has received the Scientific Achievement Award from the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) for his research.
- Michael Scherer-Lorenzen is Professor of Geobotany at the University of Freiburg’s Faculty of Biology and Principal Investigator for the Future Forests Cluster of Excellence. His research interests include plant ecology and biodiversity research. He coordinated the international research project FunDivEUROPE, which led to the establishment of the areas under investigation in the current study.
- Dr Janna Wambsganß took her doctorate during the SoilForEUROPE project. She is responsible for forestry monitoring at the Forschungsanstalt für Waldökologie und Forstwirtschaft Rheinland-Pfalz (FAWF).