Water availability rather than temperature control soil fauna community structure and prey–predator interactions

The ongoing climate change may strongly impact soil biodiversity with cascading effects on the processes they drive. Thus, it is of prime interest to improve our knowledge about responses by organisms such as collembolans expected shifts in environmental conditions considering communities comprising both detritivores and predators. aim present study was evaluate how simulated predation under laboratory alter a collembolan community. To infer change, we applied decreased level moisture (60% vs. 30% water holding capacity) an increasing air temperature (15°C 25°C) community constituted four species (Folsomia candida, Protaphorura fimata, Proisotoma minuta Mesaphorura macrochaeta) exhibiting distinct functional traits, for example, body size furca presence, presence or absence predatory gamasid Acari Stratiolaelaps scimitus during 2 months microcosm experiment. We observed that decreasing altered species-specific responses. Interaction between moisture, indicates low reduced total abundance especially (a) suppressing positive effect (b) control abundance. These results highlight major driver Collembola consequence, shift climatic parameters should modify structure predator–prey interaction. Our findings are highly important since strengthening prey could have consequences whole food web being able lead slowdown key ecosystem drive (e.g. litter decomposition nutrient recycling). Finally, promotes need more complex systems soil-dwelling species, their traits trophic interactions better predict change. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within Supporting Information this article.