Temporal shifts in environmental controls link invertebrate functional diversity to wood decomposition in a mangrove forest

This study was conducted in the Quanzhou Bay Estuarine Wetland Nature Reserve, Fujian Province, China (24°56′ N, 118°41′ E). We simulated the spatial distribution of deadwood that may occur after cyclone disturbance. Wood segments from three mangrove species, representing two diameter classes, were enclosed in coarse- or fine-mesh bags and placed in three positions: buried, on the sediment surface or suspended aboveground. Samples were collected after 3, 6, 9 and 15 months to characterize macroinvertebrate communities, quantify six functional traits related to resource use and habitat adaptation, and measure wood decomposition rates, wood resource characteristics and wood microenvironmental conditions. Our objectives were (1) to examine how wood resource characteristics and microenvironmental conditions jointly shape invertebrate functional richness through trophic guild richness and trait-specific partitioning, and (2) to determine how these components relate to the association between functional richness and the invertebrate contribution to wood decomposition. Our results show that the functional structure of deadwood invertebrate communities and its relationship with wood decomposition vary across decomposition stages.