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Forest canopies harbor extraordinary biodiversity, with Collembola being one of the most abundant arthropod taxa. However, much of the research on canopy biodiversity has focused on tropical and subtropical regions, leaving a gap in our understanding of canopy communities in temperate and boreal forests. Studying canopy Collembola along elevational gradients can be particularly informative because several environmental factors change with elevation, and these changes may mirror those seen along latitudinal gradients. To better understand and conserve canopy Collembola diversity along elevational gradients, natural forests are of particular interest. In this study, we used canopy fogging to sample canopy Collembola at four elevation sites (800–1700 m a.s.l.) on Changbai Mountain, northeastern China, representing three natural forest types. We examined changes in species richness, abundance and composition of canopy Collembola, and partitioned beta diversity into nestedness and turnover to identify processes driving changes in community composition. We identified 53 morphospecies among 10,191 individuals, with Entomobryidae and Hypogastruridae being the dominant families. The highest abundance and species richness were observed at 1400 m and remained at similar levels at 1700 m, indicating an increasing pattern with elevation. Species turnover was the main driver of changes in community composition with elevation. Our results provide insights into the shift of canopy Collembola communities across an elevational gradient in temperate boreal forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correction notice is for an article titled "Elevational changes in canopy Collembola community composition are primarily driven by species turnover on Changbai Mountain, northeastern China" published in the journal Biodiversity & Conservation. The correction includes the addition of funding information that was previously omitted. It also corrects the tables in the article, which were missing a grey background in certain cells. The correction does not make any changes to the main findings or conclusions of the original article. [Extracted from the article]

The abundance of organisms generally decreases with increasing body size (body size - abundance relationship, BSA), but whether this also applies to soil microarthropods is unknown. We investigated variation in Collembola (Insecta) body size and its relationship with abundance in three distinct habitats in forests: soil, litter and canopy along an altitudinal gradient on Changbai Mountain, northeastern China. Body size of Collembola varied significantly with abundance but the relationship depended on habitat. The BSA relationship was negative for soil Collembola, but positive for canopy Collembola at the species level and positive for litter Collembola at the community level. There was no significant effect of altitude on the BSA relationship of Collembola. The results emphasize the necessity of considering habitat characteristics in shaping BSA relationships. • Collembola body size-abundance (BSA) relationships are different at species and community levels. • Collembola BSA relationships vary across habitats at both species and community levels. • Altitude did not significantly affect Collembola BSA relationships at both species and community levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Studied species turnover, intraspecific trait variability and covariation in Collembola body size along an elevation gradient. • Variations in community weighted mean body size of total, epedaphic and hemiedaphic species were similar and more pronounced than in euedaphic Collembola. • Body size variation driven by intraspecific trait variability and species turnover, higher in total, epedaphic and euedaphic but not in hemiedaphic Collembola. • Body size differences explained more by local soil factors than by temperature, with varying importance among Collembola ecological groups. Investigating functional facets of biodiversity across elevation gradients provides the perspective to deepen understanding of the response of communities to global changes. Functional ecology approaches typically assume that filtering of traits across broad environmental gradients is largely due to species turnover rather than intraspecific trait variability. However, few studies quantified the relative importance of species turnover versus intraspecific variability for the composition of soil animal communities across environmental gradients. Here, for the first time, we investigated the relative contribution of species turnover, intraspecific trait variability and their covariation to changes in Collembola body size based on measurements at the individual level along a temperate-boreal elevation gradient in northeastern China. The results indicated that community weighted mean (CWM) body size of Collembola varied significantly with elevation as well as with life form, with the variations in CWM body size in total, epedaphic and hemiedaphic species being similar and more pronounced than in euedaphic Collembola. These variations in body size were driven to a similar extent by intraspecific trait variability and species turnover, with the former being somewhat higher in total, epedaphic and euedaphic but not in hemiedaphic Collembola. Further, variations in body size were better explained by local habitat-related soil factors than by temperature, but the relative importance of these factors differed among ecological groups of Collembola. Overall, these findings show that intraspecific variations in traits may be of similar importance than the turnover of species and needs closer consideration when using trait approaches to understand biodiversity – ecosystem functioning relationships in face of global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feeding ecology of soil animals is seldom investigated in the winter when the soil is covered with a layer of snow. Collembola (springtails) are winter-active arthropods that appear on the snow surface, especially on sunny days, and remain active in microhabitats under the snow. Since winter-active Collembola must be consuming food, we assessed the food resources for these Collembola with stable isotope and bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing methods. We collected two Desoria species from the snow surface and Tomocerus cf. jilinensis from subnivean microhabitats. The stable isotope signatures of winter-active Collembola species differed significantly from the soil litter layer. The isotopic signature of Desoria sp.1 was similar to the snow. Furthermore, the putative food resource (bacteria) ingested by Desoria sp.3 and Tomocerus cf. jilinensis were more from snow than from litter. All three Collembola species ingested a large proportion of Cyanobacteria. Moreover, a large proportion of bacteria associated with Collembola were putative symbionts. Bacterial communities and their associated metabolic functions were more similar in the two congeneric Desoria species than with Tomocerus cf. jilinensis. Our findings suggest that winter-active Collembola mainly feed on resources present in the snow layer. Stable isotope and amplicon sequencing methods are promising techniques to evaluate the diets of soil animals that remain active in snow-covered soils. • Food resources of winter-active Collembola mainly derived from snow. • Cyanobacteria were one of the predominant food resource bacteria. • A large proportion of Collembola-associated bacteria were putative symbionts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]