Climate dependence of the macrofaunal effect on litter decomposition—A global meta‐regression analysis

Sagi, Nevo; Hawlena, Dror

doi:10.1111/ele.14333

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Our synthesis shows 31% of forest leaf litter decomposition, globally, is mediated by invertebrates. Our estimate is in line with the previous estimates of invertebrate effects on litter decomposition in terrestrial biomes (27%–40%) (García‐Palacios et al., 2013; Kampichler & Bruckner, 2009; Sagi & Hawlena, 2023; Xu et al., 2020), but lower than instreams (74%) (Yue et al., 2022). Based on the existing findings, for example, the pattern of macrofaunal‐mediated decomposition across terrestrial ecosystems reported by Sagi and Hawlena (2023).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Our estimate is in line with the previous estimates of invertebrate effects on litter decomposition in terrestrial biomes (27%–40%) (García‐Palacios et al., 2013; Kampichler & Bruckner, 2009; Sagi & Hawlena, 2023; Xu et al., 2020), but lower than instreams (74%) (Yue et al., 2022). Based on the existing findings, for example, the pattern of macrofaunal‐mediated decomposition across terrestrial ecosystems reported by Sagi and Hawlena (2023). We further quantified a regional variation that the invertebrate effect in tropical and subtropical forests (38% on average) is 1.4 times higher than in forests elsewhere (26% on average).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…In addition, diverse plant communities in tropical and some subtropical forests, for instance, create rich food resources for invertebrates and are the basis for maintaining their abundance and activities (Cebrian, 1999; Kurokawa et al., 2010; Lavelle et al., 2022). Climatic conditions in tropical and subtropical forests are generally favourable for the activities of specific decomposer invertebrates, which are crucial for their corresponding ecological functions, which include litter decomposition (Sagi & Hawlena, 2023; Tan et al., 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, invertebrates that mainly occupy the litter layer or air-filled soil spaces (e.g. termites and isopods), have lower water sensitivity and are more resistant to desiccation (Berg & McClaugherty, 2020;Swift et al, 1979) and may in fact contribute a great amount to decomposition rates in warm dry environments (Sagi & Hawlena, 2023;Veldhuis et al, 2017).…”

Section: Climatic Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global contribution of invertebrates to forest litter decomposition

Zeng,

Gao,

Wang

et al. 2024

Ecology Letters

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Forest litter decomposition is an essential component of global carbon and nutrient turnover. Invertebrates play important roles in litter decomposition, but the regional pattern of their effects is poorly understood. We examined 476 case studies across 93 sites and performed a meta‐analysis to estimate regional effects of invertebrates on forest litter decomposition. We then assessed how invertebrate diversity, climate and soil pH drive regional variations in invertebrate‐mediated decomposition. We found that (1) invertebrate contributions to litter decomposition are 1.4 times higher in tropical and subtropical forests than in forests elsewhere, with an overall contribution of 31% to global forest litter decomposition; and (2) termite diversity, together with warm, humid and acidic environments in the tropics and subtropics are positively associated with forest litter decomposition by invertebrates. Our results demonstrate the significant difference in invertebrate effects on mediating forest litter decomposition among regions. We demonstrate, also, the significance of termites in driving litter mass loss in the tropics and subtropics. These results are particularly pertinent in the tropics and subtropics where climate change and human disturbance threaten invertebrate biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Climatic Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global contribution of invertebrates to forest litter decomposition

Zeng,

Gao,

Wang

et al. 2024

Ecology Letters

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Secondary compounds increase litter removal by termites across 23 savanna grass species

de Jonge,

Cornelissen,

Olff

et al. 2024

Journal of Ecology

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Termites—one of the most abundant animal groups in tropical ecosystems—are vital in nutrient recycling, contributing significantly to maintaining ecosystem functioning. However, how selective they are in their litter food choice, and whether they prefer nutritious or less nutritious litter substrates, are still important unresolved questions. Here, we test the effect of litter traits on the removal of litter by fungus‐growing termites, a dominant group of macrodetritivores in the Serengeti‐Mara ecosystem. We used metal‐mesh litterbags to measure the mass loss of stem and leaf litter from 23 grass species after an incubation period of 61 days. Sheeting—soil deposits indicating termite presence—strongly increased with tannin and phenolic compounds, especially in leaf litter (R2 = 0.54), where highly aromatic species like Cymbopogon caesius and Bothriochloa insculpta exhibited the highest sheeting rates. Litterbags with sheeting displayed 66% higher mass loss on average compared to those without. Once termites had selected the substrate, mass loss increased consistently irrespective of litter traits. Quantifying the combined effects of sheeting frequency and differential mass loss, we found that fungus‐growing termites predominantly increased the mass loss of high‐nutrient litter. This was mainly due to additional mass loss in leaf litter, not stem litter, with tannin concentration being the primary predictor of enhanced overall decomposition by termites. This suggests termites ameliorate the otherwise adverse influence of plant secondary compounds on litter decomposition. Synthesis: Our results support the idea that fungus‐growing termites are generalists, as termites collected organic substrates with varying quality. The strong effect of phenolic compounds on sheeting rate implies that secondary compounds play an important role in termite substrate selection. The selective removal of substrates high in secondary compounds suggests fungus‐growing termites lift important constraints to microbial breakdown, potentially enhancing ecosystem‐level carbon and nutrient recycling rates. Termites play crucial roles in recycling organic matter across tropical biomes and our study highlights that the role of secondary compounds in their selection and detection in decomposition studies needs more attention

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Spatial variability in the contribution of termites to the decay of plant detritus

Wijas,

Letnic,

Cornwell

2024

Austral Ecology

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Drylands are characterized by high spatial variability in resource availability due to sporadic rainfall, topography of the landscape and important effects of animals. Resource availability gradients may trigger patterns in decomposer population abundances and activity, which could affect ecosystem functions such as decomposition. Here, we examined the influence of resource availability gradients on the importance of termites in the decomposition of wood and grass litter. We placed wood blocks and grass litter baits in bags accessible and inaccessible to termites across wood and grass resource gradients as determined by the presence or absence of a top mammalian predator and across topographic gradients during a 9‐month period in arid Australia. We hypothesized that grass‐eating termite activity would track grass abundance and wood‐eating termite activity would track wood abundance. Termites were the predominant decomposition agent at these sites. Termites contributed to 99.5% of wood decomposition and 83.9% of grass decomposition during our study period. For wood, the termite effect was spatially variable and increased with habitat wood availability, which was greatest on dunes and where top predators were absent. However, the contribution of termites to grass litter decomposition did not track grass availability or termite abundance. The highest effects of termites on grass decomposition rates were found in habitats where the absence of top predators led to low grass availability. Our findings highlight how spatial variability in resources in addition to other factors that we do not document but are known to be influenced by the presence of top predators, such as insectivore predation rates, across the landscape could affect ecosystem functions such as decomposition.

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Climate dependence of the macrofaunal effect on litter decomposition—A global meta‐regression analysis

Cited by 3 publications

References 55 publications

Global contribution of invertebrates to forest litter decomposition

Global contribution of invertebrates to forest litter decomposition

Secondary compounds increase litter removal by termites across 23 savanna grass species

Spatial variability in the contribution of termites to the decay of plant detritus

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