Diversity-decomposition relationships in forests worldwide

Kou, Liang; Jiang, Lei; Hättenschwiler, Stephan; Zhang, Miaomiao; Niu, Shuli; Fu, Xiaoli; Dai, Xiaoqin; Yan, Han; Li, Shenggong; Wang, Huimin

doi:10.7554/elife.55813

Cited by 46 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 64 publications

(93 reference statements)

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“…This finding indicates that the control of root traits over root decomposition in ECM species depends on the type of seed plant, and the absorptive‐root decomposition in ECM angiosperm species is related to Mg concentration in roots. Despite the importance of Mg in controlling leaf decomposition (Makkonen et al ., 2012; García‐Palacios et al ., 2016; Guerrero‐Ramírez et al ., 2016; Kou et al ., 2020), there is no evidence of the detrimental effect of Mg on root decomposition, which makes it currently difficult to draw robust conclusions. Nevertheless, the higher Mg concentration in thicker absorptive roots of ECM angiosperm species could increase the adsorption of Mg 2+ into melanin and the synthesis of magnesium oxalate dihydrate, which appeared to be associated with the chemical defence strategies of ectomycorrhizas (Landeweert et al ., 2001; Pokharel et al ., 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mycorrhizal and environmental controls over root trait–decomposition linkage of woody trees

Jiang

Wang

et al. 2020

New Phytologist

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Traits are critical in predicting decomposition that fuels carbon and nutrient cycling in ecosystems. However, our understanding of root trait-decomposition linkage, and especially its dependence on mycorrhizal type and environmental context, remains limited. We explored the control of morphological and chemical (carbon-and nutrient-related) traits over decomposition of absorptive roots in 30 tree species associated with either arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in temperate and subtropical forests in China. Carbon-related traits (acid-unhydrolysable residue (AUR) and cellulose concentrations) had predominant control of root decomposition in AM species while nutrient-related traits (magnesium concentration) predominately controlled that in ECM species. Thicker absorptive roots decomposed faster in AM species as a result of their lower AUR concentrations, but more slowly in ECM angiosperm species potentially as a result of their higher magnesium concentrations. Root decomposition was linked to root nutrient economy in both forests while root diameter-decomposition coordination emerged only in the subtropical forest where root diameter and decomposition presented similar cross-species variations. Our findings suggest that root trait-decomposition linkages differ strongly with mycorrhizal type and environment, and that root diameter can predict decomposition but in opposing directions and with contrasting mechanisms for AM and ECM species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mycorrhizal and environmental controls over root trait–decomposition linkage of woody trees

Jiang

Wang

et al. 2020

New Phytologist

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“…For example, the Gartner and Cardon's (2004) study was mainly a vote counting analysis which showed that 67% of litter mixtures decomposed in a non-additive manner. The difference could also arise from the inclusion of other ecosystems apart from terrestrial ecosystems (Mori et al, 2020) or a terrestrial focus on a single type of ecosystems like forests (Kou et al, 2020) in these studies. In addition, the discrepancies in patterns between these previous studies and ours might be related to some methodological differences, for example the selection of different mesh sizes by different previous authors.…”

Section: Overall Litter Mixture Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil fauna accelerate litter mixture decomposition globally, especially in dry environments

et al. 2022

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1. More than half of the net primary production in terrestrial ecosystems returns to the soil through leaf litter fall and decomposition. In terrestrial ecosystems, litter constitutes a mixture of mainly senescent foliage from multiple species.Yet, the effect of litter mixing on litter decomposition rate remains ambiguous. Quantification of the soil fauna contribution and inclusion of their interaction with litter could remove the prevailing ambiguity, as soil fauna might influence the direction and magnitude of litter mixture effects on decomposition.2. We carried out a global meta-analysis to elucidate how soil fauna influenced litter mixture decomposition rate based on 55 published studies with 873 fauna inclusion/exclusion observations in field litterbag experiments. We hypothesized that soil fauna inclusion in litter mixture experiments would cause a positive change in the magnitude of mixed litter decomposition. That is, the presence of soil fauna would lead to synergistic litter mixture effects while the absence of soil fauna would lead to antagonistic litter mixture effects. Furthermore, we hypothesized that soil fauna would have a greater positive impact on the litter mixture effect in environments with low precipitation.3. While litter mixture had a neutral effect on decomposition on average across studies, non-additive mixture effects were common, with a key role for soil fauna, which generally enhanced decomposition rate compared to the component single-species litters. In contrast, fauna exclusion resulted in diminished decomposition rate overall. The overall synergistic soil fauna effect on litter mixture decomposition increased under low precipitation. Under high precipitation, the litter mixture effect was positive in the absence of soil fauna but non-significant in the presence of fauna. Climate imposes a great effect on litter mixture, with synergistic effects increasing towards the equator. 4. Synthesis. These results highlight the importance of soil fauna in mixed litter decomposition, most strongly in dry environments. In this era of global climate change, where some regions are projected to become drier, soil fauna might compensate the expected slower decomposition of litter by increasingly enhancing litter mixture decomposition.

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“…Globally, as the latitude increases, forest ecosystems vary from P limitation to nitrogen (N) limitation, but most of the forest areas in China are P limited [28]. A meta-analysis of 65 field studies across the Earth's major forest ecosystems revealed that P limitations may shift with changes in biodiversity [29]. Research and model simulation based on resource optimization theory revealed that the biodiversity of forests was P limited [30,31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus Limitation of Trees Influences Forest Soil Fungal Diversity in China

Zheng

Song

2022

Forests

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Fungal-biogeography studies have shown global patterns of biotic interactions on microbial biogeography. However, the mechanisms underlying these patterns remain relatively unexplored. To determine the dominant factors affecting forest soil fungal diversity in China, soil and leaves from 33 mountain forest reserves were sampled, and their properties were measured. We tested three hypotheses and established the most realistic one for China. The results showed that the soil fungal diversity (Shannon index) varied unimodally with latitude. The relative abundance of ectomycorrhizae was significantly positively correlated with the leaf nitrogen/phosphorus. The effects of soil available phosphorus and pH on fungal diversity depended on the ectomycorrhizal fungi, and the fungal diversity shifted by 93% due to available phosphorus, potassium, and pH. Therefore, we concluded that latitudinal changes in temperature and the variations in interactions between different fungal guilds (ectomycorrhizal, saprotrophic, and plant pathogenic fungi) did not have a major influence. Forest soil fungal diversity was affected by soil pH, available phosphorus, and potassium, which are driven by the phosphorus limitation of trees.

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Diversity-decomposition relationships in forests worldwide

Cited by 46 publications

References 64 publications

Mycorrhizal and environmental controls over root trait–decomposition linkage of woody trees

Mycorrhizal and environmental controls over root trait–decomposition linkage of woody trees

Soil fauna accelerate litter mixture decomposition globally, especially in dry environments

Phosphorus Limitation of Trees Influences Forest Soil Fungal Diversity in China

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