“…Litter decomposition is a key component in maintaining carbon and nutrient cycling within ecosystems and is influenced by a suite of abiotic and biotic factors, including, in particular, soil microorganisms (Hobara et al, 2014). Martini et al (2019) outline a methodology for assessing differences in litter decomposition on a fine scale in a high-diversity forest. In doing so, they test the home-field advantage hypothesis that microbial communities under trees of a given species will be better adapted to decompose the litter of that species.…”