“…Further, the general absence of an incubation time effect on microbial diversity indicates that fungal necromass likely represents a sustained ‘hotspot’ of decomposition (sensu Brabcová et al, 2016), even after the rapid mass loss observed during the first weeks of incubation. The general equivalency in microbial community diversity over time appears to be due to substitutions rather than gains or losses in local OTU dominance, likely reflecting shifts in substrate chemistry and the availability of resources during the course of necromass decomposition (Certano, Fernandez, Heckman, & Kennedy, 2018; Drigo et al, 2012; Fernandez, Heckman, et al, 2019; Ryan, Schreiner, Swenson, Gagne, & Kennedy, in press; Tláskal, Voříšková, & Baldrian, 2016).…”