A test of the hierarchical model of litter decomposition.
- Bradford MA School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA. mark.bradford@yale.edu.
- Veen GFC Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Bonis A UMR 6553 ECOBIO - OSUR, University Rennes I - CNRS, Campus Beaulieu, Avenue du Gl Leclerc, 35042, Rennes Cedex, France.
- Bradford EM Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Classen AT The Rubenstein School, University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.
- Cornelissen JHC Systems Ecology, Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Crowther TW Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Univeritätstrasse 16, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland.
- De Long JR School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
- Freschet GT Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 (CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE), 1919 Route de Mende, Montpellier, 34293, France.
- Kardol P Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901-83, Umeå, Sweden.
- Manrubia-Freixa M Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Maynard DS School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
- Newman GS The Rubenstein School, University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.
- Logtestijn RSP Systems Ecology, Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Viketoft M Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Wardle DA Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901-83, Umeå, Sweden.
- Wieder WR Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, 80307, USA.
- Wood SA The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, USA.
- van der Putten WH Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- 2017-11-15
Published in:
- Nature ecology & evolution. - 2017
English
Our basic understanding of plant litter decomposition informs the assumptions underlying widely applied soil biogeochemical models, including those embedded in Earth system models. Confidence in projected carbon cycle-climate feedbacks therefore depends on accurate knowledge about the controls regulating the rate at which plant biomass is decomposed into products such as CO2. Here we test underlying assumptions of the dominant conceptual model of litter decomposition. The model posits that a primary control on the rate of decomposition at regional to global scales is climate (temperature and moisture), with the controlling effects of decomposers negligible at such broad spatial scales. Using a regional-scale litter decomposition experiment at six sites spanning from northern Sweden to southern France-and capturing both within and among site variation in putative controls-we find that contrary to predictions from the hierarchical model, decomposer (microbial) biomass strongly regulates decomposition at regional scales. Furthermore, the size of the microbial biomass dictates the absolute change in decomposition rates with changing climate variables. Our findings suggest the need for revision of the hierarchical model, with decomposers acting as both local- and broad-scale controls on litter decomposition rates, necessitating their explicit consideration in global biogeochemical models.
- Language
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- English
- Open access status
- green
- Identifiers
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- DOI 10.1038/s41559-017-0367-4
- PMID 29133902
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/36994
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