scholarly journals Effects of Plant Functional Group Loss on Soil Microbial Community and Litter Decomposition in a Steppe Vegetation

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunwang Xiao ◽  
Yong Zhou ◽  
Jiaqi Su ◽  
Fan Yang
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Plant Functional Group ◽  
Steppe Vegetation ◽  
Soil Microbial

scholarly journals Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Chávez-Vergara ◽  
Agustín Merino ◽  
Antonio González-Rodríguez ◽  
Ken Oyama ◽  
Felipe García-Oliva
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Microbial Activity ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Metabolic Capacity ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Decomposition Stage

Background Litter decomposition is a key process in the functioning of forest ecosystems, because it strongly controls nutrient recycling and soil fertility maintenance. The interaction between the litter chemical composition and the metabolism of the soil microbial community has been described as the main factor of the decomposition process based on three hypotheses: substrate-matrix interaction (SMI), functional breadth (FB) and home-field advantage (HFA). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of leaf litter quality (as a direct plant effect, SMI hypothesis), the metabolic capacity of the microbial community (as a legacy effect, FB hypothesis), and the coupling between the litter quality and microbial activity (HFA hypothesis) on the litter decomposition of two contiguous deciduous oak species at a local scale. Methods To accomplish this objective, we performed a litterbag experiment in the field for 270 days to evaluate mass loss, leaf litter quality and microbial activity in a complete factorial design for litter quality and species site. Results The litter of Quercus deserticola had higher rate of decomposition independently of the site, while the site of Quercus castanea promoted a higher rate of decomposition independently of the litter quality, explained by the specialization of the soil microbial community in the use of recalcitrant organic compounds. The Home-Field Advantage Index was reduced with the decomposition date (22% and 4% for 30 and 270 days, respectively). Discussion We observed that the importance of the coupling of litter quality and microbial activity depends on decomposition stage. At the early decomposition stage, the home-advantage hypothesis explained the mass loss of litter; however, in the advanced decomposition stage, the litter quality and the metabolic capacity of the microbial community can be the key drivers.

Dominant plants affect litter decomposition mainly through modifications of the soil microbial community

2021 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 108399
Author(s):  
Xiaoli Yang ◽  
Xiangtai Wang ◽  
Sa Xiao ◽  
Ziyang Liu ◽  
Xianhui Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Soil Microbial
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