High litter quality enhances plant energy channeling by soil macro-detritivores and lowers their trophic position.

ABSTRACT: Detritus-based resources, that is, plant litter, are a major energy source for many living organisms and are considered to be a key determinant of primary production and nutrient cycling. Earthworms are among the most important macro-detritivores in terrestrial food webs and play a crucial role in facilitating these processes in terrestrial ecosystems. Yet, the influence of litter quality on earthworm nutrition, and consequently on soil food web dynamics, has remained largely underexplored, mainly for methodological reasons. Here, we combined bulk and compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids to investigate the dietary contribution of different quality litter resources to earthworm species of different ecological groups. Our findings show that earthworms acquired most essent

SUBMITTER: Zhong L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11848239 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature