Effects of elevated nutrient supply on litter decomposition are robust to impacts of mammalian herbivores across diverse grasslands.

ABSTRACT: Litter decomposition is one of the largest carbon (C) fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems and links aboveground biomass to soil C pools. In grasslands, decomposition drivers have received substantial attention but the role of grassland herbivores in influencing decay rates is often ignored despite their potentially large effects on standing biomass and nutrient cycling. Recent work has demonstrated that nutrient addition increases early-stage decay and suppresses late-stage decay. Mammalian herbivores can mediate the effects of nutrient supply on biomass, suggesting herbivores may alter the effects of nutrients on decomposition, though this is largely unknown. We examined how herbivory mediates the effects of nutrient supply on long-term decomposition across 19 grassland sites of the Nutrient

SUBMITTER: Keller AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12433350 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature