Litter quality outweighs climate in driving grassland root decomposition.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Root decomposition plays a critical role in nutrient cycling and carbon storage in grassland ecosystems, yet its global drivers remain poorly understood.

Methods

The study synthesized global data on root decomposition in grasslands to assess the relative importance of climate and litter quality, and to quantify the effects of environmental and biotic factors using a comprehensive meta-analysis.

Results

Results indicated that, at the global scale, litter quality exerted a stronger influence on root decomposition than climatic variables. Random forest analysis identified the ratio of acid-unhydrolyzable residue to nitrogen (AUR:N) and AUR as the most important predictors of mass loss, both of which were significantly and negatively correlated with mass loss

SUBMITTER: Yang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12521445 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature