Soil Fauna Alter the Relationship Between Plant Litter Diversity and Microbial Communities in Mixed Litter Decomposition.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how litter diversity and soil fauna drive microbial communities is critical for revealing trophic cascades in decomposition processes. We conducted a 460-day field decomposition experiment in a subtropical forest, placing litter mixtures of one to four tree species into mesh bags with 25 μm or 4 mm openings to create fauna-excluded and fauna-accessible treatments, and assessing microbial community composition and biomass using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. The results showed that the litter traits and diversity significantly influenced microbial PLFA content. Both fungal and bacterial PLFA content increased with higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, and leaf thickness in the mixed litter. Soil fauna had a significant impact on microbial PLFA

SUBMITTER: Dou P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12856379 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature