Larger phylogenetic distances in litter mixtures: lower microbial biomass and higher C/N ratios but equal mass loss.

ABSTRACT: Phylogenetic distances of coexisting species differ greatly within plant communities, but their consequences for decomposers and decomposition remain unknown. We hypothesized that large phylogenetic distance of leaf litter mixtures increases differences of their litter traits, which may, in turn, result in increased resource complementarity or decreased resource concentration for decomposers and hence increased or decreased chemical transformation and reduction of litter. We conducted a litter mixture experiment including 12 common temperate tree species (evolutionarily separated by up to 106 Myr), and sampled after seven months, at which average mass loss was more than 50%. We found no effect of increased phylogenetic distance on litter mass loss or on abundance and diversity of invertebr

SUBMITTER: Pan X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4426623 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature