Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Litter decomposition is a key process in the functioning of forest ecosystems, because it strongly controls nutrient recycling and soil fertility maintenance. The interaction between the litter chemical composition and the metabolism of the soil microbial community has been described as the main factor of the decomposition process based on three hypotheses: substrate-matrix interaction (SMI), functional breadth (FB) and home-field advantage (HFA). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of leaf litter quality (as a direct plant effect, SMI hypothesis), the metabolic capacity of the microbial community (as a legacy effect, FB hypothesis), and the coupling between the litter quality and microbial activity (HFA hypothesis) on the litter decomposition o

SUBMITTER: Chavez-Vergara B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6027662 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature