Succession of Microbial Decomposers Is Determined by Litter Type, but Site Conditions Drive Decomposition Rates.

ABSTRACT: Soil microorganisms are diverse, although they share functions during the decomposition of organic matter. Thus, preferences for soil conditions and litter quality were explored to understand their niche partitioning. A 1-year-long litterbag transplant experiment evaluated how soil physicochemical traits of contrasting sites combined with chemically distinct litters of sedge (S), milkvetch (M) from a grassland, and beech (B) from forest site decomposition. Litter was assessed by mass loss; C, N, and P contents; and low-molecular-weight compounds. Decomposition was described by the succession of fungi, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Firmicutes; bacterial diversity; and extracellular enzyme activities. The M litter decomposed faster at the nutrient-poor forest

SUBMITTER: Buresova A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6881812 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature