A meta-analysis on decomposition quantifies afterlife effects of plant diversity as a global change driver.

ABSTRACT: Biodiversity loss can alter ecosystem functioning; however, it remains unclear how it alters decomposition-a critical component of biogeochemical cycles in the biosphere. Here, we provide a global-scale meta-analysis to quantify how changes in the diversity of organic matter derived from plants (i.e. litter) affect rates of decomposition. We find that the after-life effects of diversity were significant, and of substantial magnitude, in forests, grasslands, and wetlands. Changes in plant diversity could alter decomposition rates by as much as climate change is projected to alter them. Specifically, diversifying plant litter from mono- to mixed-species increases decomposition rate by 34.7% in forests worldwide, which is comparable in magnitude to the 13.6-26.4% increase in decomposition rat

SUBMITTER: Mori AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7486393 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature