title: 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 invertebrate decomposers. However, phylogenetic distance decreased microbial biomass and increased carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios of litter mixtures. Consistently, four litter traits showed (marginally) significant phylogenetic signal and in three of these traits increasing trait difference decreased microbial biomass and increased C/N. We suggest that phylogenetic proximity of litter favours microbial decomposers and chemical transformation of litter owing to a resource concentration effect. This leads to a new hypothesis: closely related plant species occurring in the same niche should promote and profit from increased nutrient availability.
authors: Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, People's Republic of China Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Campus de Beaulieu, Université de Rennes 1, Bâtiment 14 A, 35042 Rennes, France State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China.
authors: Xu
authors: X
authors: Pan
authors: Animal Ecology, Department of Ecological Science, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Matty P
authors: MP
authors: Berg
authors: J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg August University Göttingen, Berliner Strasse 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors: Olaf
authors: O
authors: Butenschoen
authors: Department of Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon EX20 2SB, UK.
authors: Phil J
authors: PJ
authors: Murray
authors: Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic, Pruhobice, Zamek 1 25243, Czech Republic.
authors: Igor V
authors: IV
authors: Bartish
authors: Systems Ecology, Department of Ecological Science, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Johannes H C
authors: JH
authors: Cornelissen
authors: Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, People's Republic of China State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China dongming@hznu.edu.cn.
authors: Ming
authors: M
authors: Dong
authors: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Campus de Beaulieu, Université de Rennes 1, Bâtiment 14 A, 35042 Rennes, France.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Prinzing
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D065928:Forests; D005602:France; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000502:physiology*; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D064307:Microbiota / Q000502:physiology*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D010802:Phylogeny; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014197:Trees / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: complementarity versus resource concentration hypotheses; decomposer; litter degradation; niche; phylogenetic biodiversity ecosystem functioning; phylogenetic signal of functional traits