title: Temporal dynamics of biotic and abiotic drivers of litter decomposition.
abstract: Climate, litter quality and decomposers drive litter decomposition. However, little is known about whether their relative contribution changes at different decomposition stages. To fill this gap, we evaluated the relative importance of leaf litter polyphenols, decomposer communities and soil moisture for litter C and N loss at different stages throughout the decomposition process. Although both microbial and nematode communities regulated litter C and N loss in the early decomposition stages, soil moisture and legacy effects of initial differences in litter quality played a major role in the late stages of the process. Our results provide strong evidence for substantial shifts in how biotic and abiotic factors control litter C and N dynamics during decomposition. Taking into account such temporal dynamics will increase the predictive power of decomposition models that are currently limited by a single-pool approach applying control variables uniformly to the entire decay process.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE) UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García-Palacios
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
authors.forename: E Ashley
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
authors.forename: Diana H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Wall
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE) UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hättenschwiler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D017753:Ecosystem; D008954:Models, Biological; D009348:Nematoda / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D014867:Water; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Decomposers; litter carbon; litter nitrogen; litter polyphenols; litter tannins; microbes; nematodes; soil moisture