RT journal article
T1 Litter and soil biodiversity jointly drive ecosystem functions
A1 Liu, Shengen
A1 Plaza, César
A1 Ochoa Hueso, Raúl
A1 Trivedi, Chanda
A1 Wang, Juntao
A1 Trivedi, Pankaj
A1 Zhou, Guiyao
A1 Piñeiro Nevado, Juan
A1 Martins, Catarina
A1 Singh, Brajesh
A1 Delgado Baquerizo, Manuel
A2 Biología
K1 ecosystem multifunctionality
K1 fungal saprobes
K1 litter decomposition
K1 plant diversity
K1 plant production
K1 soil biodiversity
AB The decomposition of litter and the supply of nutrients into and from the soil are two fundamental processes through which the above- and belowground world interact. Microbial biodiversity, and especially that of decomposers, plays a key role in these processes by helping litter decomposition. Yet the relative contribution of litter diversity and soil biodiversity in supporting multiple ecosystem services remains virtually unknown. Here we conducted a mesocosm experiment where leaf litter and soil biodiversity were manipulated to investigate their influence on plant productivity, litter decomposition, soil respiration, and enzymatic activity in the littersphere. We showed that both leaf litter diversity and soil microbial diversity (richness and community composition) independently contributed to explain multiple ecosystem functions. Fungal saprobes community composition was especially important for supporting ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF), plant production, litter decomposition, and activity of soil phosphatase when compared with bacteria or other fungal functional groups and litter species richness. Moreover, leaf litter diversity and soil microbial diversity exerted previously undescribed and significantly interactive effects on EMF and multiple individual ecosystem functions, such as litter decomposition and plant production. Together, our work provides experimental evidence supporting the independent and interactive roles of litter and belowground soil biodiversity to maintain ecosystem functions and multiple services.
PB Wiley
SN 1365-2486
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32515
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32515
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 21-sep-2026