Abstract
The home-field advantage (HFA) of litter decomposition dynamics has been investigated intensively in different ecosystems with a wide variety of plant types. HFA mainly occurs due to the specialization of a soil organism. However, for the HFA, the linkages between litter mass loss, nutrient release, and soil faunal community are not fully understood. Thus, in this study, we performed a reciprocal litter transplant experiment using coarse and fine mesh litterbags in a Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb. forest dominated by Q. mongolica (QM) and Acer pseudosieboldianum (Pax) Komarov (AP) and miscellaneous wood forests dominated by Juglans mandshurica Maxim. (JM) and Ulmus laciniata (Trautv.) Mayr. (UL). Results showed that the A. pseudosieboldianum litter displayed a significantly higher total abundance of Oribatida, Tomoceridae, and Entomobryidae at home than away from home after 7 months. However, all litters showed no significant difference in the HFA between the coarse mesh and fine mesh sizes during the 12-month experiment. A. pseudosieboldianum and J. mandshurica litters showed a significantly higher positive HFA for the C release in the coarse mesh than in the fine mesh litterbags after 7 months. Q. mongolica and J. mandshurica litters showed a significantly higher positive HFA for N release in the coarse mesh than in the fine mesh litterbags after 7 months. The A. pseudosieboldianum litter showed a significantly higher positive HFA for N release in the coarse mesh than in the fine mesh litterbags after 12 months. Q. mongolica and A. pseudosieboldianum litters showed a significantly higher positive HFA for S release in the coarse mesh than in the fine mesh litterbags after 7 and 12 months, respectively. However, A. pseudosieboldianum and Q. mongolica litters showed a significantly higher negative HFA for S release in the coarse mesh than in the fine mesh litterbags after 7 and 12 months, respectively. Our results illustrated that soil faunal specialization was found in the A. pseudosieboldianum litter only at home after 7 months. Soil fauna had a weak effect on the HFA of the litter mass losses during the 12-month experiment. Soil fauna drove the positive HFA for the N release of both the high- and low-quality litters. Soil fauna have a positive and negative HFA for S release in the low-quality litter.
Highlights
Litter decomposition is one of the most important pathways in the energy transformation and material cycles of terrestrial ecosystems [1]
Our results suggest that soil fauna drive positive home-field advantage (HFA) effects for the N release of both high- and low-quality litters
Our results suggest that soil fauna have positive and negative on the HFA
Summary
Litter decomposition is one of the most important pathways in the energy transformation and material cycles of terrestrial ecosystems [1]. Recent studies suggest that leaf litters tend to decompose more rapidly in the habitats from which they were derived (i.e., home) than in other habitats (i.e., away from home). This phenomenon has been termed the home-field advantage (HFA) of litter. Numerous studies have shown the widespread persistence of positive HFAs on litter decomposition [2,6,7,8]. There is a lack of a home-field advantage in the decomposition of leaf litters in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil [9]. It is believed that decomposition is positively related to litter quality (grass > tree) and habitat microclimates. It has been suggested that the complexity of the drivers of the environment, litter quality, and soil organisms affect the HFA for litter decomposition
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