Additive effects of experimental climate change and land use on faunal contribution to litter decomposition

Publication date: Available online 14 January 2019Source: Soil Biology and BiochemistryAuthor(s): Rui Yin, Nico Eisenhauer, Harald Auge, Witoon Purahong, Anja Schmidt, Martin SchädlerAbstractLitter decomposition is a key process determining the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems. Soil fauna plays an essential role in this process, e.g., by fragmenting and burrowing surface litter material, and thereby enhancing microbial decomposition. However, soil fauna-mediated decomposition might be influenced by interacting factors of environmental changes. Here we used a large-scale global change field experiment to test potential interacting effects between land-use type (croplands and grasslands differing in management intensity) and projected climate change on litter decomposition rates over a period of two years. For that, climate and land-use treatments were orthogonally crossed: (1) two climate scenarios: ambient vs. future; and (2) five land-use regimes: conventional farming, organic farming, intensively used meadow, extensively used meadow, and extensively used pasture. Litterbags with two mesh sizes (5 mm and 0.02 mm) were used to differentiate contributions of microbes and fauna to the mass loss of standardized crop residues. Soil fauna accounted for more than 68% of surface litter mass loss. Future climate treatment decreased decomposition rates as a result of reduced precipitation and elevated temperature during summer months. Litter decomposition and the contribution o...
Source: Soil Biology and Biochemistry - Category: Biology Source Type: research