A traits-based test of the home-field advantage in mixed-species tree litter decomposition.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Litter often decomposes faster in its environment of origin (at 'home') than in a foreign environment ('away'), which has become known as the home-field advantage (HFA). However, many studies have highlighted the conditional nature of the HFA, suggesting that current understanding of this phenomenon is not yet sufficient to generalize across systems. METHODS The HFA hypothesis was tested for mono-specific and mixed-species litter using a tree-based experiment that manipulated the functional identity and diversity of the host tree community. Litter types of varying quality were transplanted between several host tree communities and decomposition rates were measured using litterbags. Since the decomposer community should respond to traits of the litter input and not their taxonomic identity, a traits-based index of litter-tree similarity was developed. KEY RESULTS Mono-specific litter exhibited HFA, but when the same litter was decomposed in mixture, this trend was not observed. Mixed-species litter decomposed on average no faster or slower than monoculture litter and exhibited both positive and negative species interactions. These non-additive interactions of decomposition rates in mixture were influenced by the degree of similarity between litter and tree traits. Both synergistic and antagonistic interactions decreased in magnitude with increasing litter-tree similarity such that mixture rates were predictable from monocultures. CONCLUSIONS The HFA occurred more strongly for mono-specific litter than for the litter types mixed together because interactions between species may have masked this effect. However, when expressed as a function of trait similarity between litters and tree communities, the HFA was not detected.

[1]  P. Reich,et al.  Tree communities rapidly alter soil microbial resistance and resilience to drought , 2015 .

[2]  J. Soussana,et al.  Can the biomass-ratio hypothesis predict mixed-species litter decomposition along a climatic gradient? , 2014, Annals of botany.

[3]  R Core Team,et al.  R: A language and environment for statistical computing. , 2014 .

[4]  P. Reich,et al.  Advancing biodiversity–ecosystem functioning science using high-density tree-based experiments over functional diversity gradients , 2013, Oecologia.

[5]  Diana R. Nemergut,et al.  Patterns and Processes of Microbial Community Assembly , 2013, Microbiology and Molecular Reviews.

[6]  Edward Ayres,et al.  Litter chemistry changes more rapidly when decomposed at home but converges during decomposition–transformation , 2013 .

[7]  B. Shipley,et al.  Using the biomass-ratio and idiosyncratic hypotheses to predict mixed-species litter decomposition. , 2013, Annals of botany.

[8]  P. Reich,et al.  Decomposer diversity and identity influence plant diversity effects on ecosystem functioning. , 2012, Ecology.

[9]  Qingkui Wang,et al.  Home-field advantage of litter decomposition and nitrogen release in forest ecosystems , 2013, Biology and Fertility of Soils.

[10]  R. Aerts,et al.  Highly consistent effects of plant litter identity and functional traits on decomposition across a latitudinal gradient. , 2012, Ecology letters.

[11]  J. Cornelissen,et al.  Multiple mechanisms for trait effects on litter decomposition: moving beyond home‐field advantage with a new hypothesis , 2012 .

[12]  J. Cornelissen,et al.  A plant economics spectrum of litter decomposability , 2012 .

[13]  T. Ohgushi,et al.  Home-field advantage in decomposition of leaf litter and insect frass , 2012, Population Ecology.

[14]  M. Brändle,et al.  Lack of home-field advantage in the decomposition of leaf litter in the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil , 2011 .

[15]  P. Manning,et al.  All size classes of soil fauna and litter quality control the acceleration of litter decay in its home environment , 2011 .

[16]  Decomposition and nitrogen transformation rates in a temperate grassland vary among co-occurring plant species , 2011, Plant and Soil.

[17]  I. Dickie,et al.  No ‘home’ versus ‘away’ effects of decomposition found in a grassland–forest reciprocal litter transplant study , 2011 .

[18]  J. Roy,et al.  Long-term presence of tree species but not chemical diversity affect litter mixture effects on decomposition in a neotropical rainforest , 2011, Oecologia.

[19]  Andrew Gonzalez,et al.  The functional role of producer diversity in ecosystems. , 2011, American journal of botany.

[20]  M. Lange,et al.  Bottom-up effects of plant diversity on multitrophic interactions in a biodiversity experiment , 2010, Nature.

[21]  M. Gessner,et al.  Diversity meets decomposition. , 2010, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[22]  F. Bureau,et al.  Aboveground–belowground relationships in temperate forests: Plant litter composes and microbiota orchestrates , 2010 .

[23]  P. Baldrian,et al.  Lignocellulose-Degrading Enzymes in Soils , 2010 .

[24]  B. Cardinale,et al.  Diversity has stronger top-down than bottom-up effects on decomposition. , 2009, Ecology.

[25]  W. Parton,et al.  Home-field advantage accelerates leaf litter decomposition in forests , 2009 .

[26]  Eric Garnier,et al.  Leaf traits capture the effects of land use changes and climate on litter decomposability of grasslands across Europe. , 2009, Ecology.

[27]  Sandra Díaz,et al.  Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rates within biomes worldwide. , 2008, Ecology letters.

[28]  A. Austin,et al.  Tree species identity alters forest litter decomposition through long‐term plant and soil interactions in Patagonia, Argentina , 2008 .

[29]  R. B. Jackson,et al.  Assessing interactive responses in litter decomposition in mixed species litter , 2008, Plant and Soil.

[30]  M. Scherer‐Lorenzen,et al.  Tree species richness affects litter production and decomposition rates in a tropical biodiversity experiment , 2007 .

[31]  S. Chapman,et al.  What type of diversity yields synergy during mixed litter decomposition in a natural forest ecosystem? , 2007, Plant and Soil.

[32]  Eric Garnier,et al.  Co-variations in litter decomposition, leaf traits and plant growth in species from a Mediterranean old-field succession , 2006 .

[33]  Andrea Ricca,et al.  Carbon and nitrogen dynamics along the decay continuum: Plant litter to soil organic matter , 1989, Plant and Soil.

[34]  Eric Garnier,et al.  PLANT FUNCTIONAL MARKERS CAPTURE ECOSYSTEM PROPERTIES DURING SECONDARY SUCCESSION , 2004 .

[35]  D. Wardle,et al.  Ecological Linkages Between Aboveground and Belowground Biota , 2004, Science.

[36]  Z. Cardon,et al.  Decomposition dynamics in mixed‐species leaf litter , 2004 .

[37]  E. Garnier,et al.  A standardized protocol for the determination of specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content , 2001 .

[38]  W. Parton,et al.  Long‐term dynamics of pine and hardwood litter in contrasting environments: toward a global model of decomposition , 2000 .

[39]  J. Cebrian.  Patterns in the Fate of Production in Plant Communities , 1999, The American Naturalist.

[40]  J. P. Grime,et al.  Benefits of plant diversity to ecosystems: immediate, filter and founder effects , 1998 .

[41]  R. Aerts.  Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems : a triangular relationship , 1997 .

[42]  K. Giller,et al.  Driven by Nature: Plant Litter Quality and Decomposition , 1996 .

[43]  P. Bottner,et al.  Litter decomposition, climate and liter quality. , 1995, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[44]  H. W. Hunt,et al.  Nitrogen Limitation of Production and Decomposition in Prairie, Mountain Meadow, and Pine Forest , 1988 .