Plant litter functional diversity effects on litter mass loss depend on the macro-detritivore community

摘要

Highlights?We studied litter diversity effects on litter mass loss depending on detritivores.?Litter functional diversity increased decomposition with both detritivore groups.?Dissimilarity in litter C:N ratios increased decomposition in litter mixtures.?Detritivores negatively interacted and had non-additive effects on decomposition.AbstractA better understanding of the mechanisms driving litter diversity effects on decomposition is needed to predict how biodiversity losses affect this crucial ecosystem process. In a microcosm study, we investigated the effects of litter functional diversity and two major groups of soil macro-detritivores on the mass loss of tree leaf litter mixtures. Furthermore, we tested the effects of litter trait community means and dissimilarity on litter mass loss for seven traits relevant to decomposition. We expected macro-detritivore effects on litter mass loss to be most