A test of the hierarchical model of litter decomposition
Abstract
Our basic understanding of plant litter decomposition informs the assumptions underlying widely applied soil biogeochemical models, including those embedded in Earth system models. Confidence in projected carbon cycle–climate feedbacks therefore depends on accurate knowledge about the controls regulating the rate at which plant biomass is decomposed into products such as CO2. Here we test underlying assumptions of the dominant conceptual model of litter decomposition. The model posits that a primary control on the rate of decomposition at regional to global scales is climate (temperature and moisture), with the con- trolling effects of decomposers negligible at such broad spatial scales. Using a regional-scale litter decomposition experiment at six sites spanning from northern Sweden to southern France—and capturing both within and among site variation in putative controls—we find that contrary to predictions from the hierarchical model, decomposer (microbial) biomass strongly regulates decomposition at regional scales. Furthermore, the size of the microbial biomass dictates the absolute change in decomposition rates with changing climate variables. Our findings suggest the need for revision of the hierarchical model, with decomposers acting as both local- and broad-scale controls on litter decomposition rates, necessitating their explicit consideration in global biogeochemical models.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[2];
[4];
[7];
[9];
[14];
- Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Netherlands Inst. of Ecology, Wageningen, (Netherlands)
- Netherlands Inst. of Ecology, Wageningen, (Netherlands)
- Univ. of Rennes 1, Rennes Cedex (France)
- Univ. of Vermont, Burlington, VT (United States); Univ. of Copenhagen, Copenhagen (Denmark)
- Vrije Univ., Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Federal Inst. of Technology, Zurich (Switzerland)
- Univ. of Manchester, Manchester (United Kingdom)
- Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier (France)
- Umeå Univ., Umeå (Sweden)
- Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)
- Univ. of Vermont, Burlington, VT (United States); Copenhagen Univ., Copenhagen (Denmark)
- Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, (Sweden).
- Umeå Univ., Umeå (Sweden); Nanyang Technological Univ., Singapore (Singapore)
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States)
- The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA (United States)
- Netherlands Inst. of Ecology, Wageningen, (Netherlands); Wageningen Univ., Wageningen (Netherlands)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1501394
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0010562
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Nature Ecology and Evolution
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 1; Journal Issue: 12; Journal ID: ISSN 2397-334X
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Citation Formats
Bradford, Mark A., Veen, G. F., Bonis, Anne, Bradford, Ella M., Classen, Aimee T., Cornelissen, J. Hans C., Crowther, Thomas. W., De Long, Jonathan R., Freschet, Gregoire T., Kardol, Paul, Manrubia-Freixa, Marta, Maynard, Daniel S., Newman, Gregory S., Logtestijn, Richard S. P., Viketoft, Maria, Wardle, David A., Wieder, William R., Wood, Stephen A., and van der Putten, Wim H. A test of the hierarchical model of litter decomposition. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0367-4.
Bradford, Mark A., Veen, G. F., Bonis, Anne, Bradford, Ella M., Classen, Aimee T., Cornelissen, J. Hans C., Crowther, Thomas. W., De Long, Jonathan R., Freschet, Gregoire T., Kardol, Paul, Manrubia-Freixa, Marta, Maynard, Daniel S., Newman, Gregory S., Logtestijn, Richard S. P., Viketoft, Maria, Wardle, David A., Wieder, William R., Wood, Stephen A., & van der Putten, Wim H. A test of the hierarchical model of litter decomposition. United States. doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0367-4.
Bradford, Mark A., Veen, G. F., Bonis, Anne, Bradford, Ella M., Classen, Aimee T., Cornelissen, J. Hans C., Crowther, Thomas. W., De Long, Jonathan R., Freschet, Gregoire T., Kardol, Paul, Manrubia-Freixa, Marta, Maynard, Daniel S., Newman, Gregory S., Logtestijn, Richard S. P., Viketoft, Maria, Wardle, David A., Wieder, William R., Wood, Stephen A., and van der Putten, Wim H. Mon .
"A test of the hierarchical model of litter decomposition". United States. doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0367-4. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1501394.
@article{osti_1501394,
title = {A test of the hierarchical model of litter decomposition},
author = {Bradford, Mark A. and Veen, G. F. and Bonis, Anne and Bradford, Ella M. and Classen, Aimee T. and Cornelissen, J. Hans C. and Crowther, Thomas. W. and De Long, Jonathan R. and Freschet, Gregoire T. and Kardol, Paul and Manrubia-Freixa, Marta and Maynard, Daniel S. and Newman, Gregory S. and Logtestijn, Richard S. P. and Viketoft, Maria and Wardle, David A. and Wieder, William R. and Wood, Stephen A. and van der Putten, Wim H.},
abstractNote = {Our basic understanding of plant litter decomposition informs the assumptions underlying widely applied soil biogeochemical models, including those embedded in Earth system models. Confidence in projected carbon cycle–climate feedbacks therefore depends on accurate knowledge about the controls regulating the rate at which plant biomass is decomposed into products such as CO2. Here we test underlying assumptions of the dominant conceptual model of litter decomposition. The model posits that a primary control on the rate of decomposition at regional to global scales is climate (temperature and moisture), with the con- trolling effects of decomposers negligible at such broad spatial scales. Using a regional-scale litter decomposition experiment at six sites spanning from northern Sweden to southern France—and capturing both within and among site variation in putative controls—we find that contrary to predictions from the hierarchical model, decomposer (microbial) biomass strongly regulates decomposition at regional scales. Furthermore, the size of the microbial biomass dictates the absolute change in decomposition rates with changing climate variables. Our findings suggest the need for revision of the hierarchical model, with decomposers acting as both local- and broad-scale controls on litter decomposition rates, necessitating their explicit consideration in global biogeochemical models.},
doi = {10.1038/s41559-017-0367-4},
journal = {Nature Ecology and Evolution},
number = 12,
volume = 1,
place = {United States},
year = {2017},
month = {11}
}
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Cross-biome transplants of plant litter show decomposition models extend to a broader climatic range but lose predictability at the decadal time scale: CROSS-BIOME CLIMATE AND LITTER DECOMPOSITION
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Works referencing / citing this record:
Long-Term Forage Production of North American Shortgrass Steppe
journal, November 1992
- Lauenroth, W. K.; Sala, O. E.
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 2, Issue 4
Litter quality impacts on grassland litter decomposition are differently dependent on soil fauna across time
journal, October 2003
- Smith, V. C.; Bradford, M. A.
- Applied Soil Ecology, Vol. 24, Issue 2
Data from: A test of the hierarchical model of litter decomposition
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- Bradford, Mark A.; Veen, G. F.; Bonis, Anne
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Variation in home-field advantage and ability in leaf litter decomposition across successional gradients
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Microbe-driven turnover offsets mineral-mediated storage of soil carbon under elevated CO2
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Weaker soil carbon–climate feedbacks resulting from microbial and abiotic interactions
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- Nature Climate Change, Vol. 5, Issue 1
Litter decomposition rates in Canadian forests
journal, January 1999
- Moore, T. R.; Trofymow, J. A.; Taylor, B.
- Global Change Biology, Vol. 5, Issue 1
Historical precipitation predictably alters the shape and magnitude of microbial functional response to soil moisture
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- Global Change Biology, Vol. 22, Issue 5
Climate change alters ecological strategies of soil bacteria
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Altered leaf litter quality exacerbates the negative impact of climate change on decomposition
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Temperature and soil organic matter decomposition rates - synthesis of current knowledge and a way forward
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Microbial stoichiometry overrides biomass as a regulator of soil carbon and nitrogen cycling
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- Buchkowski, Robert W.; Schmitz, Oswald J.; Bradford, Mark A.
- Ecology, Vol. 96, Issue 4
Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rates within biomes worldwide
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- Cornwell, William K.; Cornelissen, Johannes H. C.; Amatangelo, Kathryn
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Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes
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- Handa, I. Tanya; Aerts, Rien; Berendse, Frank
- Nature, Vol. 509, Issue 7499
Disturbance Decouples Biogeochemical Cycles Across Forests of the Southeastern US
journal, September 2015
- Keiser, Ashley D.; Knoepp, Jennifer D.; Bradford, Mark A.
- Ecosystems, Vol. 19, Issue 1
Environmental stress response limits microbial necromass contributions to soil organic carbon
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- Crowther, Thomas W.; Sokol, Noah W.; Oldfield, Emily E.
- Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 85
A general and simple method for obtaining R 2 from generalized linear mixed-effects models
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- Nakagawa, Shinichi; Schielzeth, Holger
- Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 4, Issue 2
A physiological method for the quantitative measurement of microbial biomass in soils
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Applying population and community ecology theory to advance understanding of belowground biogeochemistry
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Biotic interactions mediate soil microbial feedbacks to climate change
journal, May 2015
- Crowther, Thomas W.; Thomas, Stephen M.; Maynard, Daniel S.
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 112, Issue 22
Decomposition in tropical forests: a pan-tropical study of the effects of litter type, litter placement and mesofaunal exclusion across a precipitation gradient
journal, July 2009
- Powers, Jennifer S.; Montgomery, Rebecca A.; Adair, E. Carol
- Journal of Ecology, Vol. 97, Issue 4
Soil-carbon response to warming dependent on microbial physiology
journal, April 2010
- Allison, Steven D.; Wallenstein, Matthew D.; Bradford, Mark A.
- Nature Geoscience, Vol. 3, Issue 5
Macroclimate and Lignin Control of Litter Decomposition Rates
journal, May 1978
- Meentemeyer, Vernon
- Ecology, Vol. 59, Issue 3
Microbial abundance and composition influence litter decomposition response to environmental change
journal, March 2013
- Allison, Steven D.; Lu, Ying; Weihe, Claudia
- Ecology, Vol. 94, Issue 3
Microbiota, fauna, and mesh size interactions in litter decomposition
journal, November 2002
- Bradford, Mark A.; Tordoff, George M.; Eggers, Till
- Oikos, Vol. 99, Issue 2
Cross-biome patterns in soil microbial respiration predictable from evolutionary theory on thermal adaptation
journal, January 2019
- Bradford, Mark A.; McCulley, Rebecca L.; Crowther, Thomas. W.
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Climate, Leaf Litter Chemistry and Leaf Litter Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Triangular Relationship
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Litter carbon and nutrient chemistry control the magnitude of soil priming effect
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Composition of Natural Organic Materials and Their Decomposition in the Soil: iv. the Nature and Rapidity of Decomposition of the Various Organic Complexes in Different Plant Materials, Under Aerobic Conditions
journal, January 1929
- Tenney, Florence G.; Waksman, Selman A.
- Soil Science, Vol. 28, Issue 1
Climate and litter quality differently modulate the effects of soil fauna on litter decomposition across biomes
journal, June 2013
- García-Palacios, Pablo; Maestre, Fernando T.; Kattge, Jens
- Ecology Letters, Vol. 16, Issue 8
Does adding microbial mechanisms of decomposition improve soil organic matter models? A comparison of four models using data from a pulsed rewetting experiment
journal, September 2009
- Lawrence, Corey R.; Neff, Jason C.; Schimel, Joshua P.
- Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 41, Issue 9
Scaling regression inputs by dividing by two standard deviations
journal, January 2008
- Gelman, Andrew
- Statistics in Medicine, Vol. 27, Issue 15
Long-term patterns of mass loss during the decomposition of leaf and fine root litter: an intersite comparison
journal, May 2009
- Harmon, Mark E.; Silver, Whendee L.; Fasth, Becky
- Global Change Biology, Vol. 15, Issue 5
Spatial Variation in Soil Properties among North American Ecosystems and Guidelines for Sampling Designs
journal, January 2014
- Loescher, Henry; Ayres, Edward; Duffy, Paul
- PLoS ONE, Vol. 9, Issue 1
Influence of Drying-Rewetting Frequency on Soil Bacterial Community Structure
journal, January 2003
- Fierer, N.; Schimel, J. P.; Holden, P. A.
- Microbial Ecology, Vol. 45, Issue 1
Native predators reduce harvest of reindeer by Sámi pastoralists
journal, July 2012
- Hobbs, N. Thompson; Andrén, Henrik; Persson, Jens
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 22, Issue 5
The Problem of Pattern and Scale in Ecology: The Robert H. MacArthur Award Lecture
journal, December 1992
- Levin, Simon A.
- Ecology, Vol. 73, Issue 6
Larger plants promote a greater diversity of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria associated with an Australian endemic legume: XXXX
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The temperature response of soil microbial efficiency and its feedback to climate
journal, January 2013
- Frey, Serita D.; Lee, Juhwan; Melillo, Jerry M.
- Nature Climate Change, Vol. 3, Issue 4
Biomass or growth? How to measure soil food webs to understand structure and function
journal, November 2016
- Rousk, Johannes
- Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 102
Global soil carbon projections are improved by modelling microbial processes
journal, July 2013
- Wieder, William R.; Bonan, Gordon B.; Allison, Steven D.
- Nature Climate Change, Vol. 3, Issue 10
Scale-dependent variation in nitrogen cycling and soil fungal communities along gradients of forest composition and age in regenerating tropical dry forests
journal, September 2015
- Waring, Bonnie G.; Adams, Rachel; Branco, Sara
- New Phytologist, Vol. 209, Issue 2
Microclimate within litter bags of different mesh size: Implications for the ‘arthropod effect’ on litter decomposition
journal, March 2013
- Bokhorst, Stef; Wardle, David A.
- Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 58
Do non-additive effects on decomposition in litter-mix experiments result from differences in resource quality between litters?
journal, August 2003
- Smith, Victoria C.; Bradford, Mark A.
- Oikos, Vol. 102, Issue 2
Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes
journal, December 2012
- Fierer, N.; Leff, J. W.; Adams, B. J.
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 109, Issue 52
Commentary: Individual, ecological and multilevel fallacies
journal, January 2009
- Oakes, J. M.
- International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 38, Issue 2
Understanding the dominant controls on litter decomposition
journal, November 2015
- Bradford, Mark A.; Berg, Björn; Maynard, Daniel S.
- Journal of Ecology, Vol. 104, Issue 1
Cross-biome transplants of plant litter show decomposition models extend to a broader climatic range but lose predictability at the decadal time scale: CROSS-BIOME CLIMATE AND LITTER DECOMPOSITION
journal, September 2009
- Currie, W. S.; Harmon, M. E.; Burke, I. C.
- Global Change Biology, Vol. 16, Issue 6
Climate fails to predict wood decomposition at regional scales
journal, June 2014
- Bradford, Mark A.; Warren II, Robert J.; Baldrian, Petr
- Nature Climate Change, Vol. 4, Issue 7
A plant economics spectrum of litter decomposability
journal, September 2011
- Freschet, Grégoire T.; Aerts, Rien; Cornelissen, Johannes H. C.
- Functional Ecology, Vol. 26, Issue 1
Foliar pH as a new plant trait: can it explain variation in foliar chemistry and carbon cycling processes among subarctic plant species and types?
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