Relationships between soil fauna, leaf economics spectrum, and litter decomposition rates in a subtropical forest of Badagongshan
- Dangjun Wang ,
- Wuyang Xie ,
- Xiaoyuan Lin ,
- Xiujuan Qiao ,
- Yaozhan Xu ,
- Qiuxiang Tian ,
- Feng Liu ,
- Yani Zhang ,
- Zhun Mao ,
- Juan Zuo ,
- Mingxi Jiang
- 1. College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
2. Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
4. Administration Bureau of Badagongshan National Nature Reserve, Zhangjiajie, Hunan 416900, China
5. Univ Montpellier, AMAP, INRAE, CIRAD, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier 34000, France
Received date: 2024-06-26
Accepted date: 2024-12-17
Online published: 2025-01-19
Supported by
National Natural Science Foundation of China(32371736);National Natural Science Foundation of China(32171599);National Natural Science Foundation of China(32171536);China Scholarship Council(202104910380)
Abstract
Aims: Soil fauna are essential biological drivers of litter decomposition, playing an irreplaceable role in promoting nutrient cycling, maintaining soil structure stability, and enhancing ecosystem functions. However, due to the high diversity of soil fauna groups and their complex interspecific interactions, the relationship between their community characteristics and litter decomposition rates remains uncertain. Meanwhile, the leaf economics spectrum, which reflects the trade-off between resource acquisition and utilization strategies, may directly or indirectly affect the structure and functions of soil fauna communities. Here, we aim to explore the mechanisms by which different soil fauna groups affect litter decomposition and potential regulatory role of the leaf economics spectrum on soil fauna communities.
Methods: This study selected 20 representative plant litters from the subtropical Badagongshan region, Hunan, China. The leaf economics spectrum was constructed based on its core functional traits, and a 13-month litter decomposition experiment was conducted using mesh bags with three different mesh sizes (0.07 mm, 2 mm, and 5 mm) to investigate the effects of soil fauna body size on litter decomposition.
Results: The results showed that a total of 28,786 individuals were collected, belonging to 11 classes and 29 orders. Mites and Collembola were the dominant groups, accounting for over 80% of the total soil fauna. Litter species significantly affected soil fauna density and richness, but had no significant effects on the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Gini-Simpson index, or Pielou evenness index. The leaf economics spectrum derived from litter traits was not correlated with soil fauna abundance or diversity. Soil fauna significantly increased the litter decomposition rates, contributing up to 45.28% of the total decomposition. Contributions varied across body size groups, with micro- and mesofauna accounting for 28.31% of the decomposition. When all body size groups of soil fauna were present, litter decomposition rates showed significant correlations with faunal abundance and diversity.
Conclusion: We demonstrated that litter species affect soil fauna abundance. The community characteristics of soil fauna promote litter decomposition and transformation. Different body size groups regulate decomposition rates to varying extents. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the interaction between soil fauna and litter decomposition, and provides scientific evidence for forest ecosystem management aimed at enhancing nutrient cycling and conserving soil biodiversity.
Key words： decomposition rate; leaf litter; leaf economics spectrum; soil fauna
Cite this article
Dangjun Wang , Wuyang Xie , Xiaoyuan Lin , Xiujuan Qiao , Yaozhan Xu , Qiuxiang Tian , Feng Liu , Yani Zhang , Zhun Mao , Juan Zuo , Mingxi Jiang . Relationships between soil fauna, leaf economics spectrum, and litter decomposition rates in a subtropical forest of Badagongshan[J]. Biodiversity Science, 2024 , 32(12) : 24261 . DOI: 10.17520/biods.2024261
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