Research progress on home-field advantage of leaf litter decomposition

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2022.0143

Abstract

Abstract:

Litter often decomposes more rapidly in its native habitat (“home”) than in non-native habitats (“away”), a phenomenon called the “home-field advantage”. To explore the driving mechanism of home-field advantage of litter decomposition is important to predict the process of plant nutrient return and ecosystem carbon budget. This study reviewed the research progress on the home-field advantage of litter decomposition in recent years by discussing the quantification of home-field advantage, the controlling factors, and related driving mechanisms. There are four common metrics to describe home-field advantage in litter decomposition, and the use of linear model analysis to calculate home-field advantage is more appropriate. Litter quality (chemical composition, etc.) and soil microbial community structure are the main factors influencing the home-field advantage of litter decomposition, and soil fauna, climatic conditions, decomposition time, plant life form and growth form can also influence the intensity of the home-field advantage. Greater differences in litter quality usually generate stronger home-field advantage. Microbial taxa in the soil drive the home-field advantage of litter decomposition, but the role of soil microbes is often mediated by animal and climatic disturbances. In addition, the existence of phyllosphere microbes makes the home-field advantage of litter decomposition stronger. The litter chemical convergence hypothesis, decomposer control hypothesis and substrate quality-matrix quality interaction hypothesis are major hypotheses explaining the home-field advantage in litter decomposition, but they are not impeccable. We believe that the association between litter and soil microbial community is the driving force behind home-field advantage. The current researches on the factors and relative contribution of home-field advantage are not deep enough and usually focusing on a single ecosystem. Future investigations should explore deeper on the factors and their relative contributions of home-field advantage, and focus on more ecosystem types to improve the understandings of the mechanism of home-field advantage.

Key words: litter decomposition, home-field advantage, litter quality, soil microbes, climatical condition, phyllosphere microbes

ZHAO Xiao-Xiang, ZHU Bin-Bin, TIAN Qiu-Xiang, LIN Qiao-Ling, CHEN Long, LIU Feng. Research progress on home-field advantage of leaf litter decomposition[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2023, 47(5): 597-607.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2022.0143

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2023/V47/I5/597

Figures/Tables 2

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of the home-field advantage of litter decomposition of broadleaf deciduous forests and needleleaf evergreen forests. Litter decomposes more rapidly in its native habitat (“home”) than in non-native habitats (“away”), a phenomenon called the “home-field advantage”.

Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of the relative changes of phyllosphere microbes and soil microbes during litter decomposition (adapted from Fanin et al. (2021)). On the eve of leaf drop (①), phyllosphere microbes grew and colonized rapidly and then leaf litter fell to the ground (②); in the early stage of litter decomposition (③), phyllosphere microbes and soil microbes coexisted; in the middle and late stages of litter decomposition (④), soil microbes dominated.

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