A. Hector et al., Consequences of the reduction of plant diversity for litter decomposition:effects through litter quality and microenvironment, OIKOS, 90(2), 2000, pp. 357-371
Decomposition of plant litter is a key process for the flow of energy and n
utrients in ecosystems that may be sensitive to the loss of biodiversity. T
wo hypothetical mechanisms by which changes in plant diversity could affect
litter decomposition are (1) through changes in litter species composition
, and (2) by altering the decomposition microenvironment. We tested these i
deas in relation to the short-term decomposition of herbaceous plant litter
in experimental plant assemblages that differed in the numbers and types o
f plant species and functional groups that they contained to simulate loss
of plant diversity. We used different litterbag experiments to separate the
two potential pathways through which diversity could have an effect on dec
omposition.
Our two litterbag trials showed that altering plant diversity affected litt
er breakdown differently through changes in decomposition microenvironment
than through changes in litter composition. In the decomposition microenvir
onment experiment there was a significant but weak decline in decomposition
rate in relation to decreasing plant diversity but no significant effect o
f plant composition. The litter composition experiment showed no effect of
richness but significant effects of composition, including large difference
s between plant species and functional groups in litter chemistry and decom
position rate. However, for a nested subset of our litter mixtures decompos
ition was not accurately predicted from single-species bags; there were pos
itive, non-additive effects of litter mixing which enhanced decomposition.
We critically assess the strengths and limitations of our short-term litter
bag trials in predicting the longer-term effects of changes in plant divers
ity on litter decomposition rates.