Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes
The decomposition of dead organic matter is a major determinant of carbon and nutrient cycling in ecosystems, and of carbon fluxes between the biosphere and the atmosphere. Decomposition is driven by a vast diversity of organisms that are structured in complex food webs. Identifying the mechanisms u...
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Online Access: | https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/c3bf8b83-8813-4e91-bab2-23da2bdb8f6d https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13247 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/c3bf8b83-8813-4e91-bab2-23da2bdb8f6d |
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ftvuamstcris:oai:research.vu.nl:publications/c3bf8b83-8813-4e91-bab2-23da2bdb8f6d 2024-09-09T20:10:51+00:00 Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes Handa, T. Aerts, R. Berendse, F. Berg, M.P. Bruder, A. Butenschoen, O. Chauvet, E. Gessner, M.O. Jabiol, J. Makkonen, M.A. Mckie, B.G. Malmqvist, B. Peeters, E.T.H.M. Scheu, S. Schmid, B. van Ruijven, J. Vos, V.C.A. Hättenschwiler, S. 2014 https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/c3bf8b83-8813-4e91-bab2-23da2bdb8f6d https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13247 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/c3bf8b83-8813-4e91-bab2-23da2bdb8f6d eng eng https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/c3bf8b83-8813-4e91-bab2-23da2bdb8f6d info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Handa , T , Aerts , R , Berendse , F , Berg , M P , Bruder , A , Butenschoen , O , Chauvet , E , Gessner , M O , Jabiol , J , Makkonen , M A , Mckie , B G , Malmqvist , B , Peeters , E T H M , Scheu , S , Schmid , B , van Ruijven , J , Vos , V C A & Hättenschwiler , S 2014 , ' Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes ' , Nature , vol. 509 , pp. 218-221 . https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13247 article 2014 ftvuamstcris https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13247 2024-08-22T00:13:33Z The decomposition of dead organic matter is a major determinant of carbon and nutrient cycling in ecosystems, and of carbon fluxes between the biosphere and the atmosphere. Decomposition is driven by a vast diversity of organisms that are structured in complex food webs. Identifying the mechanisms underlying the effects of biodiversity on decomposition is critical given the rapid loss of species worldwide and the effects of this loss on human well-being. Yet despite comprehensive syntheses of studies on how biodiversity affects litter decomposition, key questions remain, including when, where and how biodiversity has a role and whether general patterns and mechanisms occur across ecosystems and different functional types of organism. Here, in field experiments across five terrestrial and aquatic locations, ranging from the subarctic to the tropics, we show that reducing the functional diversity of decomposer organisms and plant litter types slowed the cycling of litter carbon and nitrogen. Moreover, we found evidence of nitrogen transfer from the litter of nitrogen-fixing plants to that of rapidly decomposing plants, but not between other plant functional types, highlighting that specific interactions in litter mixtures control carbon and nitrogen cycling during decomposition. The emergence of this general mechanism and the coherence of patterns across contrasting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems suggest that biodiversity loss has consistent consequences for litter decomposition and the cycling of major elements on broad spatial scales. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. Article in Journal/Newspaper Subarctic Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU): Research Portal Nature 509 7499 218 221 |
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Open Polar |
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Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU): Research Portal |
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ftvuamstcris |
language |
English |
description |
The decomposition of dead organic matter is a major determinant of carbon and nutrient cycling in ecosystems, and of carbon fluxes between the biosphere and the atmosphere. Decomposition is driven by a vast diversity of organisms that are structured in complex food webs. Identifying the mechanisms underlying the effects of biodiversity on decomposition is critical given the rapid loss of species worldwide and the effects of this loss on human well-being. Yet despite comprehensive syntheses of studies on how biodiversity affects litter decomposition, key questions remain, including when, where and how biodiversity has a role and whether general patterns and mechanisms occur across ecosystems and different functional types of organism. Here, in field experiments across five terrestrial and aquatic locations, ranging from the subarctic to the tropics, we show that reducing the functional diversity of decomposer organisms and plant litter types slowed the cycling of litter carbon and nitrogen. Moreover, we found evidence of nitrogen transfer from the litter of nitrogen-fixing plants to that of rapidly decomposing plants, but not between other plant functional types, highlighting that specific interactions in litter mixtures control carbon and nitrogen cycling during decomposition. The emergence of this general mechanism and the coherence of patterns across contrasting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems suggest that biodiversity loss has consistent consequences for litter decomposition and the cycling of major elements on broad spatial scales. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Handa, T. Aerts, R. Berendse, F. Berg, M.P. Bruder, A. Butenschoen, O. Chauvet, E. Gessner, M.O. Jabiol, J. Makkonen, M.A. Mckie, B.G. Malmqvist, B. Peeters, E.T.H.M. Scheu, S. Schmid, B. van Ruijven, J. Vos, V.C.A. Hättenschwiler, S. |
spellingShingle |
Handa, T. Aerts, R. Berendse, F. Berg, M.P. Bruder, A. Butenschoen, O. Chauvet, E. Gessner, M.O. Jabiol, J. Makkonen, M.A. Mckie, B.G. Malmqvist, B. Peeters, E.T.H.M. Scheu, S. Schmid, B. van Ruijven, J. Vos, V.C.A. Hättenschwiler, S. Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes |
author_facet |
Handa, T. Aerts, R. Berendse, F. Berg, M.P. Bruder, A. Butenschoen, O. Chauvet, E. Gessner, M.O. Jabiol, J. Makkonen, M.A. Mckie, B.G. Malmqvist, B. Peeters, E.T.H.M. Scheu, S. Schmid, B. van Ruijven, J. Vos, V.C.A. Hättenschwiler, S. |
author_sort |
Handa, T. |
title |
Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes |
title_short |
Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes |
title_full |
Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes |
title_fullStr |
Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes |
title_sort |
consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/c3bf8b83-8813-4e91-bab2-23da2bdb8f6d https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13247 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/c3bf8b83-8813-4e91-bab2-23da2bdb8f6d |
genre |
Subarctic |
genre_facet |
Subarctic |
op_source |
Handa , T , Aerts , R , Berendse , F , Berg , M P , Bruder , A , Butenschoen , O , Chauvet , E , Gessner , M O , Jabiol , J , Makkonen , M A , Mckie , B G , Malmqvist , B , Peeters , E T H M , Scheu , S , Schmid , B , van Ruijven , J , Vos , V C A & Hättenschwiler , S 2014 , ' Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes ' , Nature , vol. 509 , pp. 218-221 . https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13247 |
op_relation |
https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/c3bf8b83-8813-4e91-bab2-23da2bdb8f6d |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13247 |
container_title |
Nature |
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509 |
container_issue |
7499 |
container_start_page |
218 |
op_container_end_page |
221 |
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1809945280508854272 |