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Updated: May 11, 2026
10:20
Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
Published on: March 12, 2013
Microbial abundance and composition influence litter decomposition response to environmental change
Steven D Allison1, Ying Lu, Claudia Weihe
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA. allisons@uci.edu
Ecology
|May 22, 2013
Summary
Drought significantly reduced grassland decomposition by limiting microbial abundance, while nitrogen deposition had weaker effects but altered litter chemistry. Microbial communities showed adaptation to nitrogen addition, impacting decomposition rates.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Microbiology
Background:
- Ecosystem processes like decomposition are sensitive to human environmental impacts.
- Climate change and nitrogen (N) deposition are key drivers altering biological communities and ecosystem functions in southern California grasslands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the direct and indirect effects of drought and N addition on litter decomposition.
- To assess how microbial communities and plant litter quality respond to these environmental changes.
- To test the hypothesis of microbial adaptation to native environmental conditions.
Main Methods:
- Reciprocal transplantation of microbial communities and plant litter between control, drought, and N addition plots.
- Measurement of litter mass loss, microbial abundance (bacterial cell densities, fungal hyphal lengths), and litter chemistry.
Main Results:
- Drought significantly reduced litter mass loss and microbial abundance, with evidence of legacy effects on microbial communities.
- Nitrogen addition had weaker effects on decomposition rates but altered litter chemistry.
- Microbial communities adapted to N addition, showing enhanced decomposition in N-amended plots.
Conclusions:
- Environmental changes impact ecosystem processes directly via abiotic factors and indirectly through microbial community shifts.
- Accurate ecosystem models for global change must incorporate microbial biomass and community composition.
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