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Functional breadth and home-field advantage generate functional differences among soil microbial decomposers.

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    Litter quality significantly impacts decomposition rates, more than soil microbial communities. The functional breadth and home-field advantage hypotheses explain microbial roles in carbon mineralization, with litter quality being the main driver.

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    Area of Science:

    • Ecology
    • Soil Science
    • Microbiology

    Background:

    • Carbon mineralization is influenced by litter quality and past resource history.
    • Two hypotheses explain microbial community influence: functional breadth (FB) and home-field advantage (HFA).
    • The relative contributions of FB and HFA to decomposition have rarely been quantified simultaneously.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To simultaneously quantify the functional breadth (FB) and home-field advantage (HFA) effects on decomposition.
    • To assess the relative contributions of litter quality and soil microbial communities to carbon mineralization.
    • To investigate the role of litter-microbe interactions in carbon mineralization dynamics.

    Main Methods:

    • A reciprocal transplant decomposition experiment was conducted under controlled conditions.
    • Litter and soil were sourced from four ecosystems along a land-use gradient (forest, plantation, grassland, cropland).
    • 13C-labelled flax litter was used to assess the priming effect (PE).

    Main Results:

    • Litter quality explained over two-thirds of the variance in carbon mineralization; soil type contributed less than one-tenth.
    • The functional breadth (FB) and home-field advantage (HFA) effects were of similar magnitude but sometimes opposing.
    • Litter-microbe interactions, particularly enzymatic activity, significantly influenced carbon mineralization trajectories.

    Conclusions:

    • Litter quality is the predominant factor controlling litter mineralization.
    • Local microbial communities and substrate interactions explain a small but noticeable portion (<5%) of carbon fluxes.
    • Understanding litter-microbe interactions is crucial for accurate carbon mineralization models.