Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Return of soil function: texture and thermal load drive post-fire microbial reactivation","authors":"Carolina Merino ,&nbsp;Ignacio Jofré ,&nbsp;Svenja Stock ,&nbsp;Francisco Nájera ,&nbsp;Francisco Matus ,&nbsp;Yakov Kuzyakov ,&nbsp;Felipe Aburto ,&nbsp;José Dörner ,&nbsp;Rafael Rubilar ,&nbsp;Michaela A. Dippold","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106819","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106819","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding soil microbial responses to wildfires is critical for climate adaptation and ecosystem recovery. This study spans the Chilean Coastal Cordillera, from the Atacama Desert (arid) to a temperate forest, a fire-prone climatic gradient. We hypothesized that soil texture and porosity determine the resilience of microbial reactivation and enzyme activity following a wildfire. This study examined the impact of short-term (20 min) heating at 300, 600, or 900 °C on enzyme activity (β-glucosidase, urease, peroxidase, and phosphatases), microbial biomass, and reactive oxygen species in four Chilean soils: arid, semi-arid, Mediterranean, and temperate. Furnace heating simulated near-surface wildfire exposure and was contextualized with a 1-D conduction model that yielded temperature–time profiles and cumulative thermal load (degree-hours). Responses scaled with thermal load, with higher exposure increasing soil organic matter (SOM) loss, reducing Vmax and biomass, and raising H₂O₂. After heating, the soils were cooled and incubated for 48 h under sterile conditions to isolate residual activity and early reactivation. At 900 °C, SOM retention was higher in temperate clay-rich soils (0.68%) than in arid sandy soils (0.02%). Within 48 h of heating at 300–600 °C, microbial biomass recovered to ∼70% in temperate soils but remained &lt;10% in arid soils. At 900 °C, the thermal load ranged from ∼336 to ∼1368 kJ across soils. Hydrogen peroxide concentration peaked at 3.5 μmol g⁻¹ in semi-arid soils, indicating elevated oxidative stress. Peroxidase retained ∼90% of its catalytic efficiency at 300 °C in temperate soils, whereas β-glucosidase activity in arid soil dropped below 10% after heating at 900 °C. These findings confirm that higher porosity and SOM buffer the impact of heat, accelerate microbial reactivation, and mitigate oxidative stress. After accounting for initial soil C, N, and pH, texture effects persisted, reinforcing the need for targeted interventions in coarse-textured low-OM soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106819"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil fauna behaviour reveals rapid habitat function evolution in newly constructed market garden Technosols","authors":"Pénélope Cheval ,&nbsp;Julie Leclercq-Dransart ,&nbsp;Bertrand Vandoorne ,&nbsp;Aurélie Pelfrêne","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106822","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106822","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Constructed Technosols are increasingly implemented in urban agriculture projects, yet their ability to provide suitable habitat conditions for soil fauna during early pedogenesis remains poorly documented. This study evaluated the temporal development of habitat function in two Technosols designed for market gardening through avoidance tests with four invertebrate species (<em>Eisenia fetida</em>, <em>Lumbricus terrestris</em>, <em>Folsomia candida</em> and <em>Porcellio scaber</em>) and survival assays with <em>E. fetida</em> and <em>P. scaber</em>. The selected organisms included standardised test species widely used in ecotoxicology and taxa commonly found in urban soils. Standardised avoidance and survival bioassays were conducted shortly after Technosol construction and after one year of greenhouse cultivation. Initially, limited habitat suitability was observed, particularly for earthworms, in relation to high pH and carbonate contents. After one year, avoidance responses decreased markedly and survival improved significantly, indicating that early pedogenic processes enhanced habitat conditions. These changes were associated with pH neutralisation and shifts in carbonate-related properties. Overall, the results show that habitat function can improve rapidly during the first year following Technosol construction, supporting the establishment of soil fauna and the onset of biological activity in newly constructed soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106822"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drought-nitrogen synergy reshapes stress-adapted fungal consortia via plant-soil feedback in invasive plant Cenchrus pauciflorus","authors":"Meng Meng ,&nbsp;Xiangning Yang ,&nbsp;Bingna Wang ,&nbsp;Haoyan Li ,&nbsp;Chuan Lu ,&nbsp;Jiahuan Li ,&nbsp;Jiyun Yang ,&nbsp;Long Bai ,&nbsp;Yulong Feng ,&nbsp;Baihui Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106817","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106817","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant-soil feedback (PSF) is a critical driver of plant invasion; however, the mechanisms by which soil microbes mediate PSF under combined nitrogen deposition and drought remain poorly understood. This study investigated the microbial mechanisms underlying the invasion success of <em>Cenchrus pauciflorus</em> Benth. (<em>C. pauciflorus</em>) under interactive water regimes and nitrogen forms, using a greenhouse PSF experiment with its co-occurring native congener <em>Setaria viridis</em> (L.) Beauv.. Soil microbial communities were characterized via high-throughput sequencing and co-occurrence network analysis to identify keystone taxa regulating PSF dynamics. Our results showed that <em>C. pauciflorus</em> exploited the synergistic effects of drought and nitrogen deposition to restructure stress-adapted soil fungal communities. Under resource-limited conditions, <em>C. pauciflorus</em> selectively enriched stress-tolerant saprotrophic fungi and facultative animal pathogens, forming a modular microbial network that enhanced nitrogen mineralization efficiency and pathogen-mediated suppression of <em>S. viridis</em>. While homospecific soil amplified negative PSF on the native plant, <em>C. pauciflorus</em> mitigated self-inhibition through ammonium‑nitrogen-driven suppression of pathogenic fungi. Crucially, drought shifted fungal functional guilds toward saprotrophic dominance, which synergistically intensified allelopathic competition via accelerated litter decomposition. These findings reveal that invasive plants employed “microbial niche construction” strategies by coupling nitrogen-form specialization with stress-induced rhizosphere microbiome reprogramming, thereby establishing self-reinforcing invasion feedback loops. This study provides mechanistic insights into PSF dynamics under global change scenarios and underscores the potential of targeted root microbiome engineering for invasive species management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106817"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agricultural and socio-ecological benefits of reducing chemical nitrogen fertilizer and using organic amendments: a sugar beet case study in China's black soil region","authors":"Yunlong Guo ,&nbsp;Xiaochen Lin ,&nbsp;Muhammad Faheem Adil ,&nbsp;Muhammad Ishfaq ,&nbsp;Muhammad Riaz ,&nbsp;Shafaque Sehar ,&nbsp;Songlin Yang ,&nbsp;Yan Wang ,&nbsp;Zhishan Yan ,&nbsp;Baiquan Song","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106782","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106782","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The excessive application of chemical nitrogen fertilizers in China's sugar beet production has led to resource waste and environmental pollution. The effects of reducing these fertilizers and substituting organic resources on sugar beet (<em>Beta vulgaris</em>) farmland in the black soil region remain uncertain. Therefore, we conducted two-year field experiments at two sites in the black soil region (2022−2023) to evaluate nitrogen reduction schemes of 20 % and 40 %, supplemented by the substitution of organic resources (soybean straw, poultry manure, and organic fertilizer). The results indicated that, compared to conventional chemical nitrogen fertilizer, a 20 % reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application rates led to attenuated soil organic matter (SOM) content and enzyme activity. The 20 % organic substitution treatment (using soybean straw, poultry manure, and organic fertilizer) resulted in an surge in greenhouse gas emissions (N₂O and CO₂e) ranging from 0.74 to 9.22 %, and the soil quality index improved significantly (10.64–19.15 %). The yield of sugar beet root increased by 3.78–12.36 %. This led to significant enhancements in profit (13.40–128.91 %), ecological (45.85–192.90 %), and social benefits (46.03–194.04 %). Furthermore, the 20 % organic substitution treatment (with soybean straw and poultry manure) enhanced the growth of <em>Sphingomonas</em> and <em>Bradyrhizobium</em> and increased the proportion of positive interactions within the microbial co-occurrence network. In summary, the 20 % organic substitution of chemical nitrogen fertilizer (CNF) enhanced sugar beet production at both experimental sites, promoting soil health in China's black soil region. This approach supports sustainable sugar beet cultivation and the conservation of black soil resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106782"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil fauna responses to land-use change are size-dependent and linked to soil compaction and organic matter","authors":"Camila Pérez-Roig ,&nbsp;Martín Videla ,&nbsp;Verónica El Mujtar ,&nbsp;María Laura Moreno ,&nbsp;Andrea Cardozo ,&nbsp;Pablo A. Tittonell","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106794","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106794","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The conversion of natural ecosystems into agricultural land is a major driver of biodiversity loss globally. However, the effects on soil fauna are often unclear due the divergent responses among size classes, the influence of local conditions, and the use of broad land-use categories. Furthermore, the covariation of soil fauna and soil properties is rarely reported in the literature. Here, we assessed soil fauna in north-Patagonian forests across multiple land uses on six farms, including reference native forests, to evaluate changes across mesofauna, macroarthropods, and earthworms. We also evaluated community composition shifts and their covariation with key soil properties. Land use significantly affected soil fauna metrics, with differential effects across size classes. While cattle grazing had no significant effects, sheep grazing and seasonal crops led to significant declines in mesofauna density and macroarthropod density, biomass, and richness (up to 65 %). Conversely, these same systems showed increased earthworm density, biomass, and richness (up to 2.8-fold). Perennial crops supported higher macroarthropod and earthworm richness (40–70 %). Land use also drove increasing shifts in community composition across size classes. Bulk density and particulate organic matter contributed the most to the covariation between soil fauna and physicochemical properties for all size classes. Our findings demonstrate that land uses most detrimental to macroarthropods were the most beneficial to non-native earthworms. Additionally, they suggest that reducing sheep stocking rates is crucial to mitigate soil biodiversity loss in this region, while well-managed cattle grazing and perennial crops represent viable strategies to integrate food production and soil biodiversity conservation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106794"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Endophyte-derived synthetic microbial communities for sustainable agricultural practices: Enhancing crop productivity and disease suppression in pepper","authors":"Kaiheng Lu ,&nbsp;Leigang Zhang ,&nbsp;Jiahui Zhou ,&nbsp;Qiuling Li ,&nbsp;Xiangyang Yu ,&nbsp;Changhong Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106767","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106767","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microbial inoculants provide eco-friendly alternatives to chemical fertilizers, yet traditional single-strain formulations often face limitations in terms of functional diversity, ecological adaptability, and field performance. Synthetic microbial communities (SynComs), consisting of multiple strains, offer a promising solution to these challenges. However, the impact of SynCom diversity on rhizosphere microbiome composition and plant performance remains underexplored. In this study, we screened 194 plant endophytic bacterial isolates for their ability to promote pepper plant growth and suppress <em>Phytophthora capsici</em> pathogen. Six dual-function bacterial strains were selected and randomly combined to form 57 SynComs, resulting in a total of 63 treatments with different diversity levels, which were tested in axenic pot assays. The results revealed that both disease suppression and plant growth promotion were strongly influenced by microbial community composition. Two SynComs, S13 (composed of <em>P. chlororaphis</em> L43, <em>B. velezensis</em> L150) and S63 (composed of <em>P. chlororaphis</em> L43, <em>E. cloacae</em> L68, <em>P. mirabilis</em> L71, <em>P. aeruginosa</em> L103, <em>B. licheniformis</em> L140, and <em>B. velezensis</em> L150), exhibited comparable effectiveness in enhancing growth and diseases suppression but differed in their diversity levels. Field trials confirmed that both SynComs improved pepper growth and soil health, with S13 outperforming S63 by increasing chili pepper yield by ~30 %, while also providing more significant and lasting improvements in fruit quality and soil characteristics. Rhizosphere microbiome analyses showed that S13 enriched beneficial microbial taxa and fostered a simpler network compared to S63. Integrated soil-plant-microbiome analyses indicated that these differences were driven by distinct shifts in the keystone taxa rhizosphere microbiota, shaped by SynCom diversity. This study highlights the critical role of microbial community diversity in optimizing plant growth and soil health, offering valuable insights into how tailored SynComs can enhance agricultural sustainability and performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106767"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Slope aspect modulates elevational patterns of ground–dwelling arthropod alpha diversity, but not beta diversity","authors":"Zhixia Guo ,&nbsp;Rentao Liu ,&nbsp;Marcelo Sternberg ,&nbsp;Wenzhi Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106786","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106786","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The north–south oriented Helan Mountain Range in northwestern China forms a pronounced climatic divide, with a relatively mesic desert steppe on its eastern slope and a hyper–arid desert on its western slope. How this sharp east–west contrast interacts with elevation to shape soil arthropod biodiversity remains poorly understood. Here, we examined elevational patterns of ground–dwelling arthropod alpha and beta diversity across six elevation bands (1400–2650 m) on both slopes. We reveal a clear scale–dependent decoupling between diversity components. Beta diversity increased consistently toward the summit on both slopes, indicating robust, elevation–driven species turnover largely insensitive to slope aspect. In contrast, alpha diversity showed strongly divergent patterns: a bimodal distribution on the eastern slope and a monotonic decline on the western slope, indicating that slope aspect acts as a key local filter for community assembly. Mechanistically, diversity on the eastern slope was jointly regulated by plant height and elevation-mediated changes in soil phosphorus and moisture, highlighting biotic-abiotic linkages. On the western slope, beta diversity was primarily driven by total soil nutrients and salinity, reflecting direct abiotic filtering under arid stress. Structural equation models confirmed that elevation influences arthropod diversity through distinct, slope–specific indirect pathways. By disentangling slope–dependent local assembly processes from slope–independent elevational turnover, this study advances understanding of how topography modulates biodiversity across spatial scales in arid mountains. Our findings underscore the necessity of slope–specific conservation strategies in north–south oriented mountain systems facing increasing climatic aridity and variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106786"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of silver nanoparticles and nitrile fungicides on soil microbial community structure, metabolic functions, and resistance genes","authors":"Yiwang Wang ,&nbsp;Ting Gao ,&nbsp;Jiajia Liu ,&nbsp;Shaoheng Bao ,&nbsp;Fuli Wang ,&nbsp;Ge Yao ,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Lin ,&nbsp;Shijie Jiang ,&nbsp;Jinlong Lai ,&nbsp;Penggang Han ,&nbsp;Jiang Hui","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106827","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106827","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nitrile fungicides and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly applied in agriculture, yet their synergistic toxicity to soil ecosystems remains unclear. This study investigated the individual and combined effects of AgNPs and three nitrile fungicides—azoxystrobin, flufenacet, and chlorothalonil—on soil microbial communities, metabolic activities, antibiotic resistance genes, metal resistance genes, and plant physiology. The results showed that the synergistic toxicity of AgNPs with the three nitrile fungicides induced oxidative stress in the maize to varying degrees. Nitrile fungicides alone increased sucrase activity, while AgNPs alone suppressed urease, sucrase, and acid phosphatase. Both treatments promoted dominance of <em>Pseudomonadota</em>, <em>Bacteroidota</em>, and <em>Sphingopyxis</em>. AgNPs specifically enriched Proteobacteria and <em>Myxococcus</em>, causing carbon/nitrogen utilization impediments partially mitigated by nitrile biodegradation. Synergistic exposure redirected nitrile catabolism from the benzoyl-CoA to catechol pathway. AgNPs alone upregulated silver resistance genes and activated antibiotic efflux pumps; synergistic exposure with fungicides suppressed Ag⁺ efflux genes while exacerbating antibiotic efflux activation and weakening links between environmental factors (NH₄⁺-N, NO₃⁻-N, Ag⁺) and resistance genes. These findings reveal the responses of plants and soil microorganisms to co-exposure of nitrile fungicides and AgNPs, and provide insights for assessing the ecological risks of combined application of nanomaterials and pesticides.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106827"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leaf litter chemistry contributes to shape the chemical footprint of macrodetritivore communities","authors":"Théo Marchand ,&nbsp;Matthieu Chauvat ,&nbsp;Estelle Forey ,&nbsp;Florence Maunoury-Danger ,&nbsp;Mathieu Santonja ,&nbsp;Michaël Danger ,&nbsp;Philippe Usseglio-Polatera ,&nbsp;David Baqué ,&nbsp;Frédéric Candaudap ,&nbsp;Sophia V. Hansson ,&nbsp;Frédéric Julien ,&nbsp;Christophe Laplanche ,&nbsp;Gaël Le Roux ,&nbsp;Virginie Baldy ,&nbsp;Raphaël Gros ,&nbsp;Benjamin Pey","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106800","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106800","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Addressing the factors underlying community patterns is a crucial endeavor as it contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as well as the associated ecosystem services. For example, detritivore communities play a major role in decomposition processes and related matter and energy fluxes in ecosystems. However, compared to living plant resources, leaf litter resources are nutritionally poor, with low macroelement concentrations. Although detritivore communities are known to depend on the local leaf litter resources, it remains unclear whether the chemical composition of detritivores depends on the locally available leaf litter. The macroelement composition of detritivores is rarely studied and is seldom compared directly to leaf litter chemical quality. Furthermore, leaf litter elements other than carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are not systematically investigated even though large differences in elements such as calcium (Ca), potassium (K), or magnesium (Mg) can occur among both detritivore taxa and leaf litter types.</div><div>To investigate whether the chemical composition of macrodetritivore communities depends on leaf litter chemistry, we sampled 24 paired French forests sites that differed in their leaf litter chemical composition. At each site, we quantitatively sampled leaf litter transformers (Diplopoda and Isopoda) to estimate their abundance. For each morphospecies, we measured mean individual body mass and analyzed body concentrations of C, N, P, K, Ca, and Mg (hereafter called chemical traits). We also analyzed the same macroelements in the dominant leaf litter at each site. We examined the detritivore taxonomic diversity, chemical community diversity, biomass, and abundance in communities, and tested whether these parameters were influenced by leaf litter chemistry.</div><div>Results at the morphospecies level were consistent with the homeostasis hypothesis, indicating no specific physiological adaptation to the chemical composition of their trophic resources. Chemical community diversity (i.e., the FDis index based on all six chemical elements) of detritivores was higher at sites with high-quality leaf litter than at the corresponding low-quality leaf litter sites. Furthermore, community-level concentrations of P and Mg in detritivores were positively influenced by litter P and Mg concentrations, respectively.</div><div>Although effect sizes were limited, our results suggest that leaf litter chemical composition can influence detritivore chemical composition through shifts in the relative abundance of taxa. Ultimately, this may lead to a closer match between the chemical composition of detritivore communities and that of their resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106800"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Succession of litter-decomposing microbial communities differs between canopy and forest floor in subtropical forests","authors":"Hongrong Guo ,&nbsp;Kai Yue ,&nbsp;Xiangyin Ni ,&nbsp;Xiaoyue Zhang ,&nbsp;Wentao Wei ,&nbsp;Guiqing Zhu ,&nbsp;Yaoyi Zhang ,&nbsp;Fuzhong Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106803","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106803","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microorganisms drive the biochemical processes underlying litter decomposition, yet microbial successional patterns in canopy-decomposing litter remain far less understood than those on the forest floor. We conducted a 24-month litterbag experiment using foliar litter of <em>Castanopsis</em> (<em>Castanopsis carlesii</em>) and Chinese fir (<em>Cunninghamia lanceolata</em>) in both canopy and forest floor of subtropical forests. We employed phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis to quantify microbial biomass, community composition, and diversity during decomposition, and assessed litter chemical traits, enzyme activities, and environmental variables to identify key drivers. Clear successional trends emerged across habitats: microbial biomass declined while diversity increased as decomposition progressed. Fir needle litter decomposed slightly more slowly in the canopy than on the forest floor (22% vs 27% mass loss), whereas <em>Castanopsis</em> broadleaf litter showed no significant difference between habitats. Total microbial biomass was, on average, 30% higher in canopy-decomposing litter, whereas microbial diversity was 8% lower in canopy communities. Forest floor microbial biomass was primarily driven by litter nutrient availability, while canopy microbial communities were shaped by carbon substrate availability and mean annual temperature (MAT), and negatively affected by trace metal concentrations and enzymatic stress. These findings highlight that decomposition habitat and litter quality jointly regulate microbial successional dynamics and thereby influence decomposition trajectories. Importantly, canopy-decomposing litter retains substantial microbial biomass despite environmental constraints and plays a critical role in forest carbon cycling. Our study underscores the need to integrate canopy decomposition processes and microbial functional traits into broader models of forest ecosystem functioning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106803"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}