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Slowed decomposition is biotically mediated in an ectomycorrhizal, tropical rain forest

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Abstract

Bacteria and fungi drive the cycling of plant litter in forests, but little is known about their role in tropical rain forest nutrient cycling, despite the high rates of litter decay observed in these ecosystems. However, litter decay rates are not uniform across tropical rain forests. For example, decomposition can differ dramatically over small spatial scales between low-diversity, monodominant rain forests, and species-rich, mixed forests. Because the climatic patterns and soil parent material are identical in co-occurring mixed and monodominant forests, differences in forest floor accumulation, litter production, and decomposition between these forests may be biotically mediated. To test this hypothesis, we conducted field and laboratory studies in a monodominant rain forest in which the ectomycorrhizal tree Dicymbe corymbosa forms >80% of the canopy, and a diverse, mixed forest dominated by arbuscular mycorrhizal trees. After 2 years, decomposition was significantly slower in the monodominant forest (P < 0.001), but litter production was significantly greater in the mixed forest (P < 0.001). In the laboratory, we found microbial community biomass was greater in the mixed forest (P = 0.02), and the composition of fungal communities was distinct between the two rain forest types (P = 0.001). Sequencing of fungal rDNA revealed a significantly lower richness of saprotrophic fungi in the monodominant forest (19 species) relative to the species-rich forest (84 species); moreover, only 4% percent of fungal sequences occurred in both forests. These results show that nutrient cycling patterns in tropical forests can vary dramatically over small spatial scales, and that changes in microbial community structure likely drive the observed differences in decomposition.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Patamona Amerindian tribe, Margaret Chana-Sue, Malcolm Chana-Sue, Terry Henkel, and Raquel Thomas for logistical support with field expeditions. Christopher Andrew, Estine Andrew, Francino Edmund, Leonard Williams, Primus Peters, Dan Griffith, Jesse Knapp, Dana Revallo, and Matt Pierle were of particular assistance in the field. We also thank John Vandermeer, Deborah Goldberg, Kathleen Treseder, Íñigo Granzow de la Cerda, Terry Henkel, and two anonymous reviewers for valuable intellectual contribution to this work. Funding was provided by the University of Michigan Wehmeyer endowment, the University of Michigan International Institute, and the National Science Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (No. 0508585). Permits were granted by the Guyana Environmental Protection Agency and the Guyana Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.

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  1. Krista L. McGuire

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA

  2. Christopher B. Blackwood

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Krista L. McGuire & Donald R. Zak

  2. School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Donald R. Zak, Ivan P. Edwards, Christopher B. Blackwood & Rima Upchurch

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  1. Krista L. McGuire
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Correspondence to Krista L. McGuire.

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Communicated by Stephan Hättenschwiler.

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McGuire, K.L., Zak, D.R., Edwards, I.P. et al. Slowed decomposition is biotically mediated in an ectomycorrhizal, tropical rain forest. Oecologia 164, 785–795 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-010-1686-1

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