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Earth's Systems / Biological processes / Terrestrial ecosystem functioning / Organism-environment interactions / Ecosystem engineering and plant-soil feedback / Plant-soil feedback via litter quality

Plant-soil feedback via litter quality

Acquisitive fast-growing plants produce nutrient-rich litter that decomposes quickly and raises soil fertility, which favours more acquisitive plants; conservative species do the reverse.

Boundary: where this process starts

Starts with: Fast-growing plants produce high-quality, nitrogen-rich litter

Boundary: where it ends

Ends after: Higher fertility favours fast-growing, acquisitive species

PARTICIPANTSRESOURCESPlantsMicrobesSoil faunaSoilNitrogenDead organicmatterImpact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact +4 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.↻ reinforces · moderate · 0.3 fertile soil fFast-growing plants produce high-quality, nitrogen-rich litter: makes NitrogenmakesFast-growing plants produce high-quality, nitrogen-rich litter: makes Dead organic mattermakesNutrient-rich litter decomposes faster and releases more nitrogen: makes NitrogenmakesNutrient-rich litter decomposes faster and releases more nitrogen: uses up Dead organic matteruses upHigher fertility favours fast-growing, acquisitive species: uses Nitrogenconcentrated in litterNitrogen: concentrated in littershed as high-qualitylitterDead organic matter: shed as high-quality litterreleased quickly fromlitterNitrogen: released quickly from litterdecomposed quicklyDead organic matter: decomposed quicklyfavours acquisitivespeciesNitrogen: favours acquisitive speciesStart: Plant-soilfeedback via litterqualitySTARTStart: Plant-soil feedback via litter qualityEnd: Plant-soilfeedback via litterqualityENDEnd: Plant-soil feedback via litter qualityFast-growing plantsproduce high-quality,nitrogen-rich litter📄1Fast-growing plants produce high-quality, nitrogen-rich litterNutrient-rich litterdecomposes faster andreleases more nitrogen📄1 ↗1Nutrient-rich litter decomposes faster and releases more nitrogenHigher fertilityfavours fast-growing,acquisitive species📄1Higher fertility favours fast-growing, acquisitive species
Line thickness = size of impact (1 to 5)% on a line = chance a fork takes that branch📄 = pieces of evidence on a stepNegative effectLoops backHypothesisResource used up (arrow into the step)Resource used, not used upResource made or released (arrow out of the step)
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Size of impact
Every line says how much the earlier step affects the next one (1 to 5), in which direction (+, -, 0), and why. Thicker lines mean bigger impact.
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Every step, with its evidence

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Fast-growing plants produce high-quality, nitrogen-rich litter
PlantsNitrogenDead organic matter
Evidence (1) · added by Broad
  • Reich 2014, The world-wide fast-slow plant economics spectrum, Journal of Ecology, doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12211: The fast-slow plant economics spectrum links leaf traits to resource acquisition. (confidence 0.7)
Nutrient-rich litter decomposes faster and releases more nitrogen
MicrobesSoil faunaNitrogenDead organic matter
Evidence (1) · added by Broad
  • Cornwell 2008, Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rates within biomes worldwide, Ecology Letters, doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01219.x: Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rate within biomes. (confidence 0.75)
Higher fertility favours fast-growing, acquisitive species
PlantsSoilNitrogen
Evidence (1) · added by Broad
  • Hobbie 2015, Plant species effects on nutrient cycling: revisiting litter feedbacks, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, doi:10.1016/j.tree.2015.03.015: Litter feedbacks are positive or negative depending on trait and species. (confidence 0.6)