Publication Details |
| Category | Data Publication |
| DOI | 10.6084/m9.figshare.31066504 |
| Licence |
|
| Title (Primary) | Salinity decouples litter quality and soil decomposer ability, reshaping home-field advantage effects in Tunisian arid sebkhas [Dataset] |
| Author | Wang, X. |
| Source Titel | figshare |
| Year | 2026 |
| Department | BZF |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Abstract | Background and aims Home-field advantage (HFA) have generally been assessed along resource-stress gradients where litter quality is positively correlated with litter decomposition. Yet, the relative roles of litter quality, soil ability and litter–soil matching may differ between classical fertility gradients and non-resource stress gradients such as salinity. Methods Here we assessed how drivers of litter decomposition and HFA effects vary along a salinity gradient in continental saline depressions (sebkhas) from arid Tunisia. We conducted a reciprocal litter transplant experiment and productivity measurements across eight sebkhas, focusing on three habitats across a topography-induced gradient: a high-salinity Halocnemum community, an intermediate-salinity Arthrocnemum community, and a low-salinity Lygeum community. Litter mass loss and community productivity were analyzed using mixed models and the Decomposer Ability Regression Test (DART) to partition litter quality, soil ability and HFA effects. Results The litter of the grass L. spartum showed more conservative, low-quality characteristics than the litter of the two halophytic shrubs. In contrast, litter mass loss and plant productivity were highest in the Lygeum community and lowest in the Halocnemum community, indicating a decomposition processes and productivity varied inversely with litter quality patterns along the salinity gradient. Furthermore, the DART method showed that HFA effects only occurred in stressful, low-ability soils where decomposers are likely to be strongly shaped by soil salinity and adapted to their home litter. Conclusion Non-resource stress can decouple litter quality from decomposer functioning, improving our understanding of litter decomposition, HFA effects and plant–soil nutrient cycling in saline drylands. |
| linked UFZ text publications | |
| Wang, X. (2026): Salinity decouples litter quality and soil decomposer ability, reshaping home-field advantage effects in Tunisian arid sebkhas [Dataset] figshare 10.6084/m9.figshare.31066504 |
|