Climate and litter traits affect the response of litter decomposition to soil fauna

Soil fauna is a key control of the decomposition rate of leaf litter, soil structure stabilization and biogeochemical cycle in terrestrial ecosystems, but it is difficult to clarify the role of functional species in the litter decomposition due to its large number and variety. Climate and litter quality is widely acknowledged as dominant drives of litter decomposition on broad spatial scales. However, the pattern of climate and litter quality modulate the effects of soil fauna on litter decomposition remains largely unknown. We collected data from 81 studies to investigate how climate and litter traits affects soil fauna in the decomposition. The paper describes fauna body size, climate zones (tropical, subtropical and temperate), ecosystem types (forest, grassland, wetland and farmland), litter initial traits, average annual temperature and precipitation. Litter traits including concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lignin, cellulose, total phenol, condensed tannins, hydrolysable tannins and other nutrient traits. These data are useful for understanding the role of soil fauna on the decomposition at global scale. Data will also give researchers keys to assess how climate, litter quality and soil fauna interact to determine decomposition rates.