Warming-induced functional shifts in the decomposer community interact with plant community compositional shifts to impact litter decomposition

Climate warming is altering plant and soil microbial communities, with important implications for ecosystem processes like litter decomposition. As warming alters plant community composition, quality of litter will change. Further, shifts in microbial community activity and/or composition will alter microbial function. However, it is not yet completely understood how these shifts will interact to drive decomposition.
We explored how changes in plant and microbial communities interact to influence litter decomposition using a 15-year-old grassland warming experiment. Previous studies within this system have shown that warming shifted the microbial community in ways that accelerate litter decomposition while simultaneously shifting the plant community in ways that may slow decomposition. Specifically, warming increased abundance of Sorghastrum nutans, while decreasing abundance of the previously dominant Schizachyrium scoparium. Using a series of lab-based microcosm experiments, we exami..., ,