Factors driving the home-field advantage in litter decomposition: Decomposer ability and starvation disturbance

Litter decomposition is a key ecological process influencing carbon and nutrient cycling. Decomposer communities often perform better on locally familiar litter, a phenomenon known as home-field advantage (HFA). By synthesizing 1,213 observations using two analytical models, we quantified global HFA effects and identified environmental drivers. Our findings show that HFA can significantly enhance decomposition, particularly under nutrient-rich and climatically distinct conditions. Variability in microbial traits and litter quality plays a major role in shaping HFA strength. These insights deepen our understanding of microbial adaptation and decomposition dynamics, improving predictions of ecosystem functioning under changing environmental conditions.