Temporal and treatment-driven variation in soil and litter microbiomes during litter decomposition

We characterized bacterial and fungal communities in both soil and litter during litter decomposition through controlled indoor experiments manipulating three major factors: soil type, microbial dilution, and soil moisture. Microbiomes were sampled at three decomposition stages to monitor temporal changes, with both soil and litter communities collected for each treatment, allowing comparisons of microbial composition, successional dynamics, and functional potential across treatments.