data_submit.xlsx

The home-field advantage hypothesis predicts greater litter decomposition at home. However, this hypothesis repeatedly fails to account for site-specific variation in litter decomposition, particularly in hyper-diverse forests, suggesting the existence of other mechanisms. Alternatively, the plant apparency hypothesis, which originated from plant-herbivore interactions studies, posits that litter of dominant species decomposes more rapidly than that of rare species. We examined these two hypotheses in three tropical rainforests in Southwest China. Within each forest, we carried out reciprocal litter transplant experiments with litter sourced from dominant, common, and rare species by using two mesh sizes (0.15 mm and 2 mm) to control decomposer community composition access into the litterbag. Litter beneath dominant species decomposed more rapidly than that beneath rare species, regardless of the source. Moreover, litter of dominant species decomposed more rapidly than that of rare species. Plant apparency hypothesis occurred only in the coarse mesh, regardless of litter quality or soil nutrient condition, highlighting that soil fauna activity controlled the plant apparency hypothesis. This study extends the application of plant appearance hypothesis to litter decomposition process mediated by soil fauna mediate. This underscores the influence of the dominant tree species on soil fauna composition and thus nutrient cycling.