The role of soil fauna in modulating the effect of mixed litter diversity on microbial communities during decomposition

This study provides novel insights into the tripartite interactions among litter diversity, soil fauna, and microbial communities in subtropical forests. Our experimental results demonstrate that soil fauna serve as key mediators in decomposition processes by: (1) significantly altering microbial biomass and community structure, (2) counteracting the inhibitory effects of plant diversity on bacterial populations, and (3) fundamentally modifying the relationships between litter characteristics and specific microbial groups. These findings advance our understanding of trophic cascades in detrital food webs by emphasizing the pivotal regulatory role of soil fauna in linking aboveground plant diversity with belowground microbial dynamics during organic matter decomposition.