Data for: Multidimensional stoichiometric mismatch explains differences in detritivore biomass across three forest types

The ecological stoichiometry theory provides a framework to understand
organism fitness and population dynamics based on the stoichiometric
mismatch between organisms and their resources. Recent studies have
revealed that different soil animals occupy distinct multidimensional
stoichiometric niches (MSNs), which likely determine their specific
stoichiometric mismatches and population responses facing resource
changes. The goals of the present study are to examine how long-term
forest plantations affect the multidimensional elemental contents of
litter and detritivores and the population size of detritivores that
occupy distinct MSNs. We evaluated the contents of ten elements of two
detritivore taxa (lumbricid earthworms and julid millipedes) and their
litter resources, quantified their MSNs and the multidimensional
stoichiometric mismatches, and examined how such mismatch patterns
influence the density and total biomass of detritivores across three
forest types spanning from natural forests (oak forest) to plantations
(pine and larch forests). Sixty-year pine plantations changed the
multidimensional elemental contents of litter but did not influence the
elemental contents of the two detritivore taxa. Earthworms and millipedes
exhibited distinct patterns of MSNs and stoichiometric mismatches, but
they both experienced severer stoichiometric mismatches in pine
plantations than in oak forests and larch plantations. Such stoichiometric
mismatches led to lower density and biomass of both earthworms and
millipedes in pine plantations. In other words, under conditions of low
litter quality and severe stoichiometric mismatches in pine plantations,
detritivores maintained their body elemental contents but decreased their
population biomass. Our study illustrates the success of using the
multidimensional stoichiometric framework to understand the impact of
forest plantations on animal population dynamics, which may serve as a
useful tool in addressing ecosystem responses to global environmental
changes.