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Differential effects of soil trophic networks on microbial decomposition activity in mountain ecosystems
  • +7
  • Camille Martinez-Almoyna,
  • Amélie Saillard,
  • Lucie Zinger,
  • Clement Lionnet,
  • Cindy Arnoldi,
  • Arnaud Foulquier,
  • Ludovic Gielly,
  • Gabin Piton,
  • Tamara Munkemuller,
  • Wilfried Thuiller
Camille Martinez-Almoyna
Université Grenoble Alpes

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Amélie Saillard
Université Grenoble Alpes
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Lucie Zinger
Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Superieure
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Clement Lionnet
Université Grenoble Alpes
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Cindy Arnoldi
Université Grenoble Alpes
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Arnaud Foulquier
Université Grenoble Alpes
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Ludovic Gielly
Université Grenoble Alpes
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Gabin Piton
Université Grenoble Alpes
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Tamara Munkemuller
Université Grenoble Alpes
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Wilfried Thuiller
Université Grenoble Alpes
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Abstract

Soil trophic networks are key to biogeochemical cycles, in particular decomposition. However, few studies have yet quantified how microbial decomposition activity along environmental gradients is jointly driven by bacteria, fungi, and their respective consumers. Here, we quantified these direct and indirect effects on decomposition and contrasted them between forests and open habitats using multiple elevational gradients in the French Alps. While environmental control on microbial decomposition activity was comparable in the two habitats, the pathways and strengths of biotic predictors strongly differed. The fungal channel composition played a moderate role in forests, while the bacterial channel composition was critical in open habitats. Importantly, we found trophic regulation by consumers to be a key modulator of the direct environmental effects on decomposition in open habitats. These results highlight the need to integrate trophic regulation when predicting future ecosystem functioning.