Home‐field advantage meets priming effect in root decomposition: Implications for belowground carbon dynamics

作者：Jiajia Zheng, Shenggong Li, Huimin Wang, Xiaoqin Dai, Shengwang Meng, Lei Jiang, Ning Ma, Han Yan, Xiaoli Fu, Liang Kou · 发表于：Functional Ecology · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1111/1365-2435.14251 · 被引用次数：22 · 研究领域：Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions、Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Abstract Home‐field advantage (HFA) states that litter decomposes faster in “home” than in “away” soil, due to the specialization of decomposer organisms in decomposing litter derived from their local plant community. Demonstration of the HFA effect has been overwhelmingly based on aboveground leaf litter despite the fact that roots play a pivotal role in carbon (C) and nutrient cycling. Labile C input in root exudates and newly shed root litters can enhance the activity of soil microorganisms, which in turn can favour the breakdown of older root litter, also referred to as the priming effect. It remains, however, unclear how the addition of fresh root‐derived inputs affects HFA on the decomposition of absorptive roots (ARs) and transport roots (TRs), which have a different chemical composition. Here, we conducted a two‐stage (endogenous C consumption versus exogenous C priming) reciprocal transplant microcosm experiment to explore the effects of HFA on the decomposition of lower‐quality ARs and higher‐quality TRs of two subtropical tree species ( Pinus elliottii and Cunninghamia lanceolata ) and their responses to either labile (glucose) or recalcitrant (fresh ARs) C additions. Decomposition of lower‐quality ARs exhibited neutral HFA, while decomposition of higher‐quality TRs exhibited positive HFA. The absence of HFA for short‐lived ARs was possibly due to the legacy effect of their chemical defences on decomposition. The neutral HFA for ARs became negative with glucose add...