Environmental Conditions Modulate Warming Effects on Plant Litter Decomposition Globally

Sarah Schwieger; Ellen Dorrepaal; Matteo Petit Bon; Vigdis Vandvik; Elizabeth le Roux; Maria Strack; Yan Yang; Susanna Venn; Johan van den Hoogen; Fernando Valiño; Haydn J D Thomas; Mariska Te Beest; Satoshi Suzuki; Alessandro Petraglia; Isla H Myers-Smith; Tariq Muhammad Munir; Anders Michelsen; Jørn Olav Løkken; Qi Li; Takayoshi Koike; Kari Klanderud; Ellen Haakonsen Karr; Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir; Robert D Hollister; Annika Hofgaard; Ibrahim A Hassan; Wang Genxu; Nina Filippova; Thomas W Crowther; Karin Clark; Casper T Christiansen; Angelica Casanova-Katny; Michele Carbognani; Stef Bokhorst; Katrín Björnsdóttir; Johan Asplund; Inge Althuizen; Rocío Alonso; Juha Alatalo; Evgenios Agathokleous; Rien Aerts; Judith M Sarneel

doi:10.1111/ele.70026

Environmental Conditions Modulate Warming Effects on Plant Litter Decomposition Globally

Sarah Schwieger, Ellen Dorrepaal, Matteo Petit Bon, Vigdis Vandvik, Elizabeth le Roux, Maria Strack, Yan Yang, Susanna Venn, Johan van den Hoogen, Fernando Valiño, Haydn J D Thomas, Mariska Te Beest, Satoshi Suzuki, Alessandro Petraglia, Isla H Myers-Smith, Tariq Muhammad Munir, Anders Michelsen, Jørn Olav Løkken, Qi Li, Takayoshi KoikeKari Klanderud, Ellen Haakonsen Karr, Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir, Robert D Hollister, Annika Hofgaard, Ibrahim A Hassan, Wang Genxu, Nina Filippova, Thomas W Crowther, Karin Clark, Casper T Christiansen, Angelica Casanova-Katny, Michele Carbognani, Stef Bokhorst, Katrín Björnsdóttir, Johan Asplund, Inge Althuizen, Rocío Alonso, Juha Alatalo, Evgenios Agathokleous, Rien Aerts, Judith M Sarneel

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Empirical studies worldwide show that warming has variable effects on plant litter decomposition, leaving the overall impact of climate change on decomposition uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis of 109 experimental warming studies across seven continents, using natural and standardised plant material, to assess the overarching effect of warming on litter decomposition and identify potential moderating factors. We determined that at least 5.2° of warming is required for a significant increase in decomposition. Overall, warming did not have a significant effect on decomposition at a global scale. However, we found that warming reduced decomposition in warmer, low-moisture areas, while it slightly increased decomposition in colder regions, although this increase was not significant. This is particularly relevant given the past decade's global warming trend at higher latitudes where a large proportion of terrestrial carbon is stored. Future changes in vegetation towards plants with lower litter quality, which we show were likely to be more sensitive to warming, could increase carbon release and reduce the amount of organic matter building up in the soil. Our findings highlight how the interplay between warming, environmental conditions, and litter characteristics improves predictions of warming's impact on ecosystem processes, emphasising the importance of considering context-specific factors.

Original language	English
Article number	e70026
Pages (from-to)	1-16
Number of pages	16
Journal	Ecology Letters
Volume	28
Issue number	1
Early online date	31 Dec 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70026
Publication status	Published - Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Funding

For S.S. and J.M.S., funding was received from Formas (Grant No: 2021–02449). JMS also acknowledges support from the Swedish Research Council VR (Grant No: 2014–04270). Support for E.D. was provided by the Swedish Research Council VR (Grant No: 2018–04004). The research conducted by M.S. and T.M. was funded by Alberta Innovates Technology Futures. Additionally, M.S. acknowledges support from an NSERC Canada Research Chair (CRC‐2019‐00299). EA was an International Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) with ID No: P17102. Funding for I.A. and V.V. was provided by the Research Council of Norway under the KLIMAFORSK program (Grant No: 244525). MPB acknowledges support from the Governor of Svalbard (Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund, Grant Project No: 15/128), the Research Council of Norway (Arctic Field Grant, Project No: 269957), and the National Science Foundation (Grant Project No: ANS‐2113641). R. Alonso acknowledges funding from the Framework on atmospheric pollution and persistent organic pollutants between DGCEA and CIEMAT (ACTUA‐MITERD). NF was funded by a grant for the organisation of a new laboratory for young researchers at Yugra State University as part of the implementation of the National Project “Science and Universities.” R.D.H. acknowledges support from the US National Science Foundation (Grant No: 1836839). I.J.S. was funded by the University of Iceland Research Fund for the years 2016 and 2017. Q.L. acknowledges the C.A.S. International partnership project (Grant No: 131323KYSB20210004). I.M.S. acknowledges funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council for the ShrubTundra Project (Grant No: NE/M016323/1). Y.Y. was supported by the Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Plan Project (Grant No: 2022ZHYZ0005). Funding: Funding: For S.S. and J.M.S., funding was received from Formas (Grant No: 2021–02449). JMS also acknowledges support from the Swedish Research Council VR (Grant No: 2014–04270). Support for E.D. was provided by the Swedish Research Council VR (Grant No: 2018–04004). The research conducted by M.S. and T.M. was funded by Alberta Innovates Technology Futures. Additionally, M.S. acknowledges support from an NSERC Canada Research Chair (CRC-2019-00299). EA was an International Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) with ID No: P17102. Funding for I.A. and V.V. was provided by the Research Council of Norway under the KLIMAFORSK program (Grant No: 244525). MPB acknowledges support from the Governor of Svalbard (Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund, Grant Project No: 15/128), the Research Council of Norway (Arctic Field Grant, Project No: 269957), and the National Science Foundation (Grant Project No: ANS-2113641). R. Alonso acknowledges funding from the Framework on atmospheric pollution and persistent organic pollutants between DGCEA and CIEMAT (ACTUA-MITERD). NF was funded by a grant for the organisation of a new laboratory for young researchers at Yugra State University as part of the implementation of the National Project “Science and Universities.” R.D.H. acknowledges support from the US National Science Foundation (Grant No: 1836839). I.J.S. was funded by the University of Iceland Research Fund for the years 2016 and 2017. Q.L. acknowledges the C.A.S. International partnership project (Grant No: 131323KYSB20210004). I.M.S. acknowledges funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council for the ShrubTundra Project (Grant No: NE/M016323/1). Y.Y. was supported by the Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Plan Project (Grant No: 2022ZHYZ0005). We would like to acknowledge the numerous students and field assistants, including Eleanor Walker, Bin Xu, Courtney Campbell, Sasha van Stavel, Jordanna Branham, and Golnoush Fard, involved in the collection of tea measurements and like to thank station managers for their help and access to field sites. We thank Melanie Bird for her assistance in the laboratory and Albin Bjärhall for his support in extracting raw data from the published literature. Recognising the importance of Indigenous lands, we acknowledge that parts of our fieldwork were conducted on territories historically and presently belonging to Indigenous peoples. We express our respect and gratitude to these communities. Special thanks are extended to the residents of Utqiagvik and Atqasuk, Alaska, for their cooperation and understanding during our research activities in the Arctic region. This research would not have been possible without the collective efforts and support of these individuals and communities.

Funders	Funder number
ACTUA‐MITERD
Alberta Innovates Technology Futures
Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas
Yugra State University
DGCEA
Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Plan Project	2022ZHYZ0005
Háskóli Íslands	131323KYSB20210004
NSERC Canada Research Chair	CRC‐2019‐00299
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science	P17102
Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas	2021–02449
Norges forskningsråd	244525
Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund	269957, 15/128
National Science Foundation	ANS‐2113641, 1836839
Vetenskapsrådet	2014–04270, 2018–04004
Natural Environment Research Council	NE/M016323/1

Keywords

Climate Change
Ecosystem
Global Warming
Plant Leaves
Plants/metabolism

Access to Document

10.1111/ele.70026Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Persistent URL (handle)

Persistent link

Cite this

Schwieger, S., Dorrepaal, E., Petit Bon, M., Vandvik, V., le Roux, E., Strack, M., Yang, Y., Venn, S., van den Hoogen, J., Valiño, F., Thomas, H. J. D., Te Beest, M., Suzuki, S., Petraglia, A., Myers-Smith, I. H., Munir, T. M., Michelsen, A., Løkken, J. O., Li, Q., ... Sarneel, J. M. (2025). Environmental Conditions Modulate Warming Effects on Plant Litter Decomposition Globally. Ecology Letters, 28(1), 1-16. Article e70026. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70026

@article{7f9e6b960abc4543995a97153ed42314,

title = "Environmental Conditions Modulate Warming Effects on Plant Litter Decomposition Globally",

abstract = "Empirical studies worldwide show that warming has variable effects on plant litter decomposition, leaving the overall impact of climate change on decomposition uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis of 109 experimental warming studies across seven continents, using natural and standardised plant material, to assess the overarching effect of warming on litter decomposition and identify potential moderating factors. We determined that at least 5.2° of warming is required for a significant increase in decomposition. Overall, warming did not have a significant effect on decomposition at a global scale. However, we found that warming reduced decomposition in warmer, low-moisture areas, while it slightly increased decomposition in colder regions, although this increase was not significant. This is particularly relevant given the past decade's global warming trend at higher latitudes where a large proportion of terrestrial carbon is stored. Future changes in vegetation towards plants with lower litter quality, which we show were likely to be more sensitive to warming, could increase carbon release and reduce the amount of organic matter building up in the soil. Our findings highlight how the interplay between warming, environmental conditions, and litter characteristics improves predictions of warming's impact on ecosystem processes, emphasising the importance of considering context-specific factors.",

keywords = "Climate Change, Ecosystem, Global Warming, Plant Leaves, Plants/metabolism",

author = "Sarah Schwieger and Ellen Dorrepaal and \{Petit Bon\}, Matteo and Vigdis Vandvik and \{le Roux\}, Elizabeth and Maria Strack and Yan Yang and Susanna Venn and \{van den Hoogen\}, Johan and Fernando Vali{\~n}o and Thomas, \{Haydn J D\} and \{Te Beest\}, Mariska and Satoshi Suzuki and Alessandro Petraglia and Myers-Smith, \{Isla H\} and Munir, \{Tariq Muhammad\} and Anders Michelsen and L{\o}kken, \{J{\o}rn Olav\} and Qi Li and Takayoshi Koike and Kari Klanderud and Karr, \{Ellen Haakonsen\} and J{\'o}nsd{\'o}ttir, \{Ingibj{\"o}rg Svala\} and Hollister, \{Robert D\} and Annika Hofgaard and Hassan, \{Ibrahim A\} and Wang Genxu and Nina Filippova and Crowther, \{Thomas W\} and Karin Clark and Christiansen, \{Casper T\} and Angelica Casanova-Katny and Michele Carbognani and Stef Bokhorst and Katr{\'i}n Bj{\"o}rnsd{\'o}ttir and Johan Asplund and Inge Althuizen and Roc{\'i}o Alonso and Juha Alatalo and Evgenios Agathokleous and Rien Aerts and Sarneel, \{Judith M\}",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2024 The Author(s). Ecology Letters published by John Wiley \& Sons Ltd.",

year = "2025",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1111/ele.70026",

language = "English",

volume = "28",

pages = "1--16",

journal = "Ecology Letters",

issn = "1461-023X",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

number = "1",

}

Schwieger, S, Dorrepaal, E, Petit Bon, M, Vandvik, V, le Roux, E, Strack, M, Yang, Y, Venn, S, van den Hoogen, J, Valiño, F, Thomas, HJD, Te Beest, M, Suzuki, S, Petraglia, A, Myers-Smith, IH, Munir, TM, Michelsen, A, Løkken, JO, Li, Q, Koike, T, Klanderud, K, Karr, EH, Jónsdóttir, IS, Hollister, RD, Hofgaard, A, Hassan, IA, Genxu, W, Filippova, N, Crowther, TW, Clark, K, Christiansen, CT, Casanova-Katny, A, Carbognani, M, Bokhorst, S, Björnsdóttir, K, Asplund, J, Althuizen, I, Alonso, R, Alatalo, J, Agathokleous, E, Aerts, R & Sarneel, JM 2025, 'Environmental Conditions Modulate Warming Effects on Plant Litter Decomposition Globally', Ecology Letters, vol. 28, no. 1, e70026, pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70026

TY - JOUR

T1 - Environmental Conditions Modulate Warming Effects on Plant Litter Decomposition Globally

AU - Schwieger, Sarah

AU - Dorrepaal, Ellen

AU - Petit Bon, Matteo

AU - Vandvik, Vigdis

AU - le Roux, Elizabeth

AU - Strack, Maria

AU - Yang, Yan

AU - Venn, Susanna

AU - van den Hoogen, Johan

AU - Valiño, Fernando

AU - Thomas, Haydn J D

AU - Te Beest, Mariska

AU - Suzuki, Satoshi

AU - Petraglia, Alessandro

AU - Myers-Smith, Isla H

AU - Munir, Tariq Muhammad

AU - Michelsen, Anders

AU - Løkken, Jørn Olav

AU - Li, Qi

AU - Koike, Takayoshi

AU - Klanderud, Kari

AU - Karr, Ellen Haakonsen

AU - Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg Svala

AU - Hollister, Robert D

AU - Hofgaard, Annika

AU - Hassan, Ibrahim A

AU - Genxu, Wang

AU - Filippova, Nina

AU - Crowther, Thomas W

AU - Clark, Karin

AU - Christiansen, Casper T

AU - Casanova-Katny, Angelica

AU - Carbognani, Michele

AU - Bokhorst, Stef

AU - Björnsdóttir, Katrín

AU - Asplund, Johan

AU - Althuizen, Inge

AU - Alonso, Rocío

AU - Alatalo, Juha

AU - Agathokleous, Evgenios

AU - Aerts, Rien

AU - Sarneel, Judith M

PY - 2025/1

Y1 - 2025/1

N2 - Empirical studies worldwide show that warming has variable effects on plant litter decomposition, leaving the overall impact of climate change on decomposition uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis of 109 experimental warming studies across seven continents, using natural and standardised plant material, to assess the overarching effect of warming on litter decomposition and identify potential moderating factors. We determined that at least 5.2° of warming is required for a significant increase in decomposition. Overall, warming did not have a significant effect on decomposition at a global scale. However, we found that warming reduced decomposition in warmer, low-moisture areas, while it slightly increased decomposition in colder regions, although this increase was not significant. This is particularly relevant given the past decade's global warming trend at higher latitudes where a large proportion of terrestrial carbon is stored. Future changes in vegetation towards plants with lower litter quality, which we show were likely to be more sensitive to warming, could increase carbon release and reduce the amount of organic matter building up in the soil. Our findings highlight how the interplay between warming, environmental conditions, and litter characteristics improves predictions of warming's impact on ecosystem processes, emphasising the importance of considering context-specific factors.

AB - Empirical studies worldwide show that warming has variable effects on plant litter decomposition, leaving the overall impact of climate change on decomposition uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis of 109 experimental warming studies across seven continents, using natural and standardised plant material, to assess the overarching effect of warming on litter decomposition and identify potential moderating factors. We determined that at least 5.2° of warming is required for a significant increase in decomposition. Overall, warming did not have a significant effect on decomposition at a global scale. However, we found that warming reduced decomposition in warmer, low-moisture areas, while it slightly increased decomposition in colder regions, although this increase was not significant. This is particularly relevant given the past decade's global warming trend at higher latitudes where a large proportion of terrestrial carbon is stored. Future changes in vegetation towards plants with lower litter quality, which we show were likely to be more sensitive to warming, could increase carbon release and reduce the amount of organic matter building up in the soil. Our findings highlight how the interplay between warming, environmental conditions, and litter characteristics improves predictions of warming's impact on ecosystem processes, emphasising the importance of considering context-specific factors.

KW - Climate Change

KW - Ecosystem

KW - Global Warming

KW - Plant Leaves

KW - Plants/metabolism

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85213945399

UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85213945399&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/ele.70026

DO - 10.1111/ele.70026

M3 - Article

C2 - 39737672

SN - 1461-023X

VL - 28

SP - 1

EP - 16

JO - Ecology Letters

JF - Ecology Letters

IS - 1

M1 - e70026

ER -

Environmental Conditions Modulate Warming Effects on Plant Litter Decomposition Globally

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Persistent URL (handle)

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this