Climate masks decomposer influence in a cross-site litter decomposition study

Leaf litter is a significant input of carbon and nutrients to forested systems. Rates of foliar decomposition, and cycling of carbon and nutrients, appear consistently explained by climate and litter quality. Although the soil decomposer community actually mineralizes litter, its independent role is often undetected in cross-site studies. At three sites along an elevational gradient in eastern U.S. temperate forest, we used a reciprocal litter...