DOI: 10.5061/dryad.8pk0p2p1w
title: Data from: Fungi rather than bacteria explain home-field advantage for decomposition of litter carbon fractions

description: Home-field advantage (HFA) hypothesis proposes that specific interactions
 between the litter and microbial communities lead to faster mass loss in
 home habitats than in away habitats. However, the effects of HFA on the
 decomposition of individual carbon (C) fractions with distinct chemical
 structures remain largely unexplored. In particular, it remains unclear to
 what extent litter-layer microbial communities–shaped by interactions
 between litter and soil microbial communities–drive the fraction-specific
 manifestation of HFA during litter C decomposition. In this study, a
 480-day reciprocal litter transplant experiment was conducted across
 forest and cropland ecosystems. The effect of HFA on the loss of four C
 fractions (dissolved organic carbon, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin)
 with varying chemical qualities, as well as the role of litter-layer
 microbial communities in this process, was assessed using four litter
 types: two forest litters (Schima superba and Castanopsis fargesii) and
 two cropland litters (Zea mays and Eleusine indica). HFA significantly
 accelerated the loss of both total litter mass and individual C fractions,
 with particularly strong effects on recalcitrant lignin. Litter-layer
 microbial communities were the key drivers of HFA, as microbial community
 dissimilarity between the home and away sites showed a significant
 negative correlation with HFA for the loss of lignin. Moreover, a higher
 abundance of specific fungal taxa at home sites accelerated the C fraction
 decomposition, whereas specific bacterial taxa suppressed decomposition.
 These findings suggest that HFA differentially affects the decomposition
 of individual C fractions, which is likely mediated by specific
 litter-layer microbial communities at home sites. Overall, this study
 highlights the importance of recalcitrant C substrates and litter-layer
 fungal taxa in shaping HFA, thereby providing new insights into the
 microbial mechanisms governing litter decomposition in terrestrial
 ecosystems.
description: # Data from: Fungi rather than bacteria explain home-field advantage for
 decomposition of litter carbon fractions Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.8pk0p2p1w](10.5061/dryad.8pk0p2p1w) ## Description of the
 data and file structure Fungi rather than bacteria explain home-field
 advantage for decomposition of litter carbon fractions ### Files and
 variables #### Files: * Initial_traits.csv * Mass_and_C_loss.csv *
 HFAI.csv * Microbial_community.csv * Specific_microbial_taxa.csv
 **Description:**  The dataset consists of five files:  1. Initial_traits *
 Initial litter traits of two species litters from forest ecosystem and two
 species litters from cropland ecosystem in the litter decomposition
 experiment. 2. Mass_and_C_loss * Losses of litter total mass and four
 carbon fractions. 3. HFAI * The home-field advantage index (HFAI) for mass
 loss and the loss of C fractions 4. Microbial_community * Bray-Curtis
 dissimilarity index of bacterial and fungal communities 5.
 Specific_microbial_taxa * Relative abundance of specific microbial taxa
 ##### Abbreviations * C: carbon * DOC: dissolved organic carbon *
 N: nitrogen * P: phosphorus * HFAI: home-field advantage index