DOI: 10.5061/dryad.m528023
title: Data from: Litter conversion into detritivore faeces reshuffles the quality control over C and N dynamics during decomposition

description: 1. In many terrestrial ecosystems, detritivorous soil organisms ingest
 large amounts of leaf litter returning most of it to the soil as faeces.
 Such conversion of leaf litter into faeces may stimulate decomposition by
 increasing the surface area available for microbial colonization. Yet,
 experimental support for either the outcome or the mechanism of these
 conversion effects is lacking. 2. Based on the hypothesis that the
 identity of plant species from which leaf litter is transformed into
 faeces has a critical role in how faeces decomposition proceeds, we
 collected faeces of the widely abundant millipede Glomeris marginata fed
 with leaf litter from seven distinct tree species. We compared the
 physical and chemical characteristics and the rates of carbon (C) and
 nitrogen (N) loss between litter and faeces. 3. We found that after 100
 days of exposure under controlled conditions, C loss was on average higher
 in faeces (40%) than in litter (26.6%), with a significant increase for
 six out of the seven species. Concurrently, N dynamics switched from a net
 immobilisation (7.7%) in litter to a net release (14.6%) in faeces, with a
 significant increase for five out of the seven species. 4. Litter
 conversion into faeces generally homogenised differences in physical and
 chemical characteristics among species. Despite such homogenisation,
 variability in rates of faeces C and N loss among species was similar
 compared to leaf litter, but correlated with a different set of traits.
 Specifically, faecal pellet C loss was positively related to compaction
 (decreased specific area and increased density of faecal pellets), and
 both C and N loss from faecal pellets were positively related to
 fragmentation (increased specific area and perimeter of particles within
 faecal pellets). 5. We conclude that litter fragmentation and compaction
 into detritivore faecal pellets leads to substantially enhanced
 decomposition, with a particularly strong impact on N dynamics that
 changed from immobilisation to net release depending on litter species.
 Moreover, litter quality control on decomposition is reshuffled by litter
 conversion into faeces. In ecosystems with high detritivore abundance,
 this so far largely overlooked pathway of organic matter turnover may
 strongly affect ecosystem C and N cycling.
description: Physical and chemical
 characteristicsThis data file contains
 physical and chemical characteristics of uningested leaf litter of seven
 tree species, and the characteristics of faecal pellets of pill millipedes
 (Glomeris marginata) feeding on the litter of each of these species
 separately. See Methods in the paper for measurement details, and the
 "Metadata" sheet for variable description.Phys&Chem_characteristics.xlsxCarbon and Nitrogen dynamicsThis data file contains data used to compute the carbon and nitrogen losses of uningested leaf litter of seven tree species, and the C and N losses of faecal pellets of pill millipedes (Glomeris marginata) feeding on the litter of each of these species separately, after 100 days of incubation. See Methods in the paper for measurement details, and the "Metadata" sheet for variable description.C&N_dynamics.xlsx