Abstract
Based on evidence from various ecosystems, it is hypothesized that interaction between leaf-litter and soil decomposer communities results in higher decomposition when leaf litter is decomposed in its home than away soil, a phenomenon called home field advantage (HFA). However, the generality of this hypothesis remains unclear due to the emergence of contrasting results across various biomes. Here, we tested if HFA also occurs in lawn grass (Cynodon dactylon; GL) and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) leaf litter (DL) decomposition in arid sandy soil using reciprocal litter transplant mesocosms experiment. Litter decomposition was monitored by measuring CO2 emission (alkali trap), dissolved organic C (DOC), and mineral N (N-min) over 180 days. Regression analysis was used to estimate HFA, litter quality (QI), and soil decomposer communities' ability (FA) indices. The highest HFA (69%) was observed for non-cumulative CO2 emission on day 14 that was decreased to 4% on day 180. Similarly, N-min from leaf litter was 4 and 6% higher at home than away soil on days 90 and 180, respectively. These HFA effects were mainly attributed to higher CO2 emission and soil N-min from grass litter at home than away-soil. In addition, microbial biomass C from GL and N immobilization from DL was lower at home than away-soil. However, we did not observe HFA for DOC on day 90 or 180. The QI indicates that CO2 emission or N-min was lower from DL than GL irrespective of home or away soil. The QI and FA did not change over time for the aforesaid parameters despite HFA effects decreased with time for non-cumulative CO2 emission. This indicates that leaf litter and soil specific interactions did not remain constant for litter C and N cycling, and hence this interaction could be nutrient-specific during leaf litter decomposition in soil.