Phenotypic variation in oak litter influences short- and long-term nutrient cycling through litter chemistry

The influence of intraspecific variation on ecosystem functioning is relatively unknown. We investigated the effects of litter phenotype on carbon and nitrogen fluxes in the litter and soil, and on microarthropod and bacterial populations over a 3-year period. Different litter phenotypes significantly affected carbon and nitrogen fluxes. Short- and long-term fluxes within single phenotype treatments were significantly, but unpredictably, different from a mixed phenotype treatment. Fluxes were associated with variation in litter chemistry which has a significant genetic component. We found no effects of phenotype identity on soil bacterial or microarthropod communities. However, persistent litter phenotype effects upon carbon and nitrogen fluxes support our previous suggestion that losses in genetic diversity may influence ecosystem processes.