Compensatory mechanisms of litter decomposition under alternating moisture regimes in tropical rice fields A conversion from permanently flooded rice cropping systems to crop rotations that include non-flooded upland crops is heavily promoted in tropical regions to meet the challenges of sustainable food production while reducing water consumption and trace gas emissions. Shorter periods of flooding and manipulation of fertilizer inputs affect belowground community composition, biomass and functioning. However, there have been no previous studies of how such shifts in rice field management might affect soil biota and decomposition. Our objective was to examine how crop diversification, which demands different moisture regimes and nitrogen inputs, influences belowground invertebrate assemblages and their contribution to the decomposition of crop residues.
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