Long-term decomposition of litter in the montane forest and the definition of fungal traits in the successional space

Abstract Litter input is an important source of C and nutrients in forest soils that are liberated and utilized during decomposition. We have investigated the long-term decomposition of Picea abies and Calamagrostis villosa litters in montane spruce forest and the litter-associated fungi. The two litter types differed in initial nutrient content and decomposed at different rates, but in both cases, significant residual mass was left after five years of decomposition – over 30% of the initial mass of Calamagrostis litter and 40% of Picea litter. The litters harbored different fungal communities, though these tended to converge over time. The initial fungal community was dominated by Ascomycota, while the share of Basidiomycota and Mucoromycotina/Mortierellomycotina increased towards the end of the experiment. Individual litter fungi showed variable preference to litter type, succession time and duration of occurrence and we propose these as potential taxon-specific traits requiring further investigation.