Biogeographical Differentiation and Key Drivers of the Home-Field Advantage in Cross-Habitat Litter Decomposition: A Global Meta-Analysis.

Tianjiao Mei, Xingbing He, Yonghui Lin, Zaihua He, Xiangshi Kong

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Tianjiao MeiHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wulingshan Resources, School of Life Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China.

Xingbing HeHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wulingshan Resources, School of Life Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China.

Yonghui LinHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wulingshan Resources, School of Life Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China.

Zaihua HeHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wulingshan Resources, School of Life Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4975-8141

Xiangshi KongHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wulingshan Resources, School of Life Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China.ORCID 0000-0003-3541-5663

Funding

Open Fund of Hunan Provincial key Laboratory of Ecological Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wulingshan Resources 2025Z001the National Natural Science Foundation of China 31670624the National Natural Science Foundation of China 32060332the National Natural Science Foundation of China 32160356the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2025JJ50112the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2025JJ60205the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2026JJ50153

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Global climate change and human activities have jointly exacerbated habitat fragmentation and expanded ecotones, significantly increasing the frequency and intensity of cross-habitat litter decomposition. The phenomenon whereby litter decomposes faster in its habitat of origin ("home") than in other habitats ("away") is known as the home-field advantage (HFA) effect. In-depth exploration of its core mechanisms and key drivers is crucial for revealing the spatial heterogeneity of global carbon and nitrogen cycles and for refining the theory of substance cycling in forest ecosystems. This study integrated 1410 observations from 102 published studies and used meta-analysis to systematically evaluate global patterns, biogeographical differentiation, and key drivers of the HFA effect. The results show that the HFA exhibits significant biogeographical differentiation and is driven by multiple factors. Globally, we found a significant positive HFA (

Indexed as

biogeographical differentiationclimate typehome-field advantagelitter decompositionmeta-analysisvegetation type

Identifiers

PMID42739483

DOI10.3390/plants15172716

PMCPMC13567475

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.