Plants are the largest biomass component of most terrestrial ecosystems, and litter decomposition is considered the dominant process by which nutrients return to plants. We show that in terrestrial ecosystems, there are three major pathways by which plant biomass is degraded into forms that release nutrients again available to plants: microbial decomposition; vertebrate herbivory; and wildfires. These processes act at different spatial and temporal scales, have different niches, and generates different ecological and evolutionary feedbacks. This holistic view in which microbes, herbivores, and wildfires play a joint role in the functioning of ecosystems contributes to a better understanding of the diversity of mechanisms regulating the biosphere.

植物是大多数陆地生态系统中最大的生物量组成部分，凋落物分解被认为是养分返回植物的主要过程。我们表明，在陆地生态系统中，存在三种主要途径，通过这些途径植物的生物量被降解为释放出可再次用于植物的养分的形式：微生物分解；脊椎动物食草 和野火。这些过程在不同的空间和时间尺度上起作用，具有不同的生态位，并产生不同的生态和进化反馈。微生物，草食动物和野火在生态系统功能中起共同作用的整体观点有助于更好地理解调节生物圈的机制的多样性。