CONCLUSION
We have demonstrated
conclusively
that soil invertebrates are
important components of global forest leaf litter decomposition,
especially in the tropics, from both biogeographical and ecological
perspectives. Termites in particular are major decomposers mediating the
regional variation in animal-driven decomposition. Soil invertebrates
are experiencing remarkable diversity loss and functional changes driven
by multiple disturbances including climate change, habitat loss and
environmental pollution (Cifuentes-Croquevielle et al. 2020).
Potentially, this loss will decrease the release of carbon and
plant-available nutrients from dead organic matter significantly with
cascading effects on plant nutrient uptake and soil health (Handaet al. 2014; Griffiths et al. 2021a). Future climate
change and other human disturbance has the potential to reshape the
relative contributions of soil invertebrates and microbes in global
litter decomposition with unknown but undoubtedly serious consequences.