Environmental heterogeneity reshapes arthropod communities and overrides biodiversity effects on carrion decomposition across the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Data files
Jun 16, 2026 version files 26.98 KB
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Decomposition_data.csv
5.06 KB
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Environment_data.csv
6.48 KB
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README.md
3.66 KB
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Species_data.csv
11.78 KB
Abstract
Although arthropods are key agents of detritus decomposition, the extent to which environmental heterogeneity modulates this process through shifts in community composition remains poorly understood, particularly in high-elevation ecosystems. We therefore examined animal-derived detrital (yak carrion) decomposition on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, partitioning direct spatial (grassland, shrubland, riverbank, and wetland) and temporal effects (July–September) from those mediated by arthropod assemblages. Our results reveal that species richness and abundance varied significantly among habitats and sampling months, with species richness highest in grasslands, particularly in July, whereas abundance peaked in shrublands, especially in September. Multivariate analyses revealed pronounced habitat-level differentiation in arthropod community composition and strong associations with environmental variables, especially vegetation richness. Decomposition rates (K) were substantially higher in grassland and shrubland than in riverbank and wetland habitats, peaking in July for grasslands and in September for shrublands. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that decomposition was directly driven by habitat type rather than indirectly through arthropod richness and abundance, demonstrating that environmental heterogeneity on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau dominates over biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning and highlighting the context-dependent nature of arthropod-mediated decomposition.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.cfxpnvxmb
Description of the data and file structure
This dataset comprises three CSV files. The “Species_data.csv” file contains a species composition matrix spanning four distinct habitats (grassland, shrubland, riverbank, and wetland) during the growing season (July–September). The “Environment_data.csv” file provides synchronously measured environmental variables for the same spatiotemporal contexts. The “Decomposition_data.csv” file records corresponding mass loss dynamics.
Files and variables
File: Decomposition_data.csv
Description: This file contains carrion decomposition data collected across four habitats (grassland, shrubland, riverbank, and wetland) on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau from July to September. It includes measurements of initial and residual dry masses for carrion samples, enabling calculation of decomposition rates (K) across habitats and sampling months.
Variables
- Month: The month during which the sampling was conducted
- Habitat: The distinct ecosystem type from which samples were collected.
- Replicate: This field denotes the independent plot-level replicate (n=3 per habitat). Each replicate unit comprised a cluster of five carrion-baited trapping devices.
- Original wet weight (g): initial fresh weight of each carrion sample (50 g)
- Converted initial dry mass (g): the estimated initial dry mass (32.5 g)of each carrion sample, obtained by converting the fresh weight based on the measured water content.
- Residual dry weight (g): the remaining dry mass of the carrion sample after oven-drying
File: Environment_data.csv
Description: This file contains environmental data collected concurrently with carrion decomposition experiments across four habitats (grassland, shrubland, riverbank, and wetland) from July to September.
Variables
- Month: The month during which the sampling was conducted
- Habitat: The distinct ecosystem type from which samples were collected.
- Replicate: This field denotes the independent plot-level replicate (n=3 per habitat). Each replicate unit comprised a cluster of five carrion-baited trapping devices.
- Environmental Variables: Each remaining column represents a discrete environmental factor, with cell values providing the quantitative measurements for that variable. Units are provided in column headers or, where unitless, variables represent simple counts (e.g., vegetation richness is a unitless count of plant species).
File: Species_data.csv
Description: This file contains species abundance data of carrion-associated arthropods collected across four habitats (grassland, shrubland, riverbank, and wetland) from July to September.
Variables
- Month: The month during which the sampling was conducted
- Habitat: The distinct ecosystem type from which samples were collected.
- Replicate: This field denotes the independent plot-level replicate (n=3 per habitat). Each replicate unit comprised a cluster of five carrion-baited trapping devices.
- Species abundance: Each remaining column corresponds to a distinct species, identified by the column header. The values represent the recorded abundance of that species. Empty cells in the species abundance matrix represent zero abundance (i.e., absence of individuals in the corresponding sample unit) rather than missing data.