Nitrogen (N) input affects litter decay and ecosystem functioning. However, the mechanism of litter decay under temporal N‐inputs has rarely been observed. Here we show that three‐year experimental N‐inputs significantly stimulated the rate of litter decay to some extent and then inhibited it with increasing N‐inputs. The N‐inputs affected the litter's mass loss by directly influencing the temporal stability of aboveground biomass (BS) and diversity while indirectly changing soil pH, C: N ratio, and synergistic interactions of soil, vegetation, and microbial traits. The BS has emerged as a significant regulatory factor for the litter decay of tropical grassland. The outcome of the present study will be helpful in predicting the global feedback of litter decay on the N inputs and the amount of N required for the sustainable functioning of the degraded tropical or similar grasslands.

中文翻译：

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氮输入下凋落物腐烂对生物量时间稳定性的反馈

氮 (N) 输入会影响凋落物腐烂和生态系统功能。然而，时间 N 输入下的凋落物衰减机制却很少被观察到。在这里，我们表明，三年的实验性氮输入在一定程度上显着刺激了凋落物腐烂的速度，然后随着氮输入的增加而抑制了它。氮输入通过直接影响地上生物量（BS）和多样性的时间稳定性，同时间接改变土壤 pH 值、C:N 比率以及土壤、植被和微生物性状的协同相互作用来影响凋落物的质量损失。 BS 已成为热带草原凋落物腐烂的重要调节因素。本研究的结果将有助于预测凋落物腐烂对氮输入的全球反馈以及退化热带或类似草原可持续功能所需的氮量。