Litter decomposition rates across tropical montane and lowland forests are controlled foremost by climate

The “hierarchy of factors” hypothesis states that decomposition rates are controlled primarily by climatic, followed by biological and soil variables. Tropical montane forests (TMF) are globally important ecosystems, yet there have been limited efforts to provide a biome‐scale characterization of litter decomposition. We designed a common litter decomposition experiment replicated in 23 tropical montane sites across the Americas, Asia, and Africa and combined these results with a previous study of 23 sites in tropical lowland forests (TLF). Specifically, we investigated (1) spatial heterogeneity in decomposition, (2) the relative importance of biological factors that affect leaf and wood decomposition in TMF, and (3) the role of climate in determining leaf litter decomposition rates within and across the TMF and TLF biomes. Litterbags of two mesh sizes containing Laurus nobilis leaves or birchwood popsicle sticks were spatially dispersed and incubated in TMF sites, for 3 and 7 months on the soil surface and at 10–15 cm depth. The within‐site replication demonstrated spatial variability in mass loss. Within TMF, litter type was the predominant biological factor influencing decomposition (leaves > wood), with mesh and burial effects playing a minor role. When comparing across TMF and TLF, climate was the predominant control over decomposition, but the Yasso07 global model (based on mean annual temperature and precipitation) only modestly predicted decomposition rate. Differences in controlling factors between biomes suggest that TMF, with their high rates of carbon storage, must be explicitly considered when developing theory and models to elucidate carbon cycling rates in the tropics. in Spanish is available with online material. Resumen La hipótesis de la “jerarquía de factores” en la descomposición establece que las tasas globales de descomposición de hojarasca están controladas principalmente por el clima, seguido de variables biológicas y edáficas. Los bosques tropicales de montaña (BTM) son ecosistemas de importancia global, sin embargo, ha habido esfuerzos limitados para caracterizar las tasas de descomposición de hojarasca a la escala de este bioma. Diseñamos un experimento común para la descomposición de hojarasca replicado en 23 sitios tropicales de montaña distribuidos en los continentes de América, Asia y África, y combinamos los resultados con un estudio previo que incluyó 23 sitios en bosques tropicales bajos (BTB) para examinar la contribución