Decomposition Rates and Community Structure of Arthropods in the Litter of Invasive Solidago gigantea Do Not Support the Home-Field Advantage Hypothesis

Decomposition rates of an invasive plant litter in native-species communities can be slower, since decomposers are not adapted to the litter of the invasive species. We have compared rates of plant decomposition and the structure of arthropod communities during the incubation of the litter of the invasive giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea (Asteraceae) and three native species (Urtica dioica, Cirsium arvense, and Chamaenerion angustifolium) in the biotopes with dominance of local and invasive plant species. Our results suggest that the arthropod community involved in decomposition of S. gigantea and other species is not species specific and does not provide a higher or lower rate of decomposition of the invasive species. Neither the rate of litter decomposition, nor the structure and diversity of arthropod communities support the home-field advantage hypothesis.