| Soil fauna, the most active portion in belowground systems, play crucial roles in processes such as nutrient cycling and energy transformation in terrestrial ecosystems. Litter decomposition is an important biological process driven by a range of complex and interacting physical factors, such as climate, substrate, soil organisms, and physical and chemical properties of soils. Little is known about the response of soil biota to globe climate changes, and the possible effects of soil communities on the process of decomposition. Altitudinal gradients often produce climatic effects that would result from latitudinal changes, and so have been used as surrogates for latitudinal gradients. Our study examined the changes of soil faunal diversity under the effects of soil and climate characteristic and its contributions to leaf litter decomposition of a single substrate (Castanopsis carlesii) along an elevation gradient across four types of zonal vegetations in southeastern China: evergreen broadleaf forest (EVB): coniferous forest (COF): dwarf forest (DWF): and alpine meadow (ALM) during April 2007 to 2008.The major finding and its significance are as following:1. We examined the structure and makeup of soil fauna along an elevation gradient in the Wuyi mountains. The number, density, and diversity decreased significantly, which supply some data for faunal distribution study in subtropics and aides in understanding of faunal response to altitude changes.2. We found the positive influences of soil physical, chemical, and biological characteristic on faunal constitution along an elevation gradient in the Wuyi mountains. The result may be helpful to understand the effects of climate, vegetation, and soil on faunal structure and diversity, and the responses of fauna to climate changes.3. Faunal diversity and its contribution to litter decomposition decreased along the elevation gradients. We suggest that soil faunal diversity and its environment may be important driver in litter decomposition.
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