Aim Considered one of ecology's laws, the species‐area relationship (SAR) is among the most intensively studied ecological phenomena, yet the mechanisms through which the SAR arises and under what circumstances remain poorly understood. Here, we experimentally test the effects of area alone in the absence of commonly invoked mechanistic drivers of the SAR in both sub‐tidal bay and inter‐tidal marsh habitats. Location Louisiana...

Understanding the factors that mediate carbon (C) cycling is increasingly important as anthropogenic activities and climate change alter ecosystems. Decomposition rates mediate C cycling and are in part regulated by sodium (Na) where Na is limiting up to some threshold after which Na becomes stressful and reduces decomposition rates (i.e., the Sodium Subsidy-Stress hypothesis). An overlooked pathway by which decomposers encoun...