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Jake Lanion Snaddon Biodiversity and ecosystem function within leaf-litter accumulations in Sabah, Malaysia. Summary Leaf-litter decomposition is one of the most important terrestrial ecosystem processes. Even though the last decade has seen biodiversity and ecosystem function studies emerge as one of the major topics in ecology, little is known about the affect of biodiversity on decomposition. This thesis focuses on the relationship between biodiversity and decomposition, utilising leaf-litter accumulations within bird’s nest ferns as natural microcosms. The value of bird’s nest ferns as a litter-trapping system was investigated within the primary forest at Danum Valley Field Centre. The ferns were shown to trap and retain leaf litterfall efficiently. The quantity of litter held per area of fern and the rate of litter decomposition within the ferns were comparable to those on the forest floor. The bird’s nest ferns are therefore excellent natural microcosms in which to study the effect of invertebrate and leaf-litter diversity on litter decomposition. The influence of invertebrate diversity on litter decomposition was studied in fern and forest floor habitats, across three forest types (primary forest, logged forest and oil palm plantations). Invertebrate diversity, both at ordinal and species levels, was not found to affect litter decomposition. Decomposition was also influenced by forest type and habitat. Experimental manipulation of the leaf-litter diversity within bird’s nest ferns did not show an effect on decomposition overall. However, within leaflitter mixtures a choosing effect occurred, with some litter species decomposing at slower rates than they do in monocultures. Fungal rhizomorph networks were assessed as an additional litter-trapping system within the primary forest. These understudied litter-trapping systems were found to retain larger quantities of leaf litter than the bird’s nest ferns, though the litter was more dispersed throughout the forest understorey. The removal of the litter associated with the fungal rhizomorph systems resulted in a significant decline in invertebrate diversity and abundance, illustrating its importance to the invertebrate community.