亚热带地区树叶凋落物在流水和静水环境中的淋溶规律

为了解亚热带地区水体中树叶凋落物在分解初期的淋溶规律,比较研究了广州地区8种常见树种的树叶凋落物在静水和流水环境中淋溶量的变化.结果表明,在第1 d内,8种树叶无论在静水还是流水环境下干重损失率均显著高于其他时段(P<0.05),但不同树种在淋溶量的大小上存在差异,其中以质地柔软、革质化程度低的人面子树叶干重淋溶率最大(流水中:27.0%;静水中:24.2%);质地坚硬、革质化程度高的竹柏树叶淋溶率最小(流水中:9.8%;静水中:8.0%).第2d和第3d,8种树叶凋落物的干重损失率无显著差异,表明淋溶阶段趋于结束.综上结果表明,亚热带地区的树叶凋落物在静水环境和流水环境中的淋溶阶段均主要出现在第1天.     

Drowned or Dry: A Cross-Habitat Comparison of Detrital Breakdown Processes

Nutrient cycles in both terrestrial and many freshwater habitats are fueled by terrestrial detritus. However, direct comparisons of decomposition processes in these environments are scarce. Aiming at shedding light on similarities and differences in these processes in different habitats, we studied decomposition of low-quality versus high-quality detritus through the action of shredders versus grazers in aquatic versus terrestrial microcosms under controlled climatic conditions. Decomposition processes were most strongly affected by whether they took place in the terrestrial or the aquatic environment: Leaching resulted in a rapid mass loss of detritus in the aquatic environment, and detritus traits became less pronounced over time. Thus, breakdown was mediated through dissolved organic matter (DOM) in water but through particulate organic matter (POM) on land. Litter mass loss and the promoting effects of detritivores on mass loss also depended on the environment, but shredders always had a greater effect than grazers. Both litter and detritivore diversity were overall of little relevance for litter mass loss, but more so in the aquatic than the terrestrial environment. By contrast, the influence of detritivores on microbes was stronger in water than on land, but effects depended on the litter type. The type of both litter and detritivores, however, was less significant in the aquatic than in the terrestrial environment, possibly due to leaching and abiotic processing of litter during early decomposition, resulting in diminishing differences between litter types. We conclude that the habitat type shapes the dynamics of leaf litter decomposition. Heavy leaching (in the aquatic environment) shortens initial decomposition phases and dislocates the degradation of easily accessible compounds in the form of DOM from the leaves into the water column. Consequently, initial interspecific differences in litter quality diminish, and both functional differences in, and diversity of, both litter and detritivores become less important than in the terrestrial environment.     

Short-term exercise training early in life restores deficits in pancreatic β-cell mass associated with growth restriction in adult male rats

Fetal growth restriction is associated with reduced pancreatic β-cell mass, contributing to impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes. Exercise training increases β-cell mass in animals with diabetes and has long-lasting metabolic benefits in rodents and humans. We studied the effect of exercise training on islet and β-cell morphology and plasma insulin and glucose, following an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) in juvenile and adult male Wistar-Kyoto rats born small. Bilateral uterine vessel ligation performed on day 18 of pregnancy resulted in Restricted offspring born small compared with sham-operated Controls and also sham-operated Reduced litter offspring that had their litter size reduced to five pups at birth. Restricted, Control, and Reduced litter offspring remained sedentary or underwent treadmill running from 5 to 9 or 20 to 24 wk of age. Early life exercise increased relative islet surface area and β-cell mass across all groups at 9 wk, partially restoring the 60-68% deficit (P < 0.05) in Restricted offspring. Remarkably, despite no further exercise training after 9 wk, β-cell mass was restored in Restricted at 24 wk, while sedentary littermates retained a 45% deficit (P = 0.05) in relative β-cell mass. Later exercise training also restored Restricted β-cell mass to Control levels. In conclusion, early life exercise training in rats born small restored β-cell mass in adulthood and may have beneficial consequences for later metabolic health and disease.     

Fungal succession and decomposition of beech cupule litter

Beech cupule litter is the second largest (next to leaf litter) component of total annual litterfall in mast years, and makes an important contribution to carbon budgets in beech forest soils. We investigated the decomposition processes of beech cupule litter over a 30-month period with reference to the role of fungal succession in the decomposition of acid-unhydrolyzable residue (AUR) and holocellulose. During the study period, weight loss of holocellulose occurred, while there was little weight loss of AUR, and 77?% of the original cupule weight remained at the end of the study period. Xylaria sp.1, Geniculosporium sp. and Nigrospora sp. that can attack holocellulose selectively caused mass loss of holocellulose and were responsible for the cupule weight loss. Although the beech cupule is a woody phyllome and its lignocellulose composition is similar to that of coarse woody debris (CWD) rather than leaf litter of beech, the selective decomposition of holocellulose by fungi was similar to the decay process of leaf litter rather than CWD.     

Differences in patches of retention among leaves,woods and small litter particles in a headwater stream: the importance of particle morphology

The location of retention in the channel can influence invertebrate assemblage and breakdown processes associated with a litter particle in heterogeneous streams. We previously identified four types of litter patches that formed on riffles or different locations in pools (middle, edge, alcove), and demonstrated that middle patches had higher litter processing rates than the other patches. In this study, we examined differences in retention on the four patch types among leaves, woody materials and small litter particles, and among leaves of different sizes, by sampling natural and manipulated litter particles that were newly retained. Proportionally more woody materials, leaf pieces (16–50 mm) and particulate organic matter (1–16 mm) than leaves (>50 mm) were retained on middle patches, while proportionally more leaves than the other litter particles were retained on riffle and edge patches. The retention pattern of leaf species with different leaf sizes and a released experiment of leaf particles revealed that proportionally more leaf particles with smaller sizes were retained on middle patches. The flexibility, shape and dryness of litter particles also seem to affect the location of retention in the channel. These results suggest that the morphology of litter particles have the potential to affect the biological use and breakdown of litter particles through determining the location of retention within the channel. The size of leaves and processes that alter leaf size may have important roles on the breakdown and utilisation by invertebrates in these heterogeneous streams.     

Effects of upland clearcutting and riparian partial harvesting on leaf pack breakdown and aquatic invertebrates in boreal forest streams

1. Leaf litter breakdown and associated invertebrates were compared among three logged and three reference stream reaches 2–3 years before and 3–4 years after logging to assess the environmental impacts of partial‐harvest logging as a novel riparian management strategy for boreal forest streams. 2. Partial‐harvest logging at three sites resulted in 10, 21 and 28% average basal area removal from riparian buffers adjacent to upland clear‐cut areas. 3. Leaf litter breakdown rates were not significantly different between reference and logged sites after logging, but litter breakdown was significantly different from year to year at all sites. 4. Significant post‐logging differences in aquatic invertebrate communities were detected at only one of the three logged sites. These differences were largely the result of increases in some leaf‐shredding stoneflies and a detritivorous mayfly and a decrease in a chironomid group 2–4 years after logging. This site where significant change was detected had the lowest intensity of riparian logging (average 10% removal) but the highest proportion of the catchment area that was clear cut (85%). 5.The post‐logging differences in invertebrate communities at this site were more related to catchment‐wide influences (e.g. weather patterns, water yield, possibly upland clearcutting) than to reach‐level disturbances from riparian logging. 6.The study indicates that partial‐harvest logging in riparian buffers at up to 50% removal should pose little risk of harm to leaf litter breakdown processes or aquatic invertebrate communities beyond any impacts that might arise from upland logging disturbance or catchment‐wide influences. However, the results should be viewed in the context of the natural disturbance (summer drought conditions) through the post‐logging assessment period of this study. Post‐logging summer drought conditions may have masked or confounded logging impacts on streams.     

不同水分条件下毛果苔草枯落物分解及营养动态

于2009年5月至2010年5月采用分解袋法,研究了三江平原典型湿地植物毛果苔草枯落物分解对水分条件变化的响应,探讨了典型碟形洼地不同水位下枯落物分解1a时间内的分解速率与N、P等营养元素动态。分解1a内,无积水环境下枯落物失重率为34.99%,季节性积水环境下为27.28%,常年积水环境下随水位增加枯落物失重率分别为26.99%与30.67%,表明积水条件抑制了枯落物的分解。枯落物的分解随环境变化表现出阶段性特征,分解0—122 d内随水位增加枯落物失重率分别为16.09%、24.25%、23.53%与26.60%,即生长季内积水条件促进了枯落物有机质的分解及重量损失。而随实验进行,分解122—360 d内随水位增加毛果苔草枯落物的失重率分别为18.90%、3.02%、3.46%、4.03%,即在非生长季土壤冻融期积水条件抑制了枯落物分解(P<0.05)。水分条件对毛果苔草枯落物N元素的影响表现为积水条件促进生长季内枯落物的N固定,水位最高处毛果苔草N浓度显著高于无积水环境(P<0.05)。但进入冻融期后积水环境下枯落物N浓度与含量降低;其中季节性积水限制了枯落物的N积累能力,至分解360d时与初始值相比表现出明显的N释放(P=0.01)。毛果苔草枯落物分解61d时P出现富集,其中积水条件下P的富集作用增强,但与水位不相关。分解1a后毛果苔草枯落物表现为P的净释放,不同水分条件下枯落物P元素损失没有明显差异(P>0.05)。     

Interactive responses of grass litter decomposition to warming,nitrogen addition and detritivore access in a temperate old field

Plant litter decomposition has been studied extensively in the context of both climate warming and increased atmospheric N deposition. However, much of this research is based on microbial responses, despite the potential for detritivores to contribute substantially to litter breakdown. We measured litter mass-loss responses to the combined effects of warming, N addition and detritivore access in a grass-dominated old field. We concurrently assessed the roles of litter treatment origin vs. microenvironment (direct warming and N-addition effects) to elucidate the mechanisms through which these factors affect decomposition. After 6 weeks, mass loss increased in N-addition plots, and it increased with detritivore access in the absence of warming. After 1 year, warming, N addition, and detritivore access all increased litter mass loss, although the effects of N addition and warming were non-additive in the detritivore-access plots. For the litter-origin experiment, mass loss after 6 weeks increased in litter from N-addition plots and warmed plots, but unlike the overall decomposition response, the N-addition effect was enhanced by detritivore access. Conversely, for the microenvironment experiment, detritivore access only increased mass loss in unfertilized plots. After 1 year, detritivore access increased mass loss in the litter-origin and microenvironment experiments, but there were no warming or N-addition effects. Overall, our results provide support for a substantial role of detritivores in promoting litter mass loss in our system. Moreover, they reveal important interactions between litter origin, microclimate and detritivores in determining decomposition responses to global change.     

Studies on decomposition ofCeratophyllum demersum litter under laboratory and field conditions: losses of dry mass and nutrients,qualitative changes in organic compounds and consequences for ambient water and sediments

A study was made of decomposition ofCeratophyllum demersum litter over a 17-day period under controlled conditions of temperature and oxygen (5, 10 and 18 °C; aerobic and anaerobic) and over a 169-day period in the field (Lake Vechten, The Netherlands). Litter, water and sediment were sampled on the 0, 2, 4, 7 and 17th day under controlled conditions and on the 0, 17, 49, 127 and 169th day in the field. The litter was analyzed quantitatively for dry mass, ash, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and qualitatively of organic composition by pyrolysis mass spectrometry. The water was analyzed for the elemental concentrations of organic carbon (total and dissolved), nitrogen (total, ammonia and particulate) and phosphorus (total and orthophosphate) and for the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments and bacteria. The sediment was analyzed for the elemental concentrations of nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus, and for bacterial numbers.The pattern of litter mass loss fitted an exponential model fairly well. Mass decreased faster under controlled aerobic than under anaerobic conditions and the decrease was stimulated by increasing temperature, relatively more in the range of 5 to 10 °C (by 20%) than in the range of 10 of 18 °C (by 2%). The residual mass ranged from 73 to 43% of initial under controlled aerobic conditions and from 84 to 65% under anaerobic conditions after 17 days. It decreased far less in the field, to 38% of initial mass in the field after 169 days.The litter initially lost a carbohydrate fraction by leaching in all treatments. The protein content decreased initially as well but increased subsequently at increasing temperature stimulated under anaerobic conditions. The changes in organic composition were correlated with those in nitrogen but not with those in carbon and phosphorus contents. The organic composition of litter incubated in the field differed from that of litter incubated in the laboratory. The field residues contained less proteinaceous material than the laboratory residues.The changes in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in the litter showed different patterns. The carbon concentration generally increased, the nitrogen concentration initially dropped and increased subsequently, and the phosphorus concentration initially dropped and remained relatively constant subsequently. Chemical immobilization of the decomposition process may have occurred in the laboratory, but was unlikely in the field.Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus left the litter initially largely in particulate form and were recovered in the water. The ratio dissolved: total nutrient concentration was lower under controlled aerobic than under anaerobic conditions. Increasing temperature stimulated bacterial use of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen. A rapid nutrient flow occurred from macrophyte litter, via water to sediment.The phytoplankton biomass in the water was greatly stimulated by substances freed from the decomposing litter. Diatoms increased generally relatively more than green algae, predominating alternatively with green algae under aerobic conditions and continuously under anaerobic conditions. Bacterial numbers in the water initially increased, partly due to transgression of bacteria from the sediment-water interface to the water and partly due to an actual increase in community biomass. The bacteria returned largely to the sediment-water interface, stimulated by increasing temperature, as most of the substrate readily usable by them had left the litter in the litter-bag and was associated with the upper sediment layers.It is feasible that the annual die-off of theC. demersum population of Lake Vechten barely affects nutrient cycling in the lake, because the contribution to the nutrient pools of the lake when fully mixed is only small. However, small particles originating from decomposingC. demersum litter may influence the lake considerably by decreasing water transparency and serving as a food source for filter-feeders and detritivorous macrofauna.     

Weaning mass affects changes in body composition and food intake in harbour seal pups during the first month of independence

In phocid seals, the transition to nutritional independence is abrupt, with females abandoning their offspring after weaning and returning to sea. We hypothesized that body size at weaning may play an important role in the nature of this transition. We studied the changes in body composition and water flux of newly weaning harbour seals over the first 4-6 wk postweaning. Thirty-three pups were dosed with deuterium oxide to estimate total body water (TBW) and a subset of 24 was dosed twice to estimate changes in body composition and water flux. All pups lost body mass over the study period, but TBW increased during the period of mass loss, indicating continued lean tissue growth. Combined data from this and our early study indicated that heavy (>median mass) pups were relatively fatter (41.0% vs. 37.1%) and had significantly greater total body energy at weaning than did light (< or = median mass) pups. Percentage TBW declined linearly over time in light pups but was constant in heavy pups for the first 19 d postweaning and then declined linearly. Both the temporal pattern and composition of mass loss differed between light and heavy pups. Estimated food intake increased in the second 2 wk of study compared to the first 2 wk, in both light and heavy pups, reflecting increased foraging success but at levels still insufficient to meet daily expenditures of most individuals.     

Effects of land abandonment on plant litter decomposition in a Montado system: relation to litter chemistry and community functional parameters

Changes in land use and subsequent shifts in vegetation can influence decomposition through changes in litter quality (chemistry and structure) and alterations of soil temperature and moisture. Our aim was to study the effects of land abandonment on litter decomposition in a Mediterranean area of Montado, South Portugal. We tested the hypothesis that decomposition tends to slow down with abandonment, as woody species, richer in lignified structures, replace herbaceous species. We assessed the decomposition of community litter in situ using litterbag technique. To test the influence of local conditions, we simultaneously incubated a standard litter in situ. Our results showed that the shift from herbaceous to shrub-dominated communities lead to decreased decomposition rates. Changes in litter decomposition were primarily driven by changes in litter quality, even though the uneven pattern of litter mass loss over the experiment might reveal an effect from possible differences in microclimate. Shrub litter had higher nutrient content than herbaceous litter, which seemed to favour higher initial decomposition rates, but lower decomposition rate in the longer term. Shrubs also contribute to woody litter, richer in lignin, and secondary compounds that retard decomposition, and may play a role in increasing pools of slowly decomposing organic matter.     

大兴安岭泥炭地不同菌根类型木本植物叶片凋落物分解及其温度敏感性差异

以我国大兴安岭多年冻土区泥炭地常见的3种外生菌根木本植物(细叶沼柳Salix rosmarinifolia、白桦Betula platyphylla和柴桦B.fruticosa)和4种欧石楠菌根木本植物(笃斯越桔Vaccinium uliginosum、狭叶杜香Ledum palustre、甸杜Chamaedaphne calyculata和小叶杜鹃Rhododendron parrifolum)为研究对象,通过315天培养试验测定10和20℃叶片凋落物分解过程中的碳(C)累积矿化量和重量损失,并分析其温度敏感性。结果表明:外生菌根植物叶片凋落物的C矿化量和重量损失在10和20℃均高于欧石楠菌根植物;外生菌根植物凋落物分解过程中C矿化量的温度敏感性系数高于欧石楠菌根植物,但重量损失的温度敏感性系数低于欧石楠菌根植物;在每一培养温度下,C矿化量和重量损失均与凋落物全氮(N)和全磷(P)浓度呈正相关,与C/N和C/P呈负相关;尽管C矿化量的温度敏感性系数与凋落物初始化学组成无显著相关性,但重量损失的温度敏感性系数与凋落物全N和全P浓度呈负相关,与C/N和C/P呈正相关。本研究结果为认识和预测气候变暖及其引起的物种组成变化对北方泥炭地植物凋落物分解的影响提供理论依据。     

High multivitamin intake by Wistar rats during pregnancy results in increased food intake and components of the metabolic syndrome in male offspring

The effect of high multivitamin intake during pregnancy on the metabolic phenotype of rat offspring was investigated. Pregnant Wistar rats (n=10 per group) were fed the AIN-93G diet with the recommended vitamin (RV) content or a 10-fold increase [high vitamin (HV) content]. In experiment 1, male and female offspring were followed for 12 wk after weaning; in experiment 2, only males were followed for 28 wk. Body weight (BW) was measured weekly. Every 4 wk, after an overnight fast, food intake over 1 h was measured 30 min after a gavage of glucose or water. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed every 3-5 wk. Postweaning fasting glucose, insulin, ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-1, and systolic blood pressure were measured. No difference in BW at birth or litter size was observed. Food intake was greater in males born to HV dams (P<0.05), and at 28 wk after weaning, BW was 8% higher (P<0.05) and fat pad mass was 27% higher (P<0.05). Food intake reduction after the glucose preload was nearly twofold less in males born to HV dams at 12 wk after weaning (P<0.05). Fasting glucose, insulin, and ghrelin were 11%, 62%, and 41% higher in males from HV dams at 14 wk after weaning (P<0.05). Blood glucose response was 46% higher at 23 wk after weaning (P<0.01), and systolic blood pressure was 16% higher at 28 wk after weaning (P<0.05). In conclusion, high multivitamin intake during pregnancy programmed the male offspring for the development of the components of metabolic syndrome in adulthood, possibly by its effects on central mechanisms of food intake control.     

The influence of invertebrates on the breakdown ofPotamogeton pectinatus L. in a coastal marina (Zandvlei,South Africa)

The influence of invertebrates upon the decomposition ofPotamogeton pectinatus L. in a coastal Marina system was examined over 112 days using litter bags. Invertebrate inclusion bags (2 mm mesh, 5 mm holes) registered a dry mass loss of 1% d^–1, while exclusion litter bags (80 µm mesh) produced a 0.4% mass loss d^–1 (a 2.5 fold difference). Losses of ash and N from inclusion bags were greater than those from exclusion bags (p < 0.05). There was a three fold difference between the two treatments in the time taken for litter to breakdown to half the initial stock: T_1/2 for inclusion bags = 43 d, exclusion bags = 130 d. In both treatments, minerals showed an expected rapid loss, due to leaching, with a subsequent slow increase relative to the dry material remaining. A total of nine invertebrate taxa was recorded from inclusion bags, with a peak biomass of 64 mg g^–1 dry massPotamogeton bag^–1 reached at 64 days after immersion. Grazing amphipods,Melita zeylanica Stebbing andAustrochiltonia subtenuis (Barnard), numerically dominated the litter bag fauna, whileM. zeylanica and nymphs of the zygopteran predatorIschnura senegalensis (Rambur) formed most of the biomass. Scanning Electron Microscopy indicated heavy grazing of micro-organisms by invertebrates, with major qualitative differences occurring 112 days after immersion. Invertebrates significantly accelerated the rate of litter breakdown through their feeding activities, assisting fragmentation and thus contributing to plant losses and also by increasing the surface area for microbial colonisation and attack.     

Winter regulation of tundra litter carbon and nitrogen dynamics

Mass and nitrogen (N) dynamics of leaf litter measured in Alaskan tussock tundra differed greatly from measurements of these processes made in temperate ecosystems. Nearly all litter mass and N loss occurred during the winter when soils were mostly frozen. Litter lost mass during the first summer, but during the subsequent two summers when biological activity was presumably higher than it is during winter, litter mass remained constant and litter immobilized N. By contrast, litter lost significant mass and N over both winters of measurement. Mass loss and N dynamics were unaffected by microsite variation in soil temperature and moisture. Whether wintertime mass and N loss resulted from biological activity during winter or from physical processes (e.g., fragmentation or leaching) associated with freeze-thaw is unknown, but has implications for how future climate warming will alter carbon (C) and N cycling in tundra. We hypothesize that spring runoff over permafrost as soils melt results in significant losses of C and N from litter, consistent with the observed influx of terrestrial organic matter to tundra lakes and streams after snow melt and the strong N limitation of terrestrial primary production.     

Interactions between fauna and sediment control the breakdown of plant matter in river sediments

1. A substantial portion of particulate organic matter (POM) is stored in the sediment of rivers and streams. Leaf litter breakdown as an ecosystem process mediated by microorganisms and invertebrates is well documented in surface waters. In contrast, this process and especially the implication for invertebrates in subsurface environments remain poorly studied. 2. In the hyporheic zone, sediment grain size distribution exerts a strong influence on hydrodynamics and habitability for invertebrates. We expected that the influence of shredders on organic matter breakdown in river sediments would be influenced strongly by the physical structure of the interstitial habitat. 3. To test this hypothesis, the influence of gammarids (shredders commonly encountered in the hyporheos) on degradation of buried leaf litter was measured in experimental systems (slow filtration columns). We manipulated the structure of the sedimentary habitat by addition of sand to a gravel‐based sediment column to reproduce three conditions of accessible pore volume. Ten gammarids were introduced in columns together with litter bags containing alder leaves at a depth of 8 cm in sediment. Leaves were collected after 28 days to determine leaf mass loss and associated microbial activity (fungal biomass, bacterial abundance and glucosidase, xylosidase and aminopeptidase activities). 4. As predicted, the consumption of buried leaf litter by shredders was strongly influenced by the sediment structure. Effective porosity of 35% and 25% allowed the access to buried leaf litter for gammarids, whereas a lower porosity (12%) did not. As a consequence, leaf litter breakdown rates in columns with 35% and 25% effective porosity were twice as high as in the 12% condition. Microbial activity was poorly stimulated by gammarids, suggesting a low microbial contribution to leaf mass loss and a direct effect of gammarids through feeding activity. 5. Our results show that breakdown of POM in subsurface waters depends on the accessibility of food patches to shredders.     

Relevance of large litter bag burial for the study of leaf breakdown in the hyporheic zone

Particulate organic matter is the major source of energy for most low-order streams, but a large part of this litter is buried within bed sediment during floods and thus become poorly available for benthic food webs. The fate of this buried litter is little studied. In most cases, measures of breakdown rates consist of burying a known mass of litter within the stream sediment and following its breakdown over time. We tested this method using large litter bags (15 × 15 cm) and two field experiments. First, we used litter large bags filled with Alnus glutinosa leaves (buried at 20 cm depth with a shovel) in six stations within different land-use contexts and with different sediment grain sizes. Breakdown rates were surprisingly high (0.0011–0.0188 day⁻¹) and neither correlate with most of the physico-chemical characteristics measured in the interstitial habitats nor with the land-use around the stream. In contrast, the rates were negatively correlated with a decrease in oxygen concentrations between surface and buried bags and positively correlated with both the percentage of coarse particles (20–40 mm) in the sediment and benthic macro-invertebrate richness. These results suggest that the vertical exchanges with surface water in the hyporheic zone play a crucial role in litter breakdown. Second, an experimental modification of local sediment (removing fine particles with a shovel to increase vertical exchanges) highlighted the influence of grain size on water and oxygen exchanges, but had no effect on hyporheic breakdown rates. Burying large litter bags within sediments may thus not be a relevant method, especially in clogged conditions, due to changes induced through the burial process in the vertical connectivity between surface and interstitial habitats that modify organic matter processing.     

Differences in processing dynamics of fresh and dried leaf litter in a stream ecosystem

SUMMARY. 1. Although the bulk of litter input to stream ecosystems is in the form of fresh leaves, current understanding of organic matter processing is largely founded on experimental studies made with pre-dried leaves. This paradox points to the critical need for evaluating to what extent those experiments with dried leaves reflect natural litter decomposition.
2. The mass loss rates, patterns of mass loss, and chemical changes during processing of fresh leaf litter were compared with air-dried leaf litter in a stream ecosystem.
3. Although overall mass loss rates were similar between treatments ( k = 0.0213 day⁻¹ and 0.0206 day⁻¹), fresh leaves lost mass at a constant rate, whereas the decay of dried leaves proceeded in two distinct phases. Soluble organic carbon, phosphorus, and potassium were rapidly leached from dried litter, but were largely retained in fresh material for more than a week. Kinetics of concentrations of cellulose and changes in amounts of lignin remaining per leaf pack revealed further differences in decomposition dynamics between treatments, apparently related, either directly or indirectly, to differences in leaching behaviour.
4. Dynamics of nitrogen and protein contents were similar between treatments, indicating that microbial colonization was not greatly delayed on fresh leaves.
5. It is concluded that the retention of labile carbon and nutrients in fresh leaf litter facilitates their utilization by leaf-associated micro-organisms and invertebrates, resulting in an increased importance of biotic processes relative to physical processes such as leaching.
6. At the ecosystem level, retention of carbon and nutrients in streams would be increased, allowing greater overall productivity. Conversely, the availability of labile organic carbon would be reduced in compartments such as the epilithon, fine sediments, and the water column.     

Across-reach consistency in macroinvertebrate distributions among litter patch types in Japanese headwater streams

Different types of litter patches with contrasting macroinvertebrate assemblages have been observed within a stream reach. This study examined whether distributions of macroinvertebrates among three litter patch types (riffle, middle, edge) were consistent between reaches with different channel characteristics in headwater streams in central Japan. Mass of leaves per unit area was significantly higher in riffle and edge patches than in middle patches, which was consistent between reaches, while no consistent pattern was evident between reaches for mass of either woody material or small litter fragments. Distribution among the patch types was consistent between reaches for 11 out of 13 dominant macroinvertebrate taxa; density was highest in riffle patches for 5 taxa and in middle patches for 5 taxa. Although we previously related densities of some taxa to mass of woody material or small litter fragments, hydraulic characteristics (water depth, current velocity), which were consistent between reaches, may be more important determinants of macroinvertebrate distributions among the patch types, even within pools (i.e. middle and edge patches) where current is uniformly low. The results of this study indicate that a reach-scale macroinvertebrate community structure associated with litter is likely to vary according to litter patch type composition, which would be affected by channel characteristics of the reaches.     

Effects of forest soil desiccation on the growth of Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell. seedlings

Abstract. The growth rate of Eucalyptus regnans seedlings in their first year can be much increased if the soil is first dried and then rewetted. The ratio of growth on predried soil to growth on undried soil (the Growth Ratio or GR) reaches a maximum at air-dryness (pF 6.0–6.4). In E. regnans forest soil, GR is greatest in humus-rich topsoil and declines with depth. The effect of air-drying persists for several months after rewetting when soil is stored under glasshouse conditions. It is largely unaffected by repeated drying and wetting, by the rate of drying or by the season of collection. The mixing of dried and undried soil or the placement of a layer of dried soil above undried soil produces an enhancement of growth proportional to the amount of dried soil added. Firing of a litter layer above soil at wilting point increases subsequent seedling growth to that in air-dried soil. The addition of ash from a litter fire to undried soil produces an increase in growth approximately equal to that caused by air-drying The drying effect is most pronounced in soils from mature E. regnans forest and nearby brackenland and is less in dense younger forest, frost-hollow grasslands and old grassy gaps in the mature forest. The effect is restored by the inoculation of E. regnans mycorrhizal roots from both dried and undried soil. The effect varies along an gradient from 500 to 1500 m a.s.l. and is a maximum in the wet E. regnans climatic zone and a minimum in zones or local aspects where forests are normally subject to frequent drying. The stimulatory effect on seedling growth in soils of the E. regnans zone may have an effect on the outcome of competition during regeneration in large gaps. Part of the growth responses previously ascribed to the ‘ash-bed’ effect may be due to the desiccation effect in these soils.