Short-term responses of decomposers to flow restoration in Fossil Creek,Arizona, USA |
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Authors: | Jeffrey D Muehlbauer Carri J LeRoy Jacqueline M Lovett Kathleen K Flaccus Julie K Vlieg Jane C Marks |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA;(2) Curriculum in Ecology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 201 Miller Hall, CB 3275, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA;(3) The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA 98505, USA;(4) Sinagua High School, Flagstaff Unified School District, Flagstaff, AZ 86004, USA;(5) Merriam Powell Center for Environmental Research, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA |
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Abstract: | Dam decommissioning projects, although numerous, rarely include complete sets of data before and after restoration for evaluating
the ecological consequences of such projects. In this study, we used a before-after control-impact (BACI) design to assess
changes in leaf litter decomposition and associated macroinvertebrate and fungal decomposers following dam decommissioning
in Fossil Creek, Arizona, USA. Leaf litterbags were deployed in a relatively pristine site above the dam and a highly disturbed
site below the dam where over 95% of the flow was previously diverted for hydropower generation. Leaf litter decomposition
was significantly slower below the dam both measurement years (pre- and post-restoration) with no site-year interaction, indicating
that decomposition in this stream section was not affected by increased flow. In contrast, both macroinvertebrates and fungi
differed significantly above and below the dam prior to restoration but were similar post-restoration, supporting the concept
that decomposer communities can quickly rebound following reintroduction of full flow. Our results indicate that some aquatic
ecosystem variables can return to a more natural state following ecological restoration activities such as water flow restoration.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Handling editor: S. Stendera |
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Keywords: | Dam decommissioning Leaf litter decomposition Flow restoration Diversion dam Fungi Macroinvertebrates |
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