Responses in organic matter accumulation and processing to an experimental wood addition in three headwater streams

1. Additions of large wood are being used to restore streams that have been subjected to channelization, wood removal or riparian timber harvest. This added wood potentially increases channel stability, habitat complexity and organic matter retention and improves habitat and productivity of higher trophic levels. However, few stream restorations monitor restoration effectiveness after project completion. 2. We added 25 aspen logs (each 2.5 m length × 0.5 m diameter) to 100‐m reaches of each of three forested headwater streams in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. These wood‐poor streams drain forests that were completely harvested of timber over a century ago and have been selectively logged for the past 50–60 years. An upstream unmanipulateds 100‐m reach in each stream served as the control. 3. We evaluated responses in organic matter processing by measuring red maple leaf decomposition 1 year before and 2 years after wood addition. We also quantified coarse organic matter standing stocks in the main channel and in debris accumulations associated with large wood. In response to wood addition, we predicted both organic matter standing stocks and leaf decomposition rates would increase, thereby enhancing resource availability to higher trophic levels. 4. Leaf decomposition rates did not change following wood addition. Temporal variation in rates among streams was mostly explained by differences in degree days, water velocity, scour/burial and water column inorganic nitrogen concentrations, but not large wood. Variation within streams across years was explained by differences in degree days, water velocity and shredder biomass. 5. Contrary to our prediction, organic matter standing stocks did not increase significantly at the reach scale. However, the experimentally added wood retained c. 4% of total annual coarse benthic organic matter (CBOM) in the first year and an additional c. 15% in the second year, suggesting accumulation over time in the manipulated reaches. The CBOM held by the new logs may be more biologically available because it is less susceptible to burial and transport than material in the streambed. 6. Some shredding macroinvertebrates responded to changes caused by the wood additions. In particular, the common caddisfly shredder, Lepidostoma sp., increased in abundance in leaf bags following wood addition, whereas the biomass of the winter stoneflies, Capniidae, declined in the first year. 7. Considerable funds are spent to restore in‐stream habitat, but few restorations are monitored, particularly over long periods (>5 years). Our results show that longer‐term monitoring is needed to determine the efficacy of these restorations on ecosystem function; organic matter decomposition in our low‐gradient streams did not respond to a substantial increase in large wood after 2 years.     

Increasing fish taxonomic and functional richness affects ecosystem properties of small headwater prairie streams

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Changes in mechanisms of summer detritus processing between wooded and agricultural sites in a Michigan headwater stream

The mechanisms of leaf decay, leaf-associated macroinvertebrate community structure, leaf-associated microbial activity and physicochemical stream characteristics were investigated on a mid-Michigan headwater stream in summer. An undisturbed wooded site was compared with two agriculturally perturbed sites. Discharge, total suspended particulates, and nutrients were all higher and more variable throughout the season within the agricultural reaches. Leaf decay rates were higher at the agricultural sites and results suggest discharge abrasion was the major leaf processing mechanism at these sites while microbial decay and macroinvertebrate shredding appear to be the primary mediators of leaf weight loss at the wooded site. Total macroinvertebrate densities on leaf packs at the agricultural sites were 1.9 times the densities at the wooded site. It is suggested that experimentally introduced leaf packs acted as a lure for net-spinning invertebrates limited by stable substratum at the agricultural sites. Species shifts were observed from wooded reaches where Pychnopsyche spp., Gammarus, Ephemeroptera, Bezzia, and Nigronia serricornis were important, to downstream agricultural reaches which were dominated by Cheumatopsyche, Chironomidae, Elmidae, Hydracarina, Hemerodromia, and Caecidotea.     

Effects of land use on the structure and function of leaf‐litter microbial communities in boreal streams

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Relationships between deforestation, riparian forest buffers and benthic macroinvertebrates in neotropical headwater streams

1. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of riparian buffers in the tropics, despite their potential to reduce the impacts of deforestation on stream communities. We examined macroinvertebrate assemblages and stream habitat characteristics in small lowland streams in southeastern Costa Rica to assess the impacts of deforestation on benthic communities and the influence of riparian forest buffers on these effects. Three different stream reach types were compared in the study: (i) forested reference reaches, (ii) stream reaches adjacent to pasture with a riparian forest buffer at least 15 m in width on both banks and (iii) stream reaches adjacent to pasture without a riparian forest buffer. 2. Comparisons between forest and pasture reaches suggest that deforestation, even at a very local scale, can alter the taxonomic composition of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages, reduce macroinvertebrate diversity and eliminate the most sensitive taxa. The presence of a riparian forest buffer appeared to significantly reduce the effects of deforestation on benthic communities, as macroinvertebrate diversity and assemblage structure in forest buffer reaches were generally very similar to those in forested reference reaches. One forest buffer reach was clearly an exception to this pattern, despite the presence of a wide riparian buffer. 3. The taxonomic structure of macroinvertebrate assemblages differed between pool and riffle habitats, but contrasts among the three reach types in our study were consistent across the two habitats. Differences among reach types also persisted across three sampling periods during our 15‐month study. 4. Among the environmental variables we measured, only stream water temperature varied significantly among reach types, but trends in periphyton abundance and stream sedimentation may have contributed to observed differences in macroinvertebrate assemblage structure. 5. Forest cover was high in all of our study catchments, and more research is needed to determine whether riparian forest buffers will sustain similar functions in more extensively deforested landscapes. Nevertheless, our results provide support for Costa Rican regulations protecting riparian forests and suggest that proper riparian management could significantly reduce the impacts of deforestation on benthic communities in tropical streams.     

Leaf‐litter colonisation and breakdown in relation to stream typology: insights from Mediterranean low‐order streams

1. Scant information is available on leaf breakdown in streams of arid and semiarid regions, including the Mediterranean, where environmental heterogeneity can be high and the relationship between stream characteristics and leaf breakdown is poorly known. We tested the hypotheses that differences in leaf breakdown metrics would be substantially higher between mountain and lowland Mediterranean streams than among streams within each subregion and that variability among streams would be substantially higher in the lowlands, because permanent reaches in the semiarid lowland streams are rare and isolated. 2. We compared leaf breakdown and associated dynamics of nutrients, fungi and invertebrates in low‐order Mediterranean streams draining sub‐humid forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and nearby semiarid lowlands of south‐eastern Spain. Streams differed between the two subregions mainly in water ion content, temperature and riparian tree cover. We detected higher environmental heterogeneity among streams within the lowlands compared to the Sierra Nevada mountain range. In the lowlands, breakdown coefficients (k) of alder leaves spanned almost the entire range reported for this species from temperate streams, overlapping with less variable breakdown coefficients in the Sierra Nevada. 3. The high variability of k values among the lowland sites appeared to be caused primarily by variability in the composition and abundance of a few leaf‐consuming invertebrate taxa, particularly the snail Melanopsis praemorsa. Fungal and nutrient dynamics were less variable among sites within each subregion. 4. These results indicate that the critical condition for stream functional assessment of well‐constrained breakdown rates, or related metrics, could be met at reference sites within homogenous bio‐geo‐climatic regions such as the Sierra Nevada. By contrast, in heterogeneous areas such as the semiarid lowland streams, natural variability of breakdown rates can greatly exceed the magnitude of effects expected in response to anthropogenic disturbances.     

Export of invertebrates and detritus from fishless headwater streams in southeastern Alaska: implications for downstream salmonid production

1. We examined the export of invertebrates (aquatic and terrestrial) and coarse organic detritus from forested headwaters to aquatic habitats downstream in the coastal mountains of southeast Alaska, U.S.A. Fifty‐two small streams (mean discharge range: 1.2–3.6 L s^?1), representing a geographic range throughout southeast Alaska, were sampled with 250‐μm nets either seasonally (April, July, September) or every 2 weeks throughout the year. Samples were used to assess the potential subsidy of energy from fishless headwaters to downstream systems containing fish. 2. Invertebrates of aquatic and terrestrial origin were both captured, with aquatic taxa making up 65–92% of the total. Baetidae, Chironomidae and Ostracoda were most numerous of the aquatic taxa (34, 16 and 8%, respectively), although Coleoptera (mostly Amphizoidae) contributed the greatest biomass (30%). Mites (Acarina) were the most numerous terrestrial taxon, while terrestrial Coleoptera accounted for most of the terrestrial invertebrate biomass. 3. Invertebrates and detritus were exported from headwaters throughout the year, averaging 163 mg invertebrate dry mass stream^?1 day^?1 and 10.4 g detritus stream^?1 day^?1, respectively. The amount of export was highly variable among streams and seasons (5–6000 individuals stream^?1 day^?1 and <1–22 individuals m^?3 water; <1–286 g detritus stream^?1 day^?1 and <0.1–1.7 g detritus m^?3 water). Delivery of invertebrates from headwaters to habitats with fish was estimated at 0.44 g dry mass m^?2 year^?1. We estimate that every kilometre of salmonid‐bearing stream could receive enough energy (prey and detritus) from fishless headwaters to support 100–2000 young‐of‐the‐year (YOY) salmonids. These results illustrate that headwaters are source areas of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and detritus, linking upland ecosystems with habitats lower in the catchment.     

Experimental reductions in stream flow alter litter processing and consumer subsidies in headwater streams

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Leaf litter decomposition and macroinvertebrate communities in headwater streams draining pine and hardwood catchments

Benthic invertebrates, litter decomposition, andlitterbag invertebrates were examined in streamsdraining pine monoculture and undisturbed hardwoodcatchments at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in thesouthern Appalachian Mountains, USA. Bimonthlybenthic samples were collected from a stream draininga pine catchment at Coweeta during 1992, and comparedto previously collected (1989–1990) benthic data froma stream draining an adjacent hardwood catchment. Litter decomposition and litterbag invertebrates wereexamined by placing litterbags filled with pine ormaple litter in streams draining pine catchments andhardwood catchments during 1992–1993 and 1993–1994. Total benthic invertebrate abundance and biomass inthe pine stream was ca. 57% and 74% that of thehardwood stream, respectively. Shredder biomass wasalso lower in the pine stream but, as a result ofhigher Leuctra spp. abundance, shredderabundance was higher in the pine stream than thehardwood stream. Decomposition rates of both pine andred maple litter were significantly faster in pinestreams than adjacent hardwood streams (p<0.05). Total shredder abundance, biomass, and production weresimilar in maple bags from pine and hardwood streams. However, trichopteran shredder abundance and biomass,and production of some trichopteran taxa such asLepidostoma spp., were significantly higher in maplelitterbags from pine streams than hardwood streams(p<0.05). In contrast, plecopteran shredders(mainly Tallaperla sp.) were more important inmaple litterbags from hardwood streams. Shredderswere well represented in pine litterbags from pinestreams, but low shredder values were obtained frompine litterbags in hardwood streams. Resultssuggest conversion of hardwood forest to pinemonoculture influences taxonomic composition of streaminvertebrates and litter decomposition dynamics. Although the impact of this landscape-leveldisturbance on invertebrate shredder communitiesappeared somewhat subtle, significant differences indecomposition dynamics indicate vital ecosystem-levelprocesses are altered in streams draining pinecatchments.     

Catchment urbanisation and increased benthic algal biomass in streams: linking mechanisms to management

1. Urbanisation is an important cause of eutrophication in waters draining urban areas. We determined whether benthic algal biomass in small streams draining urban areas was explained primarily by small‐scale factors (benthic light, substratum type and nutrient concentrations) within a stream, or by catchment‐scale variables that incorporate the interacting multiple impacts of urbanisation (i.e. variables that describe urban density and the intensity of drainage or septic tank systems). 2. Benthic algal biomass was assessed as chlorophyll a density (chl a) in 16 streams spanning a rural–urban gradient, with both a wide range of urban density and of piped stormwater infrastructure intensity on the eastern fringe of metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. The gradient of urban density among streams was broadly correlated with catchment imperviousness, drainage connection (proportion of impervious areas connected to streams by stormwater pipes), altitude, longitude and median phosphorus concentration. Catchment area, septic tank density, median nitrogen concentration, benthic light (photosynthetically active radiation) and substratum type were not strongly correlated with the urban gradient. 3. Variation in benthic light and substratum type within streams explained a relatively small amount of variation in log chl a (3–11 and 1–13%, respectively) compared with between‐site variation (39–54%). 4. Median chl a was positively correlated with catchment urbanisation, with a large proportion of variance explained jointly (as determined by hierarchical partitioning) by those variables correlated with urban density. Independent of this correlation, the contributions of drainage connection and altitude to the explained variance in chl a were significant. 5. The direct connection of impervious surfaces to streams by stormwater pipes is hypothesised as the main determinant of algal biomass in these streams through its effect on the supply of phosphorus, possibly in interaction with stormwater‐related impacts on grazing fauna. Management of benthic algal biomass in streams of urbanised catchments is likely to be most effective through the application of stormwater management approaches that reduce drainage connection.     

Food quality, feeding preferences, survival and growth of shredders from temperate and tropical streams

1. The importance of leaf quality to the nutritional ecology of lotic shredders is well established for temperate species but virtually unknown for tropical taxa. In the present study, we compared the feeding behaviour and performance of two tropical and two temperate shredders in a series of pair‐wise experiments. 2. Specifically, we tested whether leaf conditioning status (stream‐conditioned versus unconditioned leaves) and geographical origin (temperate Alnus glutinosa versus tropical Hura crepitans leaves) affect the food preference, survivorship, and growth of selected shredders from low and high latitudes in a consistent manner. The animals used in experiments were the caddis‐flies Nectopsyche argentata and Phylloicus priapulus from Venezuela, Sericostoma vittatum from Central Portugal, and the amphipod Gammarus pulex from Northern Germany. 3. In general, all shredders exhibited the same high preference for conditioned over unconditioned leaves, irrespective of the geographical origin of the leaf or shredder species. 4. A corresponding tendency for higher growth was found for sets of animals offered conditioned leaves, with the differences in growth being clearer in the two tropical shredders. Survivorship of the two temperate species was consistently high (> 83%) regardless of the diet offered, whereas the tropical shredders survived better on conditioned (77–90%) as compared with unconditioned (54–87%) leaves, although not significantly so. 5. With the exception of the temperate S. vittatum, shredders did not select or perform better on leaves to which they had previously been exposed, indicating a potential adaptation to native leaf species is over‐ridden by intrinsic leaf properties. 6. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that tropical shredders may exhibit the same basic patterns of food exploitation as their temperate counterparts. Consequently, current concepts relating to the role of shredders in stream detritus dynamics may well be applicable to tropical streams, although essentially derived from temperate systems.     

Transport and particle size distribution of suspended and benthic organic matter in three headwater streams

The breakdown and decomposition of two species of deciduous leaf litter, Fagus sylvatica L. and Salix viminalis L. and two species of aquatic macrophyte Isoetes lacustris L. and Potamogeton perfoliatus L. were examined in an oligotrophic lake. In all cases plant litter in coarse mesh litter bags lost significantly more material than the fine mesh after 1 years submergence in the lake. This however was considered to be the result of physical environmental factors and microbial activity rather than animal processing. The litter was ranked in order of fastest to slowest rates of decay as follows — Isoetes, Potamogeton, Salix and Fagus. Decomposition processes proceeded at a relatively slow rate as a result of low temperatures and low phosphate and mineral ion concentration. The results suggested that there was an accumulation of organic material in the lake.     

Leaf litter decomposition in remote oceanic island streams is driven by microbes and depends on litter quality and environmental conditions

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Tadpoles enhance microbial activity and leaf decomposition in a neotropical headwater stream

1. Relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem function are of increasing interest, particularly in freshwater ecosystems where species losses are occurring at unprecedented rates. Amphibian declines have been associated with a loss of ecosystem function in neotropical streams, but little is known of the potential roles of stream‐dwelling tadpoles in leaf decomposition. Leaf litter is an important energy source to streams, and the breakdown of this material to fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) is a key ecosystem function. 2. We used mesocosms in a natural stream setting to quantify the effects of grazing tadpoles, shredding macroinvertebrates and a combination of the two on leaf decomposition and associated microbial activity. We measured respiration rates of decomposing leaves, particulate organic matter (POM) and leaf biofilm biomass and C : N : P ratios, and leaf area loss in 4 treatments: Control, tadpole only (TP), tadpole and shredding macroinvertebrates (TP + INV) and shredding macroinvertebrates only (INV). We hypothesised that tadpoles would enhance leaf decomposition by changing nutrient availability and stimulating microbial activity. 3. Respiration rates ranged from 3.1 to 6.0 mg O₂ dry mass^?1 h^?1 and were significantly higher in the TP and TP + INV treatments than in the control. The TP + INV treatment had significantly higher POM in chambers than the control and INV treatments. The TP treatment had significantly lower leaf biofilm biomass than the control and INV treatments. 4. Tadpoles influenced the elemental balance of C and N in POM and leaf biofilm. In contrast to our prediction, molar C : N ratios were higher in the TP + INV treatment than in the control. Mean molar N : P ratios in POM were higher in the TP + INV treatment than in any other treatment. Leaf biofilm followed a similar pattern, but both TP and TP + INV had significantly higher N : P ratios than the control and INV treatments. Leaf area loss was greatest when tadpoles and invertebrates were together (TP + INV = 0.6% leaf area loss per mg organism) than separate (TP = 0.1%, INV = 3%), indicating facilitation. 5. Tadpoles indirectly affected leaf decomposition by influencing microbial communities and macroinvertebrate feeding. As such, ongoing amphibian declines may adversely affect a critical ecosystem function in freshwater habitats.     

Assessing the influence of wildfire on leaf decomposition and macroinvertebrate communities in boreal streams using mixed-species leaf packs

1. We investigated how compositional differences in riparian leaf litter derived from burned and undisturbed forests influenced leaf breakdown and macroinvertebrate communities using experimental mixed-species leaf packs in boreal headwater streams. Leaf pack mixtures simulating leaf litter from dominant riparian woody-stem species in burned and undisturbed riparian zones were incubated in two references and two fire-disturbed streams for 5 weeks prior to measuring temperature-corrected breakdown rates and macroinvertebrate community composition, richness, and functional metrics associated with decomposers such as shredder abundance and % shredders.
2. Leaf litter breakdown rates were higher and had greater variability in streams bordered by reference riparian forests than in streams where riparian forests had been burned during a wildfire. Streams bordered by fire disturbance showed significant effects of litter mixture on decomposition rates, observed as significantly higher decomposition rates of a fire-simulated leaf mixture compared to all other mixtures.
3. Variation among sites was higher than variation among litter mixtures, especially for macroinvertebrate community composition. In general, fire-simulated leaf mixtures had greater shredder abundances and proportions, but lower overall macroinvertebrate abundance; however, the shredder abundance trend was not consistent across all leaf mixtures at each stream.
4. These results show that disturbance-driven riparian forest condition and resulting composition of leaf subsidies to streams can influence aquatic invertebrate community composition and their function as decomposers. Therefore, if one of the primary goals of modern forest management is to emulate natural disturbance patterns, boreal forest managers should adapt silvicultural practices to promote leaf litter input that would arise post-fire, thereby supporting stream invertebrate communities and their function.

     

Benthic organic matter and detritivorous macroinvertebrates in two intermittent streams in south-eastern Australia

Temporal changes in coarse (> 1 mm), fine (< 1 mm, > 250 m), and woody benthic organic matter (BOM), and densities of detritivores in pools and riffles were monitored at three sites on two intermittent streams (Werribee and Lerderderg Rivers) in Victoria, Australia during a drought year followed by a wetter year. Standing stocks of BOM peaked in both habitats during summer when discharge ceased and eucalypt leaf fall was greatest. During high winter and spring discharges, concentrations of BOM were low. Floods did not always scour BOM from the pools and riffles; after floods in October, standing stocks rose when BOM was imported from upstream or mobilized from the riparian zone. Densities of benthic detritivores, collector-gatherers, and shredders also varied seasonally, usually peaking in summer. Correlations between detritivore feeding group densities and amounts of putative food resource were habitat-specific. There were few significant correlations in depositional habitats, even after incorporating lag-times of two and four weeks into the analysis. However, detritivore densities in riffles, especially in the Lerderderg River, were strongly positively correlated with the amounts of BOM. Possibly, physico-chemical conditions in riffles are more conducive to litter conditioning and invertebrate colonization and breakdown of leaf material than are those in pools.     

Processing of leaf litter in two northern jarrah forest streams,Western Australia: II. The role of macroinvertebrates and the influence of soluble polyphenols and inorganic sediment

The long-term processing of jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) leaves was examined in a small forest stream to determine the role played by macroinvertebrates and the influence of soluble polyphenols in the leaves. The widely used exponential model of litter processing was inadequate in describing the fate of jarrah leaves. Decomposition occurred in three distinct phases and was best described by a quadratic model. After a substantial and rapid loss due to leaching, processing was virtually inhibited during summer and autumn, with no associated increase in the organic nitrogen content. Macroinvertebrates played a significant role in the latter part of the year, processing approximately 25% of the initial leaf mass.High levels of soluble polyphenols in the leaves had an inhibitory effect on the microbial colonization of jarrah leaves, as indicated by the organic nitrogen content. However, pre-leaching of these compounds had no effect on the rate of decomposition nor on the leaf bag fauna. Polyphenols released into the stream during summer, when flows are low, may reach high concentrations and contribute to the slow processing at this time. Leaf litter processing in a nearby sedimented stream was compared with that in the undisturbed stream. Sediment disrupted litter processing, virtually eliminating the contribution made by invertebrates. Smothered leaf bags became anoxic, restricting microbial activity and reducing leaf quality. The low processing rate of leaves in the sedimented stream was attributed to differences in the leaf bag fauna. Leaf bags in the sedimented stream had more animals but shredders were poorly represented and predators were the most abundant feeding group. The low density of shredders was more likely to be a result of the reduced availability of detritus rather than selective predation. Whatever the reason, invertebrates in the sedimented stream were denied access to an important source of energy. Inorganic sediment can have a profound effect on stream function by interfering with the shredder-CPOM pathway.     

长白山地区溪流冻结初期凋落叶分解与底栖动物定殖的关系

长白山森林源头溪流每年11月至次年4月有约70%的河面被冰覆盖,季节性冻融过程特征明显.为了揭示溪流冻结初期凋落叶分解与底栖动物定殖的关系,在长白山地区1条源头溪流中,利用2种孔径(5和0.3 mm)的尼龙分解袋对色木槭、紫椴、蒙古栎的单一及混合凋落叶进行了为期35 d的分解研究.结果表明: 凋落叶质量损失率在单一树种间差异显著,表现为:色木槭＞紫椴＞蒙古栎,而在4种混合凋落叶间差异不显著;除紫椴和3树种混合凋落叶外,粗、细分解袋间凋落叶质量损失率差异不显著;凋落叶混合效应仅出现在紫椴-蒙古栎混合的粗分解袋内;定殖在不同凋落叶分解袋内的底栖动物群落结构差异较大,但撕食者密度在3种凋落叶间差异不显著,撕食者对凋落叶混合效应的响应也不显著.由结果可知,溪流冻结初期微生物是凋落叶的主要分解者,底栖动物的贡献率较低.虽然撕食者密度较低,但撕食者的活动是凋落叶混合效应出现的必要条件.底栖动物对食物和栖息地有一定的选择性,但由于定殖时间较短,凋落叶对撕食者定殖的影响不显著.本研究对源头溪流生态系统的冬季生态过程研究及生态系统管理具有一定的理论意义.