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

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 1047-1062
Author(s):  
Jordan L. Musetta‐Lambert ◽  
David P. Kreutzweiser ◽  
Paul K. Sibley
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Decomposition ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Leaf Packs ◽  
Boreal Streams

scholarly journals Decomposition Rate and Community Structure of Leaf-packs in an Urban and Rural Stream in Southwestern Missouri

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (2009) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezekiel Tarrant ◽  
Anna Nine ◽  
Lindsay Powers ◽  
Robert K. Heth
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Leaf Decomposition ◽  
Urban Stream ◽  
Leaf Packs ◽  
Direct Energy ◽  
Leaf Residue ◽  
Invertebrate Community Structure

Previous studies demonstrated significantly lower diversity and density of aquatic invertebrates in a southwestern Missouri urban stream, Turkey Creek, below a large mall in comparison to above mall sites and a rural stream, Jones Creek. Such invertebrate declines might affect leaf decomposition rates in these streams. We estimated decomposition rate and macro-invertebrate community structure using experimental leaf-packs composed of freshly dried red elm leaves. Thirty-six leaf-packs housed in polyester mesh (2 by 4 mm) bags were anchored in riffles at the three sites. Bags were recovered after 15 and 36 days, invertebrates were removed and identified, and leaf residue air dried. Decay rates as fraction lost/day after 15 days were 4.20%/day Turkey Creek above mall, 4.43%/day Turkey Creek below mall, and 4.45%/day at Jones Creek. After 36 days decay rates were 2.14%/day Turkey Creek above mall, 2.15% Turkey Creek below mall, and 2.36%/day Jones Creek. Rates were not significantly different between sites (ANOVA, P = 0.55 at 15 days and P = 0.23 at 36 days). Decay constants calculated by regressing % dry mass remaining and days in stream were −0.040/day for both Turkey Creek above and below mall and −0.056/day for Jones Creek. Shredders were primarily represented by the cranefly larvae Tipula abdominalis in both TC sites and by T abdominalis and the isopod Lirceus hoppinae in JC. Collector-gatherers, primarily net-spinning caddisflies Cheumatopsyche, Ceratopsyche, and Chimarra, as well as the dipteran family Chironomidae, numerically dominated leaf-packs. Leaf decomposition may be more related other factors, physical fragmentation, microbial processes, and seasonal differences in leaf abundance, than shredding in these streams. Dominance of collector-gatherers appears to indicate leaf-packs serve primarily as habitat and not a direct energy source for many stream macroinvertebrates.

scholarly journals Evaluating the effect of macroinvertebrate exclusion on leaf breakdown rates in two upland Colombian streams

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 457
Author(s):  
Bladimir Zúñiga-Céspedes ◽  
María Del Carmen Zúñiga ◽  
Julián Chará
Keyword(s):  
Large Body ◽  
Leaf Decomposition ◽  
Functional Feeding Groups ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Leaf Breakdown ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Breakdown Rates ◽  
Density And Biomass ◽  
Leaf Species

Macroinvertebrate shredders have been widely recognized as an important functional feeding group that contributes to leaf decomposition in temperate streams, but little is known about their role in upland Neotropical streams. In this study, we investigated the effect of macroinvertebrate exclusion on leaf breakdown rates in two upland streams (Marianela and Peña Bonita with 1 911 and 2 560 m elevation, respectively) in Colombia. We hypothesized that leaf litter breakdown is mediated mainly by macroinvertebrate shredders in Colombian upland streams. The study was carried out between January and April of 2009, including the dry season and the beginning of the wet season. We measured leaf mass loss using coarse- (15 mm; accessible to macroinvertebrates) and fine- (200 µm; macroinvertebrates excluded) mesh litter bags that were anchored with wood stakes to the bottom of each stream and recovered after 7, 14, 21, 28, and 56 days. We selected leaves from two dominant plant species and used three leaf treatments: two single species (Palicourea cuatrecasasii and Critoniopsis ursicola) and mixed-species (P. cuatrecasasii and C. ursicola). We compared leaf breakdown rates between the Peña Bonita and Marianela stream, mesh-sizes, and leaf treatments. Macroinvertebrates that colonized the litter bags were measured for density and biomass and categorized in functional feeding groups. In general, there were no significant differences in breakdown rates between the streams and the mesh-sizes. In contrast, leaf breakdown rates had significant differences between all leaf species, where C. ursicola had higher breakdown rates than mixed-species, and P. cuatrecasasii. Macroinvertebrate exclusion did not affect leaf breakdown rates and their assemblages were composed by high densities of collectors (mainly Chironomidae) and few shredders with a large body size. The similar macroinvertebrate colonization between leaf species, the relatively slow breakdown rates, and the shredder scarcity, suggest that leaves were a refractory substrate. Further studies should include leaf species with different nutritional qualities and larger spatial-temporal scales to test the hypothesis of shredder presence and its role on leaf decomposition in upland Colombian streams.

scholarly journals Aquatic bryophytes play a key role in sediment-stressed boreal headwater streams

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 847 (2) ◽  
pp. 605-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarno Turunen ◽  
Timo Muotka ◽  
Jukka Aroviita
Keyword(s):  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Fine Sediment ◽  
Leaf Decomposition ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Fine Sediments ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Sediment Cover ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Stream Biodiversity

AbstractForestry-related land use can cause increasing instream sedimentation, burying and eradicating stream bryophytes, with severe ecological consequences. However, there is limited understanding of the relative roles and overall importance of the two frequently co-occurring stressors, increased fine sediments and loss of bryophytes, to stream biodiversity and ecosystem functions. By using random forest modeling and partial dependence functions, we studied the relative importance of stream bryophytes and fine sediments to multiple biological endpoints (leaf-decaying fungi, diatom, bryophyte, and benthic macroinvertebrate communities; leaf decomposition) using field survey data from headwater streams. Stream bryophyte abundance and richness were negatively related to fine sediment cover, highlighting the detrimental effect of sedimentation on bryophytes. However, bryophyte abundance was consistently more important a determinant of variation in community composition than was fine sediment cover. Leaf decomposition was influenced by shredder abundance, water temperature and, to a lesser degree, stream size. Our results suggest that the loss of stream bryophytes due to increasing sedimentation, rather than fine sediments per se, seems to be the key factor affecting multiple biological responses. Enhancing the re-establishment of bryophyte stands could partly compensate for the negative impacts of sedimentation on bryophytes and, consequently, on several other components of boreal stream ecosystems.

Microbial and macroinvertebrate communities, but not leaf decomposition, change along a mining-induced salinity gradient

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Vander Vorste ◽  
Anthony J. Timpano ◽  
Catie Cappellin ◽  
Brian D. Badgley ◽  
Carl E. Zipper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Leaf Decomposition ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities

Site Quality, Disturbance, and Vegetation Effects on Carbon Storage and Accumulation in Old, Mixed-Species Stands in Central Maine, USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua J. Puhlick ◽  
Shawn Fraver ◽  
Ivan J. Fernandez ◽  
Aaron Teets ◽  
Aaron R. Weiskittel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Vegetation Effects

Site treatments influence development of a young mixed-species western larch stand

1986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis M. Cole ◽  
Wyman C. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Species ◽  
Western Larch

An Ecological Context for Regenerating Mult-cohort, Mixed-species Red Pine Forests

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Palik ◽  
John Zasada
Keyword(s):  
Red Pine ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Ecological Context ◽  
Mixed Species
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