Measuring Organic Matter Retained by Aquatic Invertebrates

As terrestrial leaf litter decomposes in rivers, its constituent elements follow multiple pathways. Carbon leached as dissolved organic matter can be quickly taken up by microbes, then respired before it can be transferred to the macroscopic food web. Alternatively, this detrital carbon can be ingested and assimilated by aquatic invertebrates, so it is retained longer in the stream and transferred to higher trophic levels. Microbial growth on litter can affect invertebrates through three pathways, which are not mutually exclusive. First, microbes can facilitate invertebrate feeding, improving food quality by conditioning leaves and making them more palatable for invertebrates. Second, microbes can be prey for invertebrates. Third, microbes can compete with invertebrates for resources bound within litter and may produce compounds that retard carbon and nitrogen fluxes to invertebrates. As litter is broken down into smaller particles, there are many opportunities for its elements to reenter the stream food web. Here, I describe a conceptual framework for evaluating how traits of leaf litter will affect its fate in food webs and ecosystems that is useful for predicting how global change will alter carbon fluxes into and out of streams.

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Biochemical and Biological Characterization: Effects of Dissolved Organic Matter on the Bioconcentration of Organic Contaminants and on Reproduction in Aquatic Invertebrates

Refractory Organic Substances in the Environment ◽

10.1002/9783527611195.ch3e ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 361-381

Author(s):

M. Haitzer ◽

S. Hss ◽

W. Traunspurger ◽

J. Kukkonen ◽

B. K. Burnison ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Dissolved Organic Matter ◽

Organic Contaminants ◽

Aquatic Invertebrates ◽

Biological Characterization

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Influence of antifouling paint on freshwater invertebrates (Mytilidae, Chironomidae and Naididae): density, richness and composition

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/1519-6984.05114 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 75 (4 suppl 1) ◽

pp. 70-78

Author(s):

D. S. Fujita ◽

A. M. Takeda ◽

R. Coutinho ◽

F. C. Fernandes

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Aquatic Invertebrates ◽

Substrate Surface ◽

Artificial Substrates ◽

Limnoperna Fortunei ◽

Invertebrate Community ◽

Antifouling Paints ◽

Invertebrate Assemblages ◽

Paint Coatings ◽

Invertebrate Colonization

Abstract We conducted a study about invertebrates on artificial substrates with different antifouling paints in order to answer the following questions 1) is there lower accumulation of organic matter on substrates with antifouling paints, 2) is invertebrate colonization influenced by the release of biocides from antifouling paints, 3) is the colonization of aquatic invertebrates positively influenced by the material accumulated upon the substrate surface and 4) is the assemblage composition of invertebrates similar among the different antifouling paints? To answer these questions, four structures were installed in the Baía River in February 1st, 2007. Each structure was composed of 7 wood boards: 5 boards painted with each type of antifouling paints (T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5), one painted only with the primer (Pr) and the other without any paint (Cn). After 365 days, we observed a greater accumulation of organic matter in the substrates with T2 and T3 paint coatings. Limnoperna fortunei was recorded in all tested paints, with higher densities in the control, primer, T2 and T3. The colonization of Chironomidae and Naididae on the substrate was positively influenced by L. fortunei density. The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) of the invertebrate community provided evidence of the clear distinction of invertebrate assemblages among the paints. Paints T2 and T3 were the most similar to the control and primer. Our results suggest that antifouling paints applied on substrates hinder invertebrate colonization by decreasing the density and richness of invertebrates.

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Assessing the role of canopy cover on the colonization of phytotelmata by aquatic invertebrates: an experiment with the tank-bromeliad Aechmea lingulata

Journal of Limnology ◽

10.4081/jlimnol.2016.1526 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Juliana V. Rangel ◽

Rosângela E.S. Araújo ◽

Cinthia G. Casotti ◽

Larissa C. Costa ◽

Walace P. Kiffer Jr. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Particulate Organic Matter ◽

Aquatic Invertebrates ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Taxonomic Composition ◽

Organic Detritus ◽

Invertebrate Communities ◽

Small Influence ◽

Colonization Process ◽

Tank Bromeliad

The presence of canopy cover may influence the amount of organic detritus and stored water in bromeliad tanks and, consequently, the colonization of these ecosystems by aquatic invertebrates. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of canopy cover on the colonization of the tank-bromeliad Aechmea lingulata in the restinga, an ecosystem composed of a variety of plant communities in the sandy coastal plains of Brazil. We hypothesized that the taxonomic composition of invertebrate communities would differ between bromeliads covered and not covered by a dense canopy (shaded and unshaded bromeliads). Prior to the beginning of the experiment, bromeliads of similar size were carefully washed to remove all organisms and organic detritus, and their tanks were filled with 1.0 L of spring water. On days 7, 14, 21, 30, 45, 60 and 90, four bromeliad tanks of each shade treatment were sampled to determine invertebrate communities, stored water and organic detritus. Average daily values of water temperature and light intensity were higher in unshaded than in shaded bromeliads. The amount of fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) and stored water did not differ between treatments, but the amount of coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) was higher in shaded bromeliads. Ostracoda, Hydracarina and Oligochaeta were the most abundant taxa in bromeliad tanks. Among insects, Culicidae, Chironomidae and Ceratopogonidae were the most representative. Invertebrate colonization occurred quickly and values of abundance were higher in unshaded bromeliads compared to shaded bromeliads. The values for biomass and richness did not differ between treatments or colonization times, and the taxonomic composition of invertebrate communities was similar throughout the experiment. Our results showed that canopy cover had a small influence on the colonization of tanks of A. lingulata in restinga, not corroborating the proposed hypothesis. These findings were likely due to the lack of variation in environmental conditions that are relevant to the colonization process, such as stored water and FPOM. However, because the amounts of CPOM were higher in shaded bromeliads, the taxonomic composition of invertebrate communities could have differed if typical shredders were present.

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