Leaf-associated macroinvertebrate assemblage and leaf litter breakdown in headwater streams depend on local riparian vegetation.

Autor: Oester R; Institute of Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, via Flora Ruchat Roncati 15, 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland.; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.; Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland., Dos Reis Oliveira PC; Laboratory of Aquatic Insect Ecology, Universidade Vila Velha, Av. Comissário José Dantas de Melo 21, Vila Velha, ES 29102-920 Brazil., Moretti MS; Laboratory of Aquatic Insect Ecology, Universidade Vila Velha, Av. Comissário José Dantas de Melo 21, Vila Velha, ES 29102-920 Brazil., Altermatt F; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.; Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland., Bruder A; Institute of Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, via Flora Ruchat Roncati 15, 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Hydrobiologia [Hydrobiologia] 2023; Vol. 850 (15), pp. 3359-3374. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Oct 18.
DOI: 10.1007/s10750-022-05049-7
Abstrakt: Headwater streams harbor diverse macroinvertebrate communities and are hotspots for leaf litter breakdown. The process of leaf litter breakdown mediated by macroinvertebrates forms an important link between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Yet, how the vegetation type in the local riparian zone influences leaf-associated macroinvertebrate assemblages and leaf litter breakdown rates is still not resolved. We investigated how leaf-associated macroinvertebrate assemblages and leaf litter fragmentation rates differ between forested and non-forested sites using experimental leaf litter bags in sixteen sites paired across eight headwater streams in Switzerland. Our results show that sensitive taxa of the invertebrate orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) and the functional group of shredders were strongly associated with forested sites with overall higher values of abundance, diversity, and biomass of EPTs in forested compared to non-forested sites. However, the importance of riparian vegetation differed between study regions, especially for shredders. Fragmentation rates, which are primarily the result of macroinvertebrate shredding, were on average three times higher in forested compared to non-forested sites. Our results demonstrate that not only the composition of the aquatic fauna but also the functioning of an essential ecosystem process depend on the vegetation type in the local riparian zone.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10750-022-05049-7.
Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
(© The Author(s) 2022.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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