A comparison between stream community processing rates of naturally entrained leaf litter and leaves in packs or 1‐mm‐mesh bags demonstrated that packs served as a suitable analogue of processing in exposed sites (riffles) whereas bags did not. In riffles, leaves in bags were processed at rates characteristic of litter in depositional zones (pools and alcoves). A length‐weight regression method for evaluating the range of microhabitat‐related processing rates in stream communities appears suitable. Leaf litter nitrogen levels and increased processing rates by shredders reflected microbial conditioning. Shredders responded to high quality bass‐wood (Tilia americana) leaves by increasing their density rather than growth per individual.

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