Effect of experimental and seasonal warming on litter decomposition in a temperate stream

Ferreira, Verónica; Canhoto, Cristina

doi:10.1007/s00027-013-0322-7

Cited by 51 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…This agrees with previous studies reporting faster leaf decomposition in warmer seasons, due to a stimulation of microbial and invertebrate activity on leaves by temperature (Swan and Palmer 2004;Friberg et al 2009;Boyero et al 2011;Ferreira and Canhoto 2014). However, in this study, the differences observed between seasons cannot be directly connected with differences in temperature, because decomposition rates were normalized by temperature (expressed in dd).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Spring stimulates leaf decomposition in moderately eutrophic streams

et al. 2016

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In forested headwater streams, decomposition of allochthonous organic matter is a fundamental process driven by aquatic microbes and invertebrate shredders. We examined how season and eutrophication affect leaf decomposition and the associated decomposer communities by immersing leaves of a late deciduous species (Quercus robur) in five streams in Portugal along a gradient of eutrophication in autumn and spring. We found hump-shaped relationships between leaf decomposition and total nitrogen and phosphorus in stream water in both seasons. Leaf decomposition and shredder biomass were higher during spring in streams with moderate levels of eutrophication. Fungal sporulation and biomass were stimulated at moderate levels of eutrophication and inhibited at low or high levels of eutrophication. Fungal assemblage composition shifted between seasons and along the gradient of eutrophication. Tricladium chaetocladium increased its contribution to total conidial production in spring, while Dimorphospora foliicola was dominant in the most eutrophic streams where Articulospora tetracladia was almost absent. Invertebrate shredders were the primary decomposers of leaves in streams with moderate levels of eutrophication, particularly in the warmest season. Although the presence of late deciduous plant species, such as oak, in the riparian corridors may help to mitigate food depletion to freshwater decomposers in spring, our results suggest that moderate eutrophication can accelerate decomposition further reducing litter standing stocks in the warmer seasons.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Spring stimulates leaf decomposition in moderately eutrophic streams

et al. 2016

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“…As in our model, warming has been shown to also result in increased juvenile production (Daufresne et al, 2009;Ohlberger, 2013). There is, however, evidence that leaf litter processing is generally enhanced with warming (Gonz alez & Grac ßa, 2003;Ferreira & Canhoto, 2014), as was suggested by our model. There is, however, evidence that leaf litter processing is generally enhanced with warming (Gonz alez & Grac ßa, 2003;Ferreira & Canhoto, 2014), as was suggested by our model.…”

Section: Effects Of Global Increase In Mean Temperaturesupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Recently, focus has shifted to quantifying impacts of various toxic chemicals (Bundschuh & McKie, 2015) and warming (Gonz alez & Grac ßa, 2003;Fig. [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] Ferreira & Canhoto, 2014). Stress impacted feeding, maintenance, reproduction, and growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 Combined effects of warming and stressors on different endpointsadult body size, population biomass, and amount of leftover resource, averaged across 20 years and 50 replicate simulations for each scenario. Leaf litter processing has been shown to mostly respond positively to warming (Ferreira & Canhoto, 2014;Galic & Forbes, 2017), through enhanced metabolic activity of key detritivores in aquatic systems (Gonz alez & Grac ßa, 2003). Results are presented as relative to deviations from baseline conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impaired ecosystem process despite little effects on populations: modeling combined effects of warming and toxicants

Galić

Grimm

Forbes

2017

Global Change Biology

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Freshwater ecosystems are exposed to many stressors, including toxic chemicals and global warming, which can impair, separately or in combination, important processes in organisms and hence higher levels of organization. Investigating combined effects of warming and toxicants has been a topic of little research, but neglecting their combined effects may seriously misguide management efforts. To explore how toxic chemicals and warming, alone and in combination, propagate across levels of biological organization, including a key ecosystem process, we developed an individual-based model (IBM) of a freshwater amphipod detritivore, Gammarus pseudolimnaeus, feeding on leaf litter. In this IBM, life history emerges from the individuals' energy budgets. We quantified, in different warming scenarios (+1-+4 °C), the effects of hypothetical toxicants on suborganismal processes, including feeding, somatic and maturity maintenance, growth, and reproduction. Warming reduced mean adult body sizes and population abundance and biomass, but only in the warmest scenarios. Leaf litter processing, a key contributor to ecosystem functioning and service delivery in streams, was consistently enhanced by warming, through strengthened interaction between the detritivorous consumer and its resource. Toxicant effects on feeding and maintenance resulted in initially small adverse effects on consumers, but ultimately led to population extinction and loss of ecosystem process. Warming in combination with toxicants had little effect at the individual and population levels, but ecosystem process was impaired in the warmer scenarios. Our results suggest that exposure to the same amount of toxicants can disproportionately compromise ecosystem processing depending on global warming scenarios; for example, reducing organismal feeding rates by 50% will reduce resource processing by 50% in current temperature conditions, but by up to 200% with warming of 4 °C. Our study has implications for assessing and monitoring impacts of chemicals on ecosystems facing global warming. We advise complementing existing monitoring approaches with directly quantifying ecosystem processes and services.

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“…The use of coarse and fine bags is recommended by Gessner & Chauvet (2002) and 5 mm and 0.5 mm mesh size bags have been broadly used in decomposition experiments and allows for distinguishing the relative importance and contribution of microbial decomposers from overall decomposition keeping the same environmental conditions (e.g. Flores et al, 2013;Ferreira & Canhoto, 2014;Mariluan et al, 2015). The bags were placed in the streams on November 21, 2011.…”

Section: Decomposition Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-stream litter decomposition along an altitudinal gradient: does substrate quality matter?

et al. 2015

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In temperate streams, water temperature and organic matter inputs from surrounding forest vary along the altitude. We tested if the different features of streams of similar size determined by an altitudinal gradient might differentially affect the processing rate of different quality leaves (alder, oak and beech). To distinguish the relative contribution of microbial decomposition from overall decomposition, fine-and coarse-mesh bags were used. We determined decomposition rates, leaf-N and -P concentration, microbial respiration (fine bags), invertebrate colonisation (coarse bags) and density and identity of benthic invertebrates in three second-order streams. Alder decomposed faster than the other species in all three streams and regardless of mesh size due to its lower values of C:N, C:P and N:P. Unexpectedly, microbial decomposition rate did not vary among streams for any of the leaf species. The total decomposition rate of alder and oak showed a negative trend along the altitudinal gradient, the magnitude of the change in decomposition rates being similar for both species. The density and structure of the invertebrate community differed along the altitudinal gradient, related to temperature and surrounding vegetation, determining the decomposition rate. Unexpectedly, sensitivity of decomposition rate of different quality leaves to temperature does not differ along the gradient.

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Effect of experimental and seasonal warming on litter decomposition in a temperate stream

Cited by 51 publications

References 55 publications

Spring stimulates leaf decomposition in moderately eutrophic streams

Spring stimulates leaf decomposition in moderately eutrophic streams

Impaired ecosystem process despite little effects on populations: modeling combined effects of warming and toxicants

In-stream litter decomposition along an altitudinal gradient: does substrate quality matter?

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