Effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration and temperature on litter decomposition in streams: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

The metabolism of forest streams depends on the decomposition of plant litter of terrestrial origin. In turn, the rate at which litter decomposes depends on litter characteristics, decomposer activity, environmental characteristics, and their interac-Internat Rev Hydrobiol. 2019;104:14-25. SUPPORTING INFORMATIONAdditional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article.How to cite this article: Amani M, Graça MAS, Ferreira V.Effects of elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration and temperature on litter decomposition in streams:A meta-analysis. Internat Rev Hydrobiol. 2019;104:14-25.

Warming and leaf litter functional diversity, not litter quality, drive decomposition in a freshwater ecosystem

“…However, our findings suggest that the effects of warming may not depend on litter type (low-or high-quality, low-or highfunctional diversity). Such results may be supported by a recent meta-analysis where the authors examined the effects of elevated atmospheric CO 2 and temperature on litter decomposition in streams 9 . They concluded that the effects of warming on litter decomposition may not depend on litter chemical differences 9 .…”

“…Such results may be supported by a recent meta-analysis where the authors examined the effects of elevated atmospheric CO 2 and temperature on litter decomposition in streams 9 . They concluded that the effects of warming on litter decomposition may not depend on litter chemical differences 9 . On the other hand, a global synthesis study on the temperature sensitivity of leaf litter decomposition in streams and rivers analyzed data from 169 studies and found some evidence that the suite of litter chemical traits determines how decomposition is affected by temperature 37 .…”

“…Warming is predicted to profoundly impact biodiversity and ecosystems in all biomes on Earth 1 . Global warming is expected to alter the individual's metabolic rates 2 , distribution of species and their phenology 3 , the structure of communities 4 , species interactions 5 , and ecosystem functioning [6][7][8][9] . Concomitantly, changes in biodiversity are occurring at unprecedented rates 10 .…”

Changing soil carbon: influencing factors, sequestration strategy and research direction

“…This result was because most of the climate change factors influenced plant growth and soil C decomposition simultaneously, e.g., warming increased plant biomass, but the C decomposition rate also increased; thus, the final effects on soil C were ambiguous [19]. However, elevated CO 2 was beneficial for plant growth but had a weak effect on C decomposition [20][21][22]. The effects of elevated CO 2 on soil C indicated that the natural ecosystem had a capacity to buffer elevated CO 2 that was similar to the capacity to buffer soil C. However, due to the degradation of natural ecosystems and wide, sharp changes in CO 2 and soil C, this buffer capacity dwindled significantly.…”

Litter Quality Is a Stronger Driver than Temperature of Early Microbial Decomposition in Oligotrophic Streams: a Microcosm Study

“…Thus, climate warming is expected to increase the relative contribution of microorganisms to litter decomposition in streams, especially at higher latitudes where microbial performance is temperature-limited [12]. Another factor that can alter microbial-mediated litter decomposition is litter quality, which is expected to be reduced due to changed riparian community composition [13] and also due to increased atmospheric C dioxide (CO 2 ) and warming [14,15]. Additionally, afforestation and other human-related impacts such as the substitution of natural forests by plantations [16], biological invasions [17], or emerging diseases [18] can affect the composition of litter and its decomposition rate, thus altering C flows [19].…”