Effects of nutrient enrichment on boreal streams: invertebrates, fungi and leaf‐litter breakdown

Bergfur, Jenny; Johnson, Richard K.; Sandin, Leonard; Goedkoop, Willem; Nygren, Kristiina

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2007.01770.x

Cited by 40 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Although no relationship was found between macroinvertebrate or shredder densities and nutrient content in water, some tendency for a higher density of the former in litter bags has been observed in eutrophied streams. This is supported by other authors (Robinson & Gessner, 2000;Niyogi et al, 2003;Pascoal et al, 2003;Gulis et al, 2006;Greenwood et al, 2007;Bergfur et al, 2007) and can be related to a concomitant increase in litter quality and microbial biomass and activity. However, the negative correlation between macroinvertebrate diversity and ammonium concentration in water suggests a deleterious effect, at least for some taxa, affecting both the structure and function of the studied streams.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Baldy et al (2007) and Lecerf et al (2006) suggested toxicity of ammonium to some shredder taxa. Other studies have also shown negative effects of some nutrients on invertebrate richness (Huryn et al, 2002;Pascoal et al, 2003;Bergfur et al, 2007). Lecerf et al (2005) stated that fungal species richness may enhance leaf litter breakdown rate through positive effects on resource quality for shredders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Agricultural runoff and urban activities can increase the inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), leading to stream eutrophication and thus substantially affecting the structure and functions of their benthic communities (Allan, 1995;Nijboer & Verdonschot, 2004;Bergfur et al, 2007). Numerous studies on streams and coastal ecosystems have demonstrated that this nutrient increase can stimulate the activity and biomass of heterotrophic microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi (Valiela et al, 1985;Van Ryckegem et al, 2007;Suberkropp et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Leaf litter breakdown in Mediterranean streams: effect of dissolved inorganic nutrients

et al. 2011

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Agricultural runoff and urban activities can increase the inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), into headwater streams, leading to eutrophication and thus substantially affecting the structure and functions of benthic communities. A high P concentration in water stimulates the activity of heterotrophic microorganisms associated with leaf litter and, hence, influences decomposition rates and the availability of detrital resources for macroinvertebrates. Litter breakdown of alder (Alnus glutinosa) leaves enclosed in coarse mesh bags was studied in five low-order Mediterranean streams with different trophic status defined by their soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations. Decomposition rates differed significantly between these streams and increased with the eutrophication gradient, but these differences were not always related to the availability of P in water. Leaf mass loss was directly correlated with shredder density, but macroinvertebrate density and diversity were not related to P availability in water, and ammonium concentration had a negative effect on macroinvertebrate diversity and shredder relative abundance. A significantly positive effect of nitrate concentration in water on aquatic hyphomycete sporulation rates was observed, but there also was a negative effect of % ammonium on dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). The predominantly available ionic form of DIN could thus affect the structure of the aquatic hyphomycete community. These results suggest that the response of litter decomposition to eutrophication in forested headwater streams is strongly influenced by local stream characteristics and by the nature of nutrient pollution.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Leaf litter breakdown in Mediterranean streams: effect of dissolved inorganic nutrients

et al. 2011

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“…Concentrations of N and P comparable to those found in the Baltic rivers (9-220 and 0.1-5.6 lM total N and P, respectively; Stepanauskas et al (2002)) have previously been found to stimulate the production of fungal biomass in temperate (Gulis et al, 2008) and boreal streams (Bergfur et al, 2007). This means that a downstream production of suspended fungal biomass may have occurred in the rivers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Biomass of pelagic fungi in Baltic rivers

Jørgensen

Stepanauskas

2008

Hydrobiologia

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Concentrations of pelagic fungal biomass, determined as the content of ergosterol in particulate matter, were measured in 49 Baltic rivers during summer 1999. The ergosterol concentration varied 12-fold, from 12.6 to 152.5 ng l -1 (average of 56.4 ng l -1 ) and correlated positively with concentrations of dissolved organic matter and inorganic nutrients as well as with spectral DOM properties indicative of terrestrial sources. The fungal biomass was 12-to 100-fold lower than the biomass of pelagic bacteria, suggesting that fungi in the water column of the rivers probably were of minor importance in the riverine ecosystems at the sampling time.

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“…However, rapid increases in shredder abundances during alder leaf colonization were measured in several studies, either during summer or autumn (Maloney & Lamberti, 1995;Haapala et al, 2001;Richardson et al, 2004). Furthermore, the breakdown rates in our reference system fall within the range reported for alder in streams with similar trophic levels (Vought et al, 1998;Baldy et al, 2007;Bergfur et al, 2007). These rates were measured during or shortly after peak litter input when food is not limited and, consequently, the probability of shredders being attracted by exposed litter was low.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Effect of sudden flow reduction on the decomposition of alder leaves (Alnus glutinosa [L.] Gaertn.) in a temperate lowland stream: a mesocosm study

Schlief

Mutz

2009

Hydrobiologia

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Climate change leads to summer low flow conditions and premature litter input in lowland streams in Central Europe. This may cause a sudden reduction of flow and fragmentation into isolated pools of permanently flowing streams, with a simultaneous increase in the food supply for detrivores during summer months. We performed a mesocosm study to investigate shredder and microbial mediated litter decomposition under these conditions. Leaf litter was placed in a lowland stream with a natural flow regime (reference) and in a stream mesocosm with significant flow reduction (FR) and a representative density of macroinvertebrates and detritus. Physicochemical parameters, leaf mass loss, macroinvertebrate abundance and biomass, leaf-associated respiration, fungal sporulation, and biomass were measured at regular intervals for 6 weeks. Coarse and fine-mesh bags were used to include or exclude macroinvertebrate shredders. In the coarse-mesh bags, leaf mass loss was significantly lower in the FR system than in the reference regime. In the fine-mesh bags, leaf respiration, fungal sporulation, and biomass but not leaf mass losses were substantially lower with flow reduction.Chironomid larvae (Micropsectra spp.) appeared to effectively fragment leaf litter in fine-mesh bags. In the FR system, leaf respiration was higher in the coarsethan in the fine-mesh bags. Our results suggest that, in temperate lowland streams, premature litter input during or after a sudden fragmentation into isolated pools and a reduction of stream flow reduces direct shredder-mediated litter decomposition, but shredders may indirectly influence the decomposition process.

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Effects of nutrient enrichment on boreal streams: invertebrates, fungi and leaf‐litter breakdown

Cited by 40 publications

References 60 publications

Leaf litter breakdown in Mediterranean streams: effect of dissolved inorganic nutrients

Leaf litter breakdown in Mediterranean streams: effect of dissolved inorganic nutrients

Biomass of pelagic fungi in Baltic rivers

Effect of sudden flow reduction on the decomposition of alder leaves (Alnus glutinosa [L.] Gaertn.) in a temperate lowland stream: a mesocosm study

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