The use of wooden sticks to assess stream ecosystem functioning: Comparison with leaf breakdown rates

Science of the Total Environment

Volumn 440, Issue , 2012, Pages 115-122

  Arroita, Maite ^a   Aristi, Ibon ^a   Flores, Lorea ^a   Larrañaga, Aitor ^a   Díez, Joserra ^a   Mora, Juanita ^b   Romaní, Anna M ^b   Elosegi, Arturo ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY UPV EHU   (Spain)

^b UNIVERSITY OF GIRONA   (Spain)

Author keywords

Decomposition; Ecosystem functioning; Monitoring; Organic matter; River

Indexed keywords

BASQUE COUNTRY; ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING; KEY PROCESS; PHYSICAL ABRASION; RIVER ECOSYSTEM; STREAM ECOSYSTEMS;

BIOGEOCHEMISTRY; BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS; DECOMPOSITION; MONITORING; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; RIVER POLLUTION; RIVERS;

ECOSYSTEMS;

AMMONIA; NITRATE; NITRITE;

DECOMPOSITION; ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING; ORGANIC MATTER; RIVER POLLUTION; STREAM;

ARTICLE; CONCENTRATION (PARAMETERS); CONTROLLED STUDY; ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT; ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS; FLOODING; LEAF LITTER; NUTRIENT CONTENT; PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY; PLANT LEAF; POPULUS; PRIORITY JOURNAL; RIVER ECOSYSTEM; STREAM (RIVER); WATER POLLUTION;

ANIMALS; BIOMASS; ECOSYSTEM; ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING; FUNGI; INVERTEBRATES; PLANT LEAVES; REPRODUCTION; RIVERS; SPAIN; SPECIES SPECIFICITY; TIME FACTORS; TREES; WATER QUALITY; WOOD;

BASQUE COUNTRY; SPAIN;

EID: 84868681304     PISSN: 00489697     EISSN: 18791026     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.07.090     Document Type: Article

References (85)

1. Acuña V., Muñoz I., Giorgi A., Omella M., Sabater F., Sabater S. Drought and postdrought recovery cycles in an intermittent Mediterranean stream: structural and functional aspects. J North Am Benthol Soc 2005, 24(4):919-933.
2. Allan J.D. Landscapes and riverscapes: the influence of land use on stream ecosystems. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 2004, 35:257-284.
3. Allen S.E., Grimshaw H.M., Parkinson J.A., Quarmby J.A. Chemical analysis of ecological materials 1974, Blackwell Scientific, Oxford.
4. APHA (American Public Health Association) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater 1992, American Public Health Association, American Water Works Federations, and Water Environment Federation, Washington DC. 18th ed.
5. Aristi A., Díez J.R., Larrañaga A., Navarro-Ortega A., Barceló D., Elosegi A. Assessing the effects of global change on the functioning of Mediterranean rivers using poplar wood breakdown. Sci Total Environ 2012, 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.06.040.
6. Benstead J.P., Rosemond A.D., Cross W.F., Wallace J.B., Eggert S.L., Suberkropp K., et al. Nutrient enrichment alters storage and fluxes of detritus in a headwater stream ecosystem. Ecology 2009, 90:2556-2566.
7. Boulton A. An overview of river health assessment: philosophies, practice, problems and prognosis. Freshwater Biol 1999, 41:469-479.
8. Boulton A., Boon P. A review of methodology used to measure leaf litter decomposition in lotic environments: time to turn over an old leaf?. Aust J Mar Freshwater Res 1991, 42:1-43.
9. Bunn S., Davies P. Biological process in running waters and their implication for the assessment of ecological integrity. Hydrobiologia 2000, 422/423:61-70.
10. Bunn S., Davies P., Mosisch T. Ecosystem measures of river health and their response to riparian and catchment degradation. Freshwater Biol 1999, 41:333-345.
11. Collier K.J., Halliday J.N. Macroinvertebrate-wood associations during decay of plantation pine in New Zealand pumice-bed streams: stable habitat or trophic subsidy?. J North Am Benthol Soc 2000, 19:91-111.
12. Costanza R., d'Arge R., de Groot R., Farber S., Grasso M., Hannon B., et al. The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 1997, 387:253-260.
13. Dang C.K., Gessner M.O., Chauvet E. Influence of conidial traits and leaf structure on attachment success of aquatic hyphomycetes on leaf litter. Mycologia 2007, 99(1):24-32.
14. Dang C.K., Schindler M., Chauvet E., Gessner M.O. Temperature oscillation coupled with fungal community shifts can modulate warming effects on litter decomposition. Ecology 2009, 90:122-131.
15. Dangles O., Gessner M.O., Guerold F., Chauvet E. Impacts of stream acidification on litter breakdown: implications for assessing ecosystem functioning. J Appl Ecol 2004, 41:365-378.
16. Díez J.R., Elosegi A., Chauvet E., Pozo J. Breakdown of wood in the Agüera stream. Freshwater Biol 2002, 47:2205-2215.
17. Dudgeon D. Prospects for sustaining freshwater biodiversity in the 21st century: linking ecosystem structure and function. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2010, 2:422-430.
18. Egglishaw H. An experimental study of the breakdown of cellulose in fast-flowing streams. Mem Ist Ital Idrobiol 1972, 29:405-428. [Suppl.].
19. Elosegi A., Sabater S. Effects of hydromorphological impacts on river ecosystem functioning: a review and suggestions for assessing ecological impacts. Hydrobiologia 2012, 10.1007/s10750-012-1226-6.
20. Elosegi A., Díez J.R., Pozo J. Contribution of dead wood to the carbon flux in forested streams. Earth Surf Processes Landforms 2007, 32:1219-1228.
21. Elosegi A., Díez J.R., Mutz M. Effects of hydromorphological integrity on biodiversity and functioning of river ecosystems. Hydrobiologia 2010, 657:199-215.
22. Feio M.J., Alves T., Boavida M., Medeiros A., Graça M.A.S. Functional indicators of river health: a river basin approach. Freshwater Biol 2010, 55:1050-1065.
23. Friberg N., Bonada N., Bradley D.C., Dunbar M.J., Edwards F.K., Grey J., et al. Biomonitoring of human impacts in freshwater ecosystems: the good, the bad and the ugly. Adv Ecol Res 2011, 44:1-68.
24. Gessner M.O., Chauvet E. A case for using litter breakdown to assess functional stream integrity. Ecol Appl 2002, 12(2):498-510.
25. Gessner M.O., Schmitt A.L. Use of solid-phase extraction to determine ergosterol concentrations in plant tissue colonized by fungi. Appl Environ Microbiol 1996, 62:415-419.
26. Gessner M.O., Swan C.M., Dang C.K., Mckie B.G., Bardgett R.D., Wall D.H., et al. Diversity meets decomposition. Trends Ecol Evol 2010, 25:372-380.
27. Graça M.A.S. The role of invertebrates on leaf litter decomposition in streams - a review. Int Rev Hydrobiol 2001, 86:383-393.
28. Greenwood J.L., Rosemond A.D., Wallace J.B., Cross W.F., Weyers H.S. Nutrients stimulate leaf breakdown rates and detritivore biomass: bottom-up effects via heterotrophic pathways. Oecologia 2007, 151:637-649.
29. Gulis V., Rosemond A.D., Suberkropp K., Weyers H.S., Benstead J.P. Effects of nutrient enrichment on the decomposition of wood and associated microbial activity in streams. Freshwater Biol 2004, 49:1437-1447.
30. Gulis V., Ferreira V., Graça M.A.S. Stimulation of leaf litter decomposition and associated fungi and invertebrates by moderate eutrophication: implications for stream assessment. Freshwater Biol 2006, 51:1655-1669.
31. Hall R.O., Wallace J.B., Eggert S.L. Organic matter flow in stream food webs with reduced detrital resource base. Ecology 2000, 81:3445-3463.
32. Hieber M., Gessner M.O. Contribution of stream detritivores, fungi, and bacteria to leaf breakdown based on biomass estimates. Ecology 2002, 83:1026-1038.
33. Hladyz S., Gessner M.O., Giller P.S., Pozo J., Woodward G. Resource quality and stoichiometric constraints on stream ecosystem functioning. Freshwater Biol 2009, 54:957-970.
34. Hladyz S., Ǻbjörnsson K., Chauvet E., Dobson M., Elosegi A., Ferreira V., et al. Stream ecosystem functioning in an agricultural landscape: the importance of terrestrial-aquatic linkages. Adv Ecol Res 2011, 44:211-276.
35. Hofer N., Richardson J.S. Comparisons of the colonisation by invertebrates of three species of wood, alder leaves, and plastic "leaves" in a temperate stream. Int Rev Hydrobiol 2007, 6:647-655.
36. Hoffman A., Hering D. Wood-associated macroinvertebrate fauna in central European streams. Int Rev Hydrobiol 2000, 85:25-48.
37. Hyatt T.L., Naiman R.J. The residence time of large woody debris in the Queets River, Washington, USA. Ecol Appl 2001, 11:191-202.
38. Imberger S.J., Thompson R.M., Grace M.R. Searching for effective indicators of ecological function in urban streams: assessing cellulose decomposition potential. Freshwater Biol 2010, 55:2089-2106.
39. Kearns S.G., Bärlocher F. Leaf surface roughness influences colonization success of aquatic hyphomycete conidia. Fungal Ecol 2008, 1:13-18.
40. Lecerf A., Chauvet E. Intraspecific variability in leaf traits strongly affects alder leaf decomposition in a stream. Basic Appl Ecol 2008, 9:598-605.
41. Lecerf A., Dobson M., Dang C.K., Chauvet E. Riparian plant species loss alters trophic dynamics in detritus based-stream ecosystems. Oecologia 2005, 146:432-442.
42. Martí E., Aumatell J., Godé L., Poch M., Sabater F. Nutrient retention efficiency in streams receiving inputs from wastewater treatment plants. J Environ Qual 2004, 33:285-293.
43. McTammany M.E., Benfield E.F., Webster J.R. Effects of agriculture on wood breakdown and microbiol biofilm respiration in southern Appalachian streams. Freshwater Biol 2008, 53:842-854.
44. Melillo J.M., Naiman R.J., Aber J.D., Eshleman K.N. The influence of substrate quality and stream size on wood decomposition dynamics. Oecologia 1983, 58:281-285.
45. Mendoza-Lera C., Larrañaga A., Pérez J., Descals E., Martínez A., Moya O., et al. Headwater reservoirs weaken terrestrial-aquatic linkage by slowing leaf-litter processing in downstream regulated reaches. River Res Appl 2012, 28:13-22.
46. Merritt R.W., Cummins K.W. An introduction to the aquatic insects of North America 1996, Kendall Hunt, Dubuque.
47. Mesquita A., Pascoal C., Cássio F. Assessing effects of eutrophication in streams based on breakdown of eucalypt leaves. Fundam Appl Limnol/Arch Hydrobiol 2007, 168:221-230.
48. Meybeck M. Global analysis of river systems: from Earth system controls to Anthropocene syndromes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2003, 358(1440):1935-1955.
49. Ormerod S.J., Dobson M., Hildrew A.G., Townsend C.R. Multiple stressors in freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater Biol 2010, 55:1-4.
50. Ostrofsky M.L. Relationship between chemical characteristics of autumn-shed leaves and aquatic processing rates. J North Am Benthol Soc 1997, 16(4):750-759.
51. Palmer M.A., Febria C. The heartbeat of ecosystems. Science 2012, 336:1393-1394.
52. Palmer M.A., Bernhardt E.S., Allan J.D., Lake P.S., Alexander G., Brooks S., et al. Standards for ecologically successful river restoration. J Appl Ecol 2005, 42:208-217.
53. Pascoal C., Cássio F. Contribution of fungi and bacteria to leaf litter decomposition in a polluted river. Appl Environ Microbiol 2004, 70:5266-5273.
54. Pascoal C., Pinho M., Cássio F., Gomes P. Assessing structural and functional ecosystem condition using leaf breakdown: studies on a polluted river. Freshwater Biol 2003, 48:2033-2044.
55. Pascoal C., Cássio F., Marcotegui A., Sanz B., Gomes P. Role of fungi, bacteria, and invertebrates in leaf litter breakdown in a polluted river. J North Am Benthol Soc 2005, 24:784-797.
56. Pérez J., Descals E., Pozo J. Aquatic hyphomycete communities associated with decomposing alder leaf litter in reference headwater streams of the Basque Country (northern Spain). Microb Ecol 2012, 64:279-290.
57. Perrings C., Naeem S., Ahrestani F., Bunker D.E., Burkill P., Canziani G., et al. Ecosystem Services for 2020. Science 2010, 330:323-324.
58. Petersen R.C., Cummins K.W. Leaf processing in a woodland stream. Freshwater Biol 1974, 4:345-368.
59. Pozo J., Casas J., Menéndez M., Mollá S., Arostegui I., Basaguren A., et al. Leaf-litter decomposition in headwater streams: a comparison of the process among four climatic regions. J North Am Benthol Soc 2011, 30(4):935-950.
60. Rabeni C.F., Hoel S.M. The importance of woody debris to benthic invertebrates in two Missouri prairie streams. Verh Int Ver Theor Angew Limnol 2000, 27:1499-1502.
61. Sabater S., Acuña V., Giorgi A., Guerra E., Muñoz I., Romaní A.M. Effect of nutrient inputs in a forested Mediterranean stream under moderate light availability. Arch Hydrobiol 2005, 163(4):479-496.
62. Schindler M.H., Gessner M.O. Functional leaf traits and biodiversity effects on litter decomposition in a stream. Ecology 2009, 90:1641-1649.
63. Sinsabaugh R.L., Antibus R.K., Linkins A.E., McClaughtery C.A., Rayburn L., Repert D., et al. Wood decomposition over a first order watershed: mass loss as a function of lignocellulase activity. Soil Biol Biochem 1992, 24:743-749.
64. Spänhoff B., Meyer E.I. Breakdown rates of wood in streams. J North Am Benthol Soc 2004, 23:189-197.
65. Sridhar K.R., Krauss G., Bärlocher F., Raviraja N.S., Wennrich R., Baumbach R., et al. Decomposition of alder leaves in two heavy metal polluted streams in Central Germany. Aquat Microb Ecol 2001, 26:73-80.
66. Stelzer R.S., Heffernan J., Likens G.E. The influence of dissolved nutrients and particulate organic matter quality on microbial respiration and biomass in a forest stream. Freshwater Biol 2003, 48:1925-1937.
67. Sweeney B.W., Bott T.L., Jackson J.K., Kaplan L.A., Newbold J.D., Standley L.J., et al. Riparian deforestation, stream narrowing, and loss of ecosystem services. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2004, 101:14132-14137.
68. Tachet H., Richoux P.H., Bournaud M., Usseglio-Polatera P.H. Invertébrés d'eau douce. Systématique, biologie, ecologie 2002, CNRS Editions, Paris.
69. Tank J.L., Dodds W.K. Nutrient limitation of epilithic and epixylic biofilms in ten North American streams. Freshwater Biol 2003, 48:1031-1049.
70. Tank J.L., Winterbourn M. Microbial activity and invertebrate colonisation of wood in a New Zealand forest stream. N Z J Mar Freshwater 1996, 30:271-280.
71. Tank J.L., Webster J.R., Benfield E.F., Sinsabaugh R.L. Effect of leaf litter exclusion on microbial enzyme activity associated with wood biofilms in streams. J North Am Benthol Soc 1998, 17:95-103.
72. Tank J.L., Rosi-Marshall E.J., Griffiths N.A., Entrekin S.A., Stephen M.L. A review of allochthonous organic matter dynamics and metabolism in streams. J North Am Benthol Soc 2010, 29:118-146.
73. Thorp J.H., Flotemersch J.E., Delong M.D., Casper A.F., Thoms M.C., Ballantyne F., et al. Linking ecosystem services, rehabilitation, and river hydrogeomorphology. Bioscience 2010, 60:67-74.
74. Tiegs S.D., Langhans S.D., Tockner K., Gessner M.O. Cotton strips as a leaf surrogate to measure decomposition in river floodplain habitats. J North Am Benthol Soc 2007, 26(1):70-77.
75. URA Red de seguimiento del estado ecológico de los ríos de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco. Report by the Basque Water Agency, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain 2008.
76. von Schiller D., Marti E., Riera J.L., Ribot M., Marks J.C., Sabater F. Influence of land use on stream ecosystem function in a Mediterranean catchment. Freshwater Biol 2008, 53:2600-2612.
77. Vörösmarty C.J., McIntyre P.B., Gessner M.O., Dudgeon D., Prusevich A., Green P., et al. Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity. Nature 2010, 467:555-561.
78. Wallace J.B., Eggert S.L., Meyer J.L., Webster J.R. Multiple trophic levels of a forest stream linked to terrestrial litter inputs. Science 1997, 277:102-104.
79. Webster J.R., Benfield E.F. Vascular plant breakdown in freshwater ecosystems. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 1986, 17:567-594.
80. Withers P.J.A., Jarvie H.P. Delivery and cycling of phosphorus in rivers: a review. Sci Total Environ 2008, 400:379-395.
81. Woodward G. Biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and freshwater food webs: assembling the jigsaw puzzle. Freshwater Biol 2009, 54:2171-2187.
82. Woodward G., Hildrew A.G. Food web structure in riverine landscapes. Freshwater Biol 2002, 47:777-798.
83. Woodward G., Gessner M.O., Giller P.S., Gulis V., Hladyz S., Lecerf A., et al. Continental-scale effects of nutrient pollution on stream ecosystem functioning across Europe. Science 2012, 36:1438-1440.
84. Young R.G., Townsend C.R. Contrasting responses to catchment modification among a range of functional and structural indicators of river ecosystem health. Freshwater Biol 2009, 54:2155-2170.
85. Young R.G., Matthaei C.D., Towsend C.R. Organic matter breakdown and ecosystem metabolism: functional indicators for assessing river ecosystem health. J North Am Benthol Soc 2008, 27:605-625.