2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
6/05/2017 | 11:30 AM - 11:45 AM | THE FORCE OF FLOW: HYDROLOGY CONTRIBUTES TO THE INTER-ANNUAL VARIABILITY OF LITTER DECOMPOSITION IN TEMPERATE FORESTED STREAMS | 302B
THE FORCE OF FLOW: HYDROLOGY CONTRIBUTES TO THE INTER-ANNUAL VARIABILITY OF LITTER DECOMPOSITION IN TEMPERATE FORESTED STREAMS
Hydrology influences litter decomposition in low-order streams through physical abrasion and by affecting detritivorous invertebrate abundance. The degree to which the hydrological regime – mediated by precipitation changes – may contribute to the temporal variability of litter decomposition is not well studied.
We determined shredder- (10-mm mesh) and microbial-mediated (500 µm) litter decomposition, and litterbag-associated shredder abundance and fungal biomass, in forested streams during three consecutive and hydrologically different autumns in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada.
Overall, the ratio of shredder- and microbial-mediated decomposition rate at any given year to the three-year mean ranged from 0.78-1.39 and 0.75-1.30, respectively. This variation of decomposition was explained by differences in hydrological regime. In the low-flow years, decomposition was similar to or faster than the higher-flow year, as under reduced flow, the increase in shredder abundance and hence decomposition likely approximated or surpassed the reduction in the physical fragmentation of litter. The ranges we found slightly exceeded the range of natural variability (0.75-1.33) in a recommended assessment framework for stream functional integrity, and could indicate ‘impaired’ ecosystem functioning. Therefore, the utility of litter decomposition assays in bioassessment should deserve caution when covering hydrologically distinct years.
- C14 Hydroecology
- C17 Bioassessment
- C14 Hydroecology & C33 Remote Sensing
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Presenters/Authors
Alex Yeung
(), Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Canada, yeungcheeyu@gmail.com;
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John Richardson
(), Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, john.richardson@ubc.ca;
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David Kreutzweiser
(), Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, dave.kreutzweiser@canada.ca;
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