EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 2-5, 2021
(Virtually the same conference, without elevators, airplane tickets, or hotel room keys)
5/27/2021 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | NATIVE AND INVASIVE LEAF LITTER DECOMPOSITION MEDIATED BY EMERALD ASH BORER RELATED RIPARIAN CANOPY GAPS | Virtual Platform
NATIVE AND INVASIVE LEAF LITTER DECOMPOSITION MEDIATED BY EMERALD ASH BORER RELATED RIPARIAN CANOPY GAPS
An array of deleterious terrestrial impacts following emerald ash borer (EAB) invasion are documented, but research on the effects of widespread ash mortality on aquatic ecosystems is scarce. Mortality of ash trees along headwater streams can result in canopy gaps, altering riparian plant community structure and potentially subsequent organic matter processing in streams. Our aim was to determine how leaf litter taxa (ash vs. other overstory) and canopy gaps alter aquatic leaf litter decomposition rates and colonization by macroinvertebrate and bacterial communities. We hypothesized a functional community shift in response to increased light in canopy gaps. Leaf packs of four types (ash, oak, buckthorn and cotton control) were introduced upstream, downstream, and at the center of one EAB-related canopy gap and collected monthly to quantify decomposition and assess colonizing macroinvertebrate and microbial communities, via morphological and genomic sequencing methods respectively. Gap location and leaf type significantly influenced macroinvertebrate community structure and diversity (p<0.03). The aquatic leaf litter bacterial diversity was lowest in oak leaves, compared to ash and buckthorn (p<0.01). This represents the first evidence that EAB invasion alters aquatic communities via the allochthonous resource of leaf litter.
- Aquatic–terrestrial biodiversity
- Microbial ecology
- Stream
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Presenters/Authors
Courtney Larson
(), Michigan State University, courtneyelarson126@gmail.com;
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M. Eric Benbow
(), Michigan State University, benbow@msu.edu;
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