2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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5/25/2021 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | A global synthesis of nutrient content dynamics in freshwater detritus | Virtual Platform

A global synthesis of nutrient content dynamics in freshwater detritus

Necromass is a central component of all ecosystems; decomposition recycles elements via microbial and detritivorous pathways. In comparison to terrestrial ecologists, aquatic ecologists have strongly focused on decomposition in terms of mass loss rather than elemental flows, potentially impeding development of aquatic ecosystem theories in its most general terms, and hindering unification of decomposition theory across ecosystem boundaries. However, changes in nutrient content are frequently measured throughout aquatic decomposition. We leveraged this common measurement by synthesizing published measurements of nutrient content (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and carbon:nutrient ratios) in coarse necromass (e.g., leaf litter) to analyze trends and drivers of detrital nutrient content throughout the decomposition process. Results suggest temporal nutrient content trajectories are partially determined by initial nutrient content, with important differences between N and P. We will discuss implications of these patterns and drivers for consumers and ecosystem function, methodological constraints and structure of our dataset, and future directions for freshwater decomposition ecology and its unification with terrestrial theories.

Decomposition
Nutrient cycling
Organic matter

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Presenters/Authors

Caleb J. Robbins (), Baylor University, Caleb_Robbins@baylor.edu;