Leaf-litter inputs from an invasive nitrogen-fixing tree influence organic-matter dynamics and nitrogen inputs in a Hawaiian river

• Published in: Freshwater science Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 1036 - 1052
• Main Authors: MacKenzie, Richard A., Wiegner, Tracy N., Kinslow, Frances, Cormier, Nicole, Strauch, Ayron M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: North American Benthological Society 01.09.2013; The University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Dry seasons; Falcataria moluccana; Forest litter; Fungal biomass; fungi; invasive species; Invertebrates; leaf litter decomposition; Leaves; Metrosideros polymorpha; microbial biomass; nitrogen; nitrogen content; nitrogen fixing; nitrogen-fixing trees; Nutrients; organic matter; Plant litter; Rainy seasons; regression analysis; Riparian forests; rivers; stream flow; Streams; tropical stream; tropical stream; nitrogen fixing; Falcataria moluccana; invasive species; leaf litter decomposition
• ISSN: 2161-9549; 2161-9565; 2161-9565
• DOI: 10.1899/12-152.1

We examined how invasion of tropical riparian forests by an exotic N-fixing tree (Falcataria moluccana) affects organic-matter dynamics in a Hawaiian river by comparing early stages of leaf-litter breakdown between the exotic F. moluccana and native Metrosideros polymorpha trees. We examined early decomposition stages because of low leaf-litter retention rates (<20 d) that result from the flashy nature of tropical Pacific Island streams. Leaf breakdown rates, fungal biomass, and invertebrate abundances were 40, 120, and 30% greater, respectively, for F. moluccana than M. polymorpha leaves. Leaf-litter breakdown was largely a result of stream flow and to a lesser extent fungal colonization. Invertebrates were not an important factor in leaf-litter breakdown. Initial tannin content, leaf C∶N, and toughness were important intrinsic factors inhibiting leaf breakdown and fungal colonization. Regression analyses between remaining N content (%) and ash-free dry mass of leaf litter revealed that the early stages of F. moluccana leaf-litter breakdown are a source of N to streams invaded by F. moluccana and contribute a conservatively estimated 2.1 to 5.7% to the available total dissolved N pool. Direct input of F. moluccana leaf litter influences early stages of leaf-litter breakdown in tropical streams with low leaf-litter retention rates. Direct input of leaf litter also contributes somewhat to N inputs, but subsurface flows through N-rich soils of F. moluccana-invaded riparian forests probably are a greater source.