Joint effects of climate warming and exotic litter (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.) on stream detritivore fitness and litter breakdown
Joint effects of climate warming and other stressors are potentially complex and difficult to predict. In stream ecosystems, exotic riparian species have the potential to alter leaf-shredding detritivorous invertebrate assemblages and leaf litter breakdown due to differences in the quality of litter...
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Published in | Aquatic sciences Vol. 77; no. 2; pp. 197 - 205 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Basel
Springer Basel
01.04.2015
Springer Nature B.V |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Joint effects of climate warming and other stressors are potentially complex and difficult to predict. In stream ecosystems, exotic riparian species have the potential to alter leaf-shredding detritivorous invertebrate assemblages and leaf litter breakdown due to differences in the quality of litter inputs. This is the case for
Eucalyptus
plantations, which are widespread, occurring along riparian corridors of streams around the world. We hypothesised that the presence of
Eucalyptus globulus
(Labill.) litter (1) impairs detritivore fitness both directly (i.e., through leaf consumption) and indirectly (i.e., through leaf leachates in the water) and (2) impairs litter breakdown, (3) with stronger effects at higher temperatures. We tested these hypotheses in microcosm experiments with two detritivore species from two locations: the stonefly
Diamphipnosis samali
(Illies, 1960) in Chile and the caddisfly
Calamoceras marsupus
(Brauer 1865) in Spain.
Eucalyptus
leaves affected detritivore growth mainly by direct consumption, while the presence of both
Eucalyptus
leaves and leachates inhibited the breakdown of native litter. When both litter types were available, breakdown of
Eucalyptus
leaves was enhanced, possibly as a means of compensatory feeding. Increased temperature exacerbated the negative effect of
Eucalyptus
on native litter breakdown, possibly because it reduced detritivore survival. Our results add to the mounting evidence that joint effects of multiple stressors can be non-additive, and suggest that the sole presence of
Eucalyptus
leaves and leachates in the water may impact stream communities and ecosystem functions even if native litter is available, with further negative effects to be expected under a warmer climate. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1015-1621 1420-9055 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00027-014-0379-y |