A comparative study of leaf breakdown of three native tree species in a slowly-flowing headwater stream in the Colombian Andes

Citation

Chara J, Baird DJ, Telfer T & Giraldo L (2007) A comparative study of leaf breakdown of three native tree species in a slowly-flowing headwater stream in the Colombian Andes. International Review of Hydrobiology, 92 (2), pp. 183-198. https://doi.org/10.1002/iroh.200510954

Abstract
The dynamics of leaf breakdown in a headwater Colombian stream were evaluated for the native tree species Myrsine guianensis, Cupania latifolia and Nectandra lineatifolia using coarse and fine mesh litter bags. Ten bags of each species (five of each mesh size) were retrieved from the stream at 1, 8, 15, 30, 60 and 120 days. k values ranged from 0.0008 to 0.0058 day(-1) and density of macroinvertebrates from 35 to 55 individuals per leaf bag, peaking at day 8. Myrsine guianensis degraded more rapidly than the other species for both coarse and fine mesh bags. This species and Nectandra lineatifolia presented differences in k values between coarse and fine mesh bags, suggesting that macroinvertebrates influenced the decay rate. Despite the low densities of macroinvertebrates found, shredders represented 12.7% of individuals and 50 to 68% of the invertebrate biomass in bags, indicating that this functional feeding group was an important component of fauna associated with litter breakdown in this first order tropical stream

Keywords
120; 30; 50; 60; BIOLOGY; BIOMASS; COMPARATIVE studies; DENSITIES; DENSITY; difference; DYNAMICS; ECOLOGY; environment; feeding; INDIVIDUALS; INVERTEBRATE SHREDDERS; LEAVES; LITTER DECOMPOSITION; litter degradation; macroinvertebrates; NEOTROPICAL STREAM; ORDER; other; PATTERNS; QUALITY; RATES; RIVER; shredders; SIZE; TROPICAL STREAM; VALUE; VALUES

Journal
International Review of Hydrobiology: Volume 92, Issue 2

People

Professor Trevor Telfer

Professor, Institute of Aquaculture