CBMA - Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra 3004-517, Portugal.
CBMA - Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; IB-S, Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
Sci Total Environ. 2017 Dec 31;609:1500-1511. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.252. Epub 2017 Aug 7.
A common watershed restoration practice to improve water quality and stream ecosystem functions and services is replanting riparian corridors with plant species that may differ from those of natural communities. This restoration practice may have consequences on the aquatic ecosystem processes because organisms obtain energy from leaf litter inputs of the riparian zones. Leaf litter decomposition in streams is a vital ecosystem-level process, which depends on the activity of microorganisms and invertebrates. In the current study, we examined whether the type and developmental stage of riparian forest affect stream ecosystem functioning. We selected three widespread tree species in the Northwest Portugal, namely alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.), oak (Quercus robur L.) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.) and conducted stream litter decomposition experiments with leaf litter from trees differing in developmental stage to assess leaf mass loss, fungal and invertebrate biomass and diversity. Both type and developmental stage of riparian stand significantly affected leaf mass loss, biomass of fungi and benthic invertebrates, sporulation of fungi, and abundance of invertebrates. However, only developmental stage of the riparian stand had an impact on the richness and diversity of fungi, whereas invertebrate diversity and richness was influenced by both stage and type classes. Overall our study provides the novel information that stream ecosystem processes are dictated not only by the composition but also by the developmental stage of the riparian stand. Moreover, this study provides an insight into how by altering riparian forest community composition through restoration practices may have an impact on a key ecosystem process and may have implications for successfully implementing future management strategies.
改善水质和溪流生态系统功能和服务的常见分水岭恢复实践是用可能与自然群落不同的植物物种重新种植河岸带。这种恢复实践可能会对水生生态系统过程产生影响，因为生物从河岸带的叶凋落物输入中获取能量。溪流中的叶凋落物分解是一个至关重要的生态系统水平过程，它依赖于微生物和无脊椎动物的活动。在当前的研究中，我们研究了河岸林的类型和发育阶段是否会影响溪流生态系统功能。我们选择了葡萄牙西北部三种广泛分布的树种，即桤木（Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.）、橡树（Quercus robur L.）和桉树（Eucalyptus globulus Labill.），并进行了带有不同发育阶段树木的叶凋落物的溪流凋落物分解实验，以评估叶质量损失、真菌和底栖无脊椎动物的生物量和多样性。河岸林的类型和发育阶段都显著影响了叶质量损失、真菌和底栖无脊椎动物的生物量、真菌的孢子形成以及无脊椎动物的丰度。然而，只有河岸林的发育阶段对真菌的丰富度和多样性有影响，而无脊椎动物的多样性和丰富度则受到发育阶段和类型类别的影响。总的来说，我们的研究提供了新的信息，即溪流生态系统过程不仅受组成的影响，还受河岸林发育阶段的影响。此外，本研究还深入了解了通过恢复实践改变河岸林群落组成可能如何对关键生态系统过程产生影响，并可能对成功实施未来的管理策略产生影响。
