Monday, May 26, 2008 - 10:00 AM
29

Leaf litter decomposition in an intermittent neotropical stream

Jose Rincon, Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Zulia, Zulia, Venezuela

During the last 10 years we studied several aspects of leaf litter processing in a small intermittent stream of northwestern Venezuela. Research areas included litterfall dynamics, leaf quality and leaf litter breakdown rate, leaf quality and feeding preferences by shredders, contribution of fungi and bacteria to leaf breakdown, coal mine effects on leaf breakdown and biodiversity of aquatic fungi. The study area has been subjected to a variable rainfall regime and a severe disturbance to stream, vegetation and soil has been produced by a coal mine since 20 years ago.  So far, some conclusions have been reached: 1) Leaf type affect the leaf breakdown rate, and lignin and polyphenols may act as barriers against microbes and invertebrates, 2) Paucity of shredders suggest a low contribution to leaf processing, 3) Fast breakdown rates in fine-mesh bags suggest a higher microbial contribution, 4) Fungi contribution has showed be higher than bacteria to leaf processing, 5) Our results support the generalization that leaf decomposition in tropical streams can be faster compared to temperate streams, 6) Coal mine disturbance may affect leaf processing, and 7) Richness of aquatic fungi appear to be controlled by leaf type and habitat type.


Web Page: tropical streams, leaf processing, intermittent streams

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