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Input and storage of benthic detritus in an Alaskan subarctic stream

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Summary

Allochthonous leaf litter input and storage of benthic detritus were measured in Monument Creek, a second-order interior Alaskan stream. Litter input was very low, totaling 62.5 g ash-free dry weight (AFDW). m-2·y-2 in 1980. Peak input coincided with autumnal leaf fall. Benthic detritus storage was similarly low. CPOM (coarse particulate organic matter, > 1 mm) ranged from 2.8 to 28.9 g AFDW·m-2, peaking in mid-September. MPOM (medium particulate organic matter, 250 μm-1 mm) ranged from 3.7 to 10.9 g AFDW·m-2, peaking in May. SPOM (small particulate organic matter, 80–250 μm) ranged from 2.0 to 9.0 g AFDW·m-2 and also peaked in May. Compared to streams in temperate regions, Monument Creek is receiving and storing less energy from the surrounding forest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, 99701, Fairbanks, AK, USA

    C. A. Cowan & M. W. Oswood

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  1. C. A. Cowan
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  2. M. W. Oswood
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Cowan, C.A., Oswood, M.W. Input and storage of benthic detritus in an Alaskan subarctic stream. Polar Biology 2, 35–40 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00258283

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00258283

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