Abstract
Reservoirs and by-passed sections may alter downstream ecological processes of rivers, so understanding their effects is essential for watersheds impacted by small hydropower power plants (SHPs). We investigated the ecological impacts of river sections (upstream vs. reservoir vs. by-passed vs. downstream) of four run-of-river SHPs distributed in two Neotropical watersheds on leaf litter breakdown (Eucalyptus grandis and Inga uruguensis by k in d−1 and dd−1) and its associated invertebrate community. Hydropower schemes promoted breakdown rates, although mechanisms differed: increased shredder abundance in by-passed sections, and increased scrapper abundance in impounded sections, both for coarse mesh litterbags. Variation among river sections of SHPs was a more important driver of invertebrate colonization than was leaf litter species. Mass loss was higher for E. grandis (high-quality detritus) compared to I. uruguensis. The influence of litter quality was lower for invertebrates than for microorganisms, mainly due to fast litter breakdown. Clearly, changes in hydrology can cause severe damage and may impact river litter breakdown. The process of leaf litter breakdown proved to be a sensitive tool for assessing the impacts of SHPs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files] and/or are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Alvim EACC, de Oliveira MA, Rezende RS, Gonçalves JF (2015) Small leaf breakdown in a Savannah headwater stream. Limnologica 51:131–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2014.10.005
Anderson D, Moggridge H, Shucksmith JD, Warren PH (2017) Quantifying the impact of water abstraction for Low head ‘run of the river’ hydropower on localized river channel hydraulics and benthic macroinvertebrates. River Res Appl 33:202–213. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.2992
Boyero L, Pérez J, López-Rojo N et al (2021) Latitude dictates plant diversity effects on instream decomposition. Sci Adv 7:eabe860. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abe7860
Cantarella H, Trivelin PCO (2001) Determinação de nitrogênio inorgânico em solo pelo método da destilação a vapor. In: Raij B, Andrade JC, Cantarella H, Quaggio JA (eds) Análise química para avaliação da fertilidade de solos tropicais. Instituto Agronômico. Campinas, pp 270–276
Casas JJ, Zamora-Muñoz C, Archila F, Alba-Tercedor J (2000) The effect of a headwater dam on the use of leaf bags by invertebrate communities. Regul Rivers Res Manag 16:577–591. https://doi.org/10.1002/1099-1646(200011/12)16:6%3c577::aid-rrr587%3e3.0.co;2-p
Colas F, Woodward G, Burdon FJ et al (2019) Towards a simple global-standard bioassay for a key ecosystem process: organic-matter decomposition using cotton strips. Ecol Ind 106:105466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105466
Couto TB, Olden JD (2018) Global proliferation of small hydropower plants: science and policy. Front Ecol Environ 16:91–100. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1746
Couto TBA, Messager ML, Olden JD (2021) Safeguarding migratory fish via strategic planning of future small hydropower in Brazil. Nat Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00665-4
Crawley MJ (2007) The R book. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, London
Csiki S, Rhoads BL (2010) Hydraulic and geomorphological effects of run-of-river dams. Prog Phys Geogr 34:755–780. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133310369435
Cummins KW (1996) An introduction to the aquatic insects of North America. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque
Cummins K, Merritt R, Andrade P (2005) The use of invertebrate functional groups to characterize ecosystem attributes in selected streams and rivers in south Brazil. Stud Neotrop Fauna Environ 40:69–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650520400025720
de Rezende RS, Gonçalves JF Jr, Petrucio MM (2010) Leaf breakdown and invertebrate colonization of Eucalyptus grandis (Myrtaceae) and Hirtella glandulosa (Chrysobalanaceae) in two Neotropical lakes. Acta 22:23–34. https://doi.org/10.4322/actalb.02201004
de Rezende RS, Cararo ER et al (2021) Land cover affects the breakdown of Pinus elliottii needles litter by microorganisms in soil and stream systems of subtropical riparian zones. Limnologica 90:125905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2021.125905
del Cid CC, Rezende RS, Calor AR et al (2019) Temporal dynamics of organic matter, hyphomycetes and invertebrate communities in a Brazilian savanna stream. Community Ecol 20:301–313. https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2019.20.3.10
Dufrêne M, Legendre P (1997) Species assemblages and indicator species: the need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecol Monogr 67:345–366. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9615(1997)067[0345:SAAIST]2.0.CO;2
Durães L, Roque FO, Siqueira T et al (2016) Simulating the role of connectivity in shaping stream insect metacommunities under colonization cycle dynamics. Ecol Model 334:19–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.04.020
Farah-Pérez A, Umaña-Villalobos G, Picado-Barboza J, Anderson EP (2020) An analysis of river fragmentation by dams and river dewatering in Costa Rica. River Res Appl 36:1442–1448. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3678
Flindt MR, Lillebø AI (2005) Determination of total nitrogen and phosphorus in leaf litter. In: Graça MAS, Bärlocher F, Gessner MO (eds) Methods to study litter decomposition: a practical guide. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 53–59
Forster J, Hirst AG, Atkinson D (2012) Warming-induced reductions in body size are greater in aquatic than terrestrial species. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109:19310–19314. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1210460109
Garrett K, McManamay RA, Wang J (2021) Global hydropower expansion without building new dams. Environ Res Lett. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2f18
Gessner MO, Peeters F (2020) Determining temperature-normalized decomposition rates. In: Bärlocher F, Gessner MO, Graça MAS (eds) Methods to study litter decomposition: a practical guide. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 553–560
Gonçalves JF, de Rezende RS, França S, Callisto M (2012a) Invertebrate colonisation during leaf processing of native, exotic and artificial detritus in a tropical stream. Mar Freshw Res 63:428. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF11172
Gonçalves JF, Rezende RS, Martins NM, Gregório RS (2012b) Leaf breakdown in an Atlantic Rain Forest stream: LEAF breakdown in tropical stream. Austral Ecol 37:807–815. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2011.02341.x
Gonçalves JF, Martins RT, Ottoni BMP, Couceiro SRM (2014) Uma visão sobre a decomposição foliar em sistemas aquáticos brasileiros. In: Hamada N, Nessimian JL, Querino RB (eds) Insetos aquáticos: biologia, ecologia e taxonomia. Editora do INPA. Manaus, pp 89–116
Graça MAS, Zimmer M (2005) Leaf toughness. In: Graça MAS, Bärlocher F, Gessner MO (eds) Methods to study litter decomposition: a practical guide. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 121–128
Graça MAS, Barlocher F, Gessner MO (2005) Methods to study litter decomposition. Springer, Dordrecht
Hamada N, Ferreira-Keppler RL (2012) Guia Ilustrado de insetos aquáticos e semiaquáticos da Reserva Florestal Ducke. Editorada Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus
Hamada N, Nessimian JL, Querino RB (2014) Insetos aquáticos na Amazônia brasileira : taxonomia, biologia e ecologia. INPA, Manaus
Heggenes J, Stickler M, Alfredsen K et al (2021) Hydropower-driven thermal changes, biological responses and mitigating measures in northern river systems. River Res Appl 37:743–765. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3788
Lange K, Meier P, Trautwein C et al (2018) Basin-scale effects of small hydropower on biodiversity dynamics. Front Ecol Environ 16:397–404. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1823
Li Y, Kasahara T, Chiwa M, Fujimoto N (2020) Effects of dams and reservoirs on organic matter decomposition in forested mountain streams in western Japan. River Res Appl. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3640
Linares MS, Assis W, Castro Solar RR et al (2019) Small hydropower dam alters the taxonomic composition of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in a neotropical river. River Res Appl. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3442
Martins RT, de Rezende RS, GonçalvesJúnior JF et al (2017) Effects of increasing temperature and CO2 on quality of litter, shredders, and microorganisms in Amazonian aquatic systems. PLoS ONE 12:e0188791. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188791
Mbaka JG, Mwaniki MW (2015) A global review of the downstream effects of small impoundments on stream habitat conditions and macroinvertebrates. Environ Rev 23:257–262. https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2014-0080
Mbaka JG, Mwaniki MW (2016) A critical review of the effect of water storage reservoirs on organic matter decomposition in rivers. Environ Rev 25:193–198. https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2016-0041
Müller K (1982) The colonization cycle of freshwater insects. Oecologia 52:202–207
Noel L, Bärlocher F, Culp JM, Seena S (2016) Nutrient enrichment and flow regulation impair structure and function of a large river as revealed by aquatic hyphomycete species richness, biomass, and decomposition rates. Freshw Sci 35:1148–1163. https://doi.org/10.1086/689180
Nuven DMAS, Tonin AM, de Rezende RS et al (2022) Habitat heterogeneity increases leaf litter retention and fragmentation in a Cerrado savanna stream. Limnologica 92:125945. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2021.125945
Peel MC, Finlayson BL, McMahon TA (2007) Updated world map of the Koppen-Geiger climate classification. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 11:1633–1644
Pérez GP (1988) Guía para el studio de los macroinvertebrados acuáticos del departamento de Antioquia. Editorial Presencia Ltda, Bogotá
Petersen RC, Cummins KW (1974) Leaf processing in a woodland stream. Freshw Biol 4:343–368. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.1974.tb00103.x
Quintão JMB, Rezende RS, Gonçalves JF Jr (2013) Microbial effects in leaf breakdown in tropical reservoirs of different trophic status. Freshw Sci 32:933–950. https://doi.org/10.1899/12-112.1
R Core Team (2022) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. The R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org/.
Rezende RS, Petrucio MM, Gonçalves JF (2014a) The effects of spatial scale on breakdown of leaves in a tropical watershed. PLoS ONE 9:e97072. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0097072
Rezende RS, Santos AM, Henke-Oliveira C, Gonçalves JF Jr (2014b) Effects of spatial and environmental factors on benthic a macroinvertebrate community. Zoologia (Curitiba) 31:426–434. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-46702014005000001
Rezende RS, Correia PRS, Gonçalves JF Jr, Santos AM (2017a) Organic matter dynamics in a savanna transition riparian zone: input of plant reproductive parts increases leaf breakdown process. J Limnol. https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2017.1601
Rezende RS, Santos AM, Medeiros AO, Gonçalves JF Jr (2017b) Temporal leaf litter breakdown in a tropical riparian forest with an open canopy. Limnetica. https://doi.org/10.23818/limn.36.14
Rezende RS, Leite GFM, Ramos K et al (2018) Effects of litter size and quality on processing by decomposers in a tropical savannah stream. Biotropica 50:578–585. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12547
Rezende R, Biasi C, Mello Pretrucio M, Gonçalves JF Jr (2019a) Effects of leaf litter traits on alpha and beta diversities of invertebrate assemblages in a tropical watershed. Ecol Austral 29:365–379. https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.19.29.3.0.750
Rezende SR, Medeiros AO, Dahora JAS et al (2019b) Taxonomic resolution refinement does not improve understanding of invertebrate’s role on leaf litter breakdown. Community Ecol 20:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2019.20.1.1
Rezende RS, Bernardi JP, Gomes ES et al (2021b) Effects of Phylloicus case removal on consumption of leaf litter from two Neotropical biomes (Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savanna). Limnology 22:35–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-020-00628-w
Salomão VP, Tonin AM, de Souza RR et al (2019) Small dam impairs invertebrate and microbial assemblages as well as leaf breakdown: a study case from a tropical savanna stream. Limnologica 77:125685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2019.125685
Sena G (2021) Nutrient enrichment does not affect diet selection by a tropical shredder species in a mesocosm experiment. Limnologica 8:125883
Sena G, Júnior JFG, Martins RT et al (2020) Leaf litter quality drives the feeding by invertebrate shredders in tropical streams. Ecol Evol 10:8563–8570. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6169
Short RA, Ward JV (1980) Leaf litter processing in a regulated rocky mountain stream. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 37:123–127. https://doi.org/10.1139/f80-015
Tank JL, Rosi-Marshall EJ, Griffiths NA et al (2010) A review of allochthonous organic matter dynamics and metabolism in streams. J N Am Benthol Soc 29:118–146. https://doi.org/10.1899/08-170.1
Tiegs SD, Clapcott JE, Griffiths NA, Boulton AJ (2013) A standardized cotton-strip assay for measuring organic-matter decomposition in streams. Ecol Ind 32:131–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2013.03.013
Zuur A, Ieno EN, Walker N et al (2009) Mixed effects models and extensions in ecology with R. Springer-Verlag, New York
Acknowledgements
RSR is grateful to CNPq (project number 403945/2021-6) and Foundation to Support the Research and Innovation of State of Santa Catarina (FAPESC; TO 2021TR001802). CAL-R acknowledges support from CNPq and the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas of Argentina–CONICET.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of financial or personal interests in this paper.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Rezende, R.S., Cararo, E.R., Chimello, V. et al. Small hydropower plants lead to higher litter breakdown rates in by-passed sections than in impounded reaches. Aquat Sci 85, 26 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-022-00926-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-022-00926-8