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Combined effects of freshwater salinization and leaf traits on litter decomposition

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Abstract

Freshwater salinization is a matter of major global concern due to its consequences on the aquatic biota and ecosystems functioning. Salt contamination negatively affects the leaf litter decomposition process, a key ecosystem-level process in forested streams that contributes to the recycling of nutrients and carbon storage. However, information on how additional factors may influence the magnitude of the response to salinization is scarce. In this microcosm study we assessed the importance of leaf (Castanea sativa; Quercus robur) traits, on aquatic hyphomycetes-mediated leaf litter decomposition and associated variables, in salt-contaminated (0, 1, 3 and 6 g/l NaCl) environments. The leaves were incubated individually, and in a mixture, for 28 days, under each tested salt concentration. Salinity depressed leaf mass loss, fungal biomass, respiration and sporulation rates, particularly at the highest salt concentration. Differences across leaf categories were observed in all parameters but fungal biomass, although the effects were not consistent across descriptors. All leaf categories responded with a similar intensity to salt contamination for all measured variables but sporulation rate. These results suggest that the deleterious influence of salt on litter decomposition occurs independently of the traits of the stream riparian subsidies.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financed by FCT/MEC through national funds and the co-funding by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement, and COMPETE 2020, within the Project UID/BIA/04004/2013; project ReNATURE—Valorization of the Natural Endogenous Resources of the Centro Region (Centro 2020, Centro-01-0145- FEDER-000007) also support AM (fellowship reference ReNATURE – BPD11_2). ESAJ thanks the Instituto Federal do Maranhão, Campus Barreirinhas, for the postgraduation licence (SUAP 23249.034907.2017-11). The authors thank the efforts of the two anonymous reviewers and Chris Swan for improving the manuscript and proofreading the English.

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  1. Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal

    Edivan S. Almeida Júnior, Aingeru Martínez, Ana Lúcia Gonçalves & Cristina Canhoto

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  1. Edivan S. Almeida Júnior
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  2. Aingeru Martínez
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  3. Ana Lúcia Gonçalves
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Correspondence to Aingeru Martínez.

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Almeida Júnior, E.S., Martínez, A., Gonçalves, A.L. et al. Combined effects of freshwater salinization and leaf traits on litter decomposition. Hydrobiologia 847, 3427–3435 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04348-1

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