Abstract
The invertebrate biodiversity of subtropical streams depends on the seasonal input of organic matter, as much as the leaf decomposition process on stream system. However, one of the challenges in determining the importance of invertebrates for leaf breakdown in subtropical streams is the low taxonomic resolution applied in most studies. To overcome this limitation, here we used litter bags with senescent leaves to evaluate the impact of different taxonomic resolutions of trophic group classification to assess the seasonal importance of invertebrate community for leaf litter breakdown in a subtropical stream (Atlantic Forest in western of Paraná state, Brazil). Litterfall was quarterly measured over a year. The leaf litter accumulated in an interval of 30 days was retrieved, weighed, and used for the leaf breakdown experiments (by litter bags). We found a lower importance of invertebrate community richness and density (shredders and scrapers) in leaf breakdown process irrespective of the taxonomic resolution (family or genus level used). Hyphomycetes biomass and fungi sporulation also did not present changes among sample times, and consecutively, importance for leaf breakdown. However, the richness and density of Chironomidae taxa respond differently depending on the taxonomic resolution used. Low litter breakdown may be explained by the increase of consumption of microorganisms, due to high density of Chironomidae scrapers evaluated at the genus level. Moreover, temperature is the main factor responsible for breakdown over the year, in a positive way. Therefore, our results indicated the family level as the taxonomic resolution sufficient to assess the role of shredders and scrapers in the leaf litter breakdown process of this subtropical stream system.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Abbreviations
- AOM:
-
Allochthonous Organic Matter
- AFDM:
-
Ash-Free Dry Mass
- D.O.:
-
Dissolved Oxygen
- El.Cond.:
-
Electric Conductivity
- E:S:
-
Error by Sites
- E:R:
-
Error Residuals
- FFG:
-
Functional Feeding Group
- k:
-
decay rate
- PerMANOVA:
-
Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance
- RM-ANOVA:
-
Repeated Measures ANOVA
- TS:
-
Temporal Sampling
- W.T.:
-
Water Temperature
- W.F.:
-
Water Flow
References
Abelho, M. 2001. From litterfall to breakdown in streams: a review. Sci. World J. 1:656–680.
Allan, K., L. Boyero and R.G. Pearson. 2009. Chemical communication in competitive interactions among tropical stream detritivores. Trop. Zool. 22:195–204.
Bärlocher, F. 2005. Sporulation by aquatic hyphomycetes. In: M.A.S. Graça, F. Bärlocher and M.O. Gessner (eds.), Methods to Study Litter Decomposition: A Practical Guide. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 185–187.
Bambi, P., R.S. Rezende, M.J. Feio, G.F.M. Leite, E. Alvin, J.M.B. Quintão, F. Araújo and J.F.-Jr Gonçalves. 2017. Temporal and spatial patterns in inputs and stock of organic matter in savannah streams of central Brazil. Ecosystems 20:757–768
Biasi, C., C. Cerezer and S. Santos. 2016. Biological colonization and leaf decomposition in a subtropical stream. Ecol. Austral. 26:189–199.
Biasi, C., A.M. Tonin, R.M. Restello and L.U. Hepp. 2013. The colonisation of leaf litter by Chironomidae (Diptera): The influence of chemical quality and exposure duration in a subtropical stream. Limnologica 43:427–433.
Boyero, L., R.G. Pearson, D. Dudgeon, V. Ferreira, M.A.S. Graça, M. O. Gessner, A.J. Boulton, E. Chauvet, C.M. Yule, R.J. Albariño, A. Ramírez, J.E. Helson, M. Callisto, M. Arunachalam, J. Chará, R. Figueroa, J.M. Mathooko, J.F. Gonçalves Jr, M.S. Moretti, A.M. Chará-Serna, J.N. Davies, A. Encalada, S. Lamothe, L. M. Buria, J. Castela, A. Cornejo, A.O.Y. Li, C.M’Erimba, V. D. Villanueva, M. del Carmen Zúñiga, C.M. Swan and L.A. Barmuta. 2012. Global patterns of stream detritivore distribution: implications for biodiversity loss in changing climates. Global. Ecol. Biogeogr. 21:134–141.
Boyero, L., R.G. Pearson, D. Dudgeon, M.A.S. Graça, M.O. Gessner, R.J. Albarino, V. Ferreira, C.M. Yule, A.J. Boulton, M. Arunachalam, M. Callisto, E. Chauvet, A. Ramirez, J. Chara, M.S. Moretti, J.F.-Jr Goncalves , J.E. Helson, A.M. Chara-Serna, A.C. Encalada, J.N. Davies, S. Lamothe, A. Cornejo, A.O.Y. Li, L.M. Buria, V.D. Villanueva, M.C. Zuniga and C.M. Pringle. 2011. Global distribution of a key trophic guild contrasts with common latitudinal diversity patterns. Ecology 92:1839–1848.
Bücker, A., M. Sondermann, H.-G. Frede and L. Breuer. 2010. The influence of land-use on macroinvertebrate communities in montane tropical streams – a case study from Ecuador. Fund. Appl. Limnol. 177:267–282.
Chauvet, E. and K. Suberkropp. 1998. Temperature and sporulation of aquatic hyphomycetes. Appl. Environ. Microb. 64:1522–1525.
Compin, A. and R. Céréghino. 2003. Sensitivity of aquatic insect species richness to disturbance in the Adour–Garonne stream system (France). Ecol. Indic. 3:135–142.
Crawley, M.J. 2007. The R Book. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, England. pp. 449–488.
Cummins, K., R. Merritt and P. Andrade. 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.
Cummins, K. W. 1996. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque.
Dolédec, S., N. Phillips and C. Townsend. 2011. Invertebrate community responses to land use at a broad spatial scale: trait and taxonomic measures compared in New Zealand rivers. Freshwater Biol. 56:1670–1688.
Dominguez-Granda, L., K. Lock and P.L.M. Goethals. 2011. Using multi-target clustering trees as a tool to predict biological water quality indices based on benthic macroinvertebrates and environmental parameters in the Chaguana watershed (Ecuador). Ecol. Inform. 6:303–308.
Ferreira, V., M.A.S. Graça, J.L.M.P. de Lima and R. Gomes. 2006. Role of physical fragmentation and invertebrate activity in the breakdown rate of leaves. Arch. Hydrobiol. 165:493–513.
Ferreira, W.R., L.U. Hepp, R. Ligeiro, D.R.R. Macedo, R.M.M. Hughes, P.R.R. Kaufmann and M. Callisto. 2017. Partitioning taxonomic diversity of aquatic insect assemblages and functional feeding groups in neotropical savanna headwater streams. Ecol. Indic. 72:365–373.
Ferreira, W.R., L.T. Paiva and M. Callisto. 2011. Development of a benthic multimetric index for biomonitoring of a neotropical watershed. Braz J. Biol. 71:15–25.
Fiuza, P.O., B.P. Ottoni-Boldrini, J.S. Monteiro, N.R. Catena, N. Hamada and L.F.P. Gusmão. 2015. First records of Ingoldian fungi from the Brazilian Amazon. Braz J. Bot. 38:615–621.
Fiuza, P.O., T. Cantillo-Perez, J.S. Monteiro, V. Gulis and L.F.P. Gus mão. 2016. Rare hyphomycetes from freshwater environments from Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil. Nova Hedwigia 104:451–466.
Gessner, M.O. 1999. A perspective on leaf litter breakdown in streams. Oikos 85:377–384.
Gessner, M.O. 2005. Ergosterol as a measure of fungal biomass. In: M.A.S. Graça, F. Bärlocher and M.O. Gessner (eds.), Methods to Study Litter Decomposition: A Practical Guide. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 189–195.
Gonçalves, J.F.-Jr., F.A. Esteves and M. Castillo. 2003. Chironomids colonization on Nymphaea ampla L. detritus during a degradative ecological succession experiment in a Brazilian coastal lagoon. Acta Limnol. Bras. 15:21–27.
Gonçalves, J.F.-Jr, S.R.M. Couceiro, R.S. Rezende, R.T. Martins, B. M.P. Ottoni-Boldrini, C.M. Campos, J.O. Silva and N. Hamada. 2016. Factors controlling leaf litter breakdown in Amazonian streams. Hydrobiologia 792:195–207.
Gonçalves, J.F.-Jr, R.T. Martins, B.M.P. Ottoni and S.R.M. Couceiro. 2014. Uma visão sobre a decomposição foliar em sistemas aquáticos brasileiros. In: N. Hamada, J.L. Nessimian, and R.B. Querino (eds.), Insetos aquáticos: biologia, ecologia e taxonomia. Editora INPA, Manaus. pp. 89–116.
Gonçalves, J.F.-Jr, R.S. Rezende, J. França and M. Callisto. 2012a. Invertebrate colonisation during leaf processing of native, exotic and artificial detritus in a tropical stream. Mar. Freshwater. Res. 63:428–439.
Gonçalves, J.F.-Jr, R.S. Rezende, N.M. Martins and R.S. Gregorio. 2012b. Leaf breakdown in an Atlantic Rain Forest stream. Austral Ecol. 37:807–815.
Gonçalves, J.F., A.M. Santos and F.A. Esteves. 2004. The influence of the chemical composition of Typha domingensis and Nymphaea ampla detritus on invertebrate colonization during decomposition in a Brazilian coastal lagoon. Hydrobiologia 527:125–137.
Gonçalves, J.F.-Jr, J.S. França, A.O. Medeiros, C.A. Rosa and M. Callisto. 2006. Leaf breakdown in a tropical stream. Int. Rev. Hydrobiol. 91:164–177.
González, M. and M.A.S. Graça. 2005. Influence of detritus on the structure of the invertebrate community in a small Portuguese stream. Int. Rev. Hydrobiol. 90:534–545.
Graça, M.A.S. 2001. The role of invertebrates on leaf litter decomposition in streams – a review. Int. Rev. Hydrobiol. 86:383–393.
Graça, M.A.S., V. Ferreira, C. Canhoto, A.C. Encalada, F. Guerrero-Bolaño, K.M. Wantzen and L. Boyero. 2015. A conceptual model of litter breakdown in low order streams. Int. Rev. Hydrobiol. 100:1–12.
Graça, M.A.S., K. Hyde and E. Chauvet. 2016. Aquatic hyphomycetes and litter decomposition in tropical – subtropical low order streams. Fungal Ecol. 19:182–189.
Gulis, V. 2005. An Illustrated key to the common temperate species of aquatic hyphomycetes. In: M.A.S. Graça, F. Bärlocher and M.O. Gessner (eds.), Methods to Study Litter Decomposition: A Practical Guide. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 153–167.
Hamada, N., J.L. Nessimian and R.B. Querino. 2014. Insetos aquáticos na Amazônia brasileira: taxonomia, biologia e ecologia. Editora INPA, Manaus. pp. 724.
Harper, D., J. Mekotova, S. Hulme, J. White and J. Hall. 1997. Habitat heterogeneity and aquatic invertebrate diversity in flood-plain forests. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. Lett. 6:275–285.
Heino, J., A.S. Melo, J. Jyrkänkallio-Mikkola, D.K. Petsch, V.S. Saito, K.T. Tolonen, L.M. Bini, V.L. Landeiro, T.S.F. Silva, V. Pajunen, J. Soininen and T. Siqueira. 2018. Subtropical streams harbour higher genus richness and lower abundance of insects compared to boreal streams, but scale matters. J. Biogeogr. 45:1983–1993.
Leite, G.F.M., F.T.C. Silva, F.K.S.P. Navarro, R.D.S. Rezende and J.F.-Jr Gonçalves. 2016. Leaf litter input and electrical conductivity may change density of Phylloicus sp. (Trichoptera: Calamoceratidae) in a Brazilian savannah stream. Acta Limnol. Bras. 28:e12.
Lemes, A.S., L. Kleba Lisboa, A.E. Siegloch, M.M. Petrucio and J. F.-Jr Gonçalves. 2017. Connecting the litterfall temporal dynamics and processing of coarse particulate organic matter in a tropical stream. Mar. Freshwater. Res. 68:1260–1271.
Ligeiro, R., M.S. Moretti, J.F.-Jr Goncalves and M. Callisto. 2010. What is more important for invertebrate colonization in a stream with low-quality litter inputs: exposure time or leaf species? Hydrobiologia 654:125–136.
Martins, R.T., A.S. Melo, J.F. Gonçalves, C.M. Campos and N. Hamada. 2016. Effects of climate change on leaf breakdown by microorganisms and the shredder Phylloicus elektoros (Trichoptera: Calamoceratidae). Hydrobiologia 789:31–44.
Moretti, M., J.F.-Jr Gonçalves and M. Callisto. 2007. Leaf breakdown in two tropical streams: Differences between single and mixed species packs. Limnologica 37:250–258.
Moulton, T.P., S.A.P. Magalhaes-Fraga, E.F. Brito and F.A. Barbosa. 2010. Macroconsumers are more important than specialist macroinvertebrate shredders in leaf processing in urban forest streams of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hydrobiologia 638: 55–66.
Oksanen, J., R. Kindt, P. Legendre, B. O’Hara, G.L. Simpson, P. Solymos, M.H.H. Stevens and H. Wagner. 2008. Adonis function. In Vegan: Community Ecology Package. R package version 1.13-1. pp. 15–20
Oliveira-Filho, A.T., J.A. Jarenkow and M.J.N. Rodal. 2006. Floristic relationships of seasonally dry forests of eastern south america based on tree species distribution patterns. In: R.T. Pennington, G.P. Lewis and J.A. Ratter (eds.), Neotropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests: Plant Diversity, Biogeography, and Conservation. CRC Press — Taylor & Francis. pp. 159–192.
Pérez, G.P. 1988. Guía para el estudio de los macroinvertebrados acuáticos del departamento de Antioquia. Editorial Presencia, Bogotá. pp. 1–228.
Ramírez, A. and P.E. Gutiérrez-Fonseca. 2014. Functional feeding groups of aquatic insect families in Latin America: a critical analysis and review of existing literature. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64: 155–167.
R Core Team (2019). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL http://www.R-project.org//.
Rezende, R. de S., G.F.M. Leite, A.K.S. De-Lima, L.A.B. Da Silva Filho, C.V.C. Chaves, A.C.H. Prette, J.S. Freitas and J.F.-Jr Gonçalves. 2015. Effects of density and predation risk on leaf litter processing by Phylloicus sp. Austral Ecol. 40:693–700.
Rezende, R.S., P.R.S. Correia, J.F.-Jr Gonçalves and A.M. Santos. 2017a. Organic matter dynamics in a savanna transition riparian zone: input of plant reproductive parts increases leaf breakdown process. J. Limnol. 76:502–511.
Rezende, R.S., M.A.S. Graça, A.M. dos Santos, A.O. Medeiros, P. F. Santos, Y.R. Nunes, J.F.-Jr Gonçalves. 2016. Organic matter dynamics in a tropical gallery forest in a grassland landscape. Biotropica 48:301–310.
Rezende, R.S., J.F.-Jr Gonçalves and M.M. Petrucio. 2010. Leaf breakdown and invertebrate colonization of Eucalyptus grandis (Myrtaceae) and Hirtella glandulosa (Chrysobalanaceae) in two Neotropical lakes. Acta Limnol. Bras. 22:23–34.
Rezende, R.S., J.L.C. Novaes, C.Q. Albuquerque, R.S. Costa and J. F. Gonçalves. 2018. Aquatic invertebrates increase litter breakdown in Neotropical shallow semi-arid lakes. J. Arid Environ. 154:8–14.
Rezende, R.S., M.M. Petrucio and J.F.-Jr Gonçalves. 2014a. The effects of spatial scale on breakdown of leaves in a tropical watershed. PLoS One 9:e97072.
Rezende, R.S., M.A. Sales, F. Hurbath, N. Roque, J.F.-Jr Gonçalves and A.O. Medeiros. 2017b. Effect of plant richness on the dynamics of coarse particulate organic matter in a Brazilian Savannah stream. Limnologica 63:57–64.
Rezende, R.S., A.M. Santos, C. Henke-Oliveira and J.F.-Jr Gonçalves. 2014b. Effects of spatial and environmental factors on benthic a macroinvertebrate community. Zool. 31:426–434.
Rezende, R.S., A.M. Santos, A.O. Medeiros and J.F. Gonçalves-Jr. 2017c. Temporal leaf litter breakdown in a tropical riparian forest with an open canopy. Limnetica 36:445–459.
Rueda-Delgado, G., K.M. Wantzen and M.B. Tolosa. 2006. Leaf-litter decomposition in an amazonian floodplain stream: effects of seasonal hydrological changes. J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc. 25: 233–249.
Sales, M.A., J.F. Goncalves Jr., J.S. Dahora, A.O. Medeiros, J.F.-Jr Gonçalves, J.S. Dahora and A.O. Medeiros. 2015. Influence of leaf quality in microbial decomposition in a headwater stream in the brazilian cerrado: a 1-year study. Microb. Ecol. 69:84–94.
Santos Fonseca, A.L., I. Bianchini, C.M.M. Pimenta, C.B.P. Soares and N. Mangiavacchi. 2012. The flow velocity as driving force for decomposition of leaves and twigs. Hydrobiologia 703:59–67.
Suguio, K. 1973. Introdução à sedimentologia. Edgard Blucher, São Paulo. pp. 317.
Tonin, A.M., L.U. Hepp and J.F.-Jr Gonçalves. 2017. Spatial variability of plant litter decomposition in stream networks: from litter bags to watersheds. Ecosystems 21:567–58.
Tonin, A.M., L.U. Hepp, R.M. Restello and J.F.-Jr Gonçalves. 2014. Understanding of colonization and breakdown of leaves by invertebrates in a tropical stream is enhanced by using biomass as well as count data. Hydrobiologia 740:79–88.
Vannote, R.L., G.W. Minshall, K.W. Cummins, J.R. Sedell and C.E. Cushing. 1980. River continuuum concept. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 37:130–137.
Vinson, M.R. and C.P. Hawkins. 2003. Broad-scale geographical patterns in local stream insect genera richness. Ecography 26: 751–767.
Wang, L., S. Deng, S. Qiu and Y. Yan. 2017. Trophic dynamics of macroinvertebrate communities of a subtropical river in China. Int. Rev. Hydrobiol. 102:59–69.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to CNPq (Process: 421288/2017-5 and 405290/2018-7) for financial support. RSR thanks the Post-graduate Program of Environmental Science at the Communitarian University of Chapecó Region.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
About this article
Cite this article
de Rezende, R.S., Medeiros, A.O., dos Santos Dahora, J.A. et al. Taxonomic resolution refinement does not improve understanding of invertebrate’s role on leaf litter breakdown. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY 20, 1–10 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2019.20.1.1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2019.20.1.1