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Multi-Scale Biophysical Factors Driving Litter Dynamics in Streams

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The Ecology of Plant Litter Decomposition in Stream Ecosystems

Abstract

Terrestrial litter that decomposes in streams is critical to carbon and nutrient fluxes and aquatic food web dynamics. Litter dynamics is influenced by biogeochemical, morphological, environmental and climatic factors, making it challenging to understand how these factors relate to each other and to litter decomposition across different spatial scales. Here, we present a hierarchical framework that accommodates the links among a wide variety of local and regional factors (e.g., litter quality, water chemistry, flow) in relation to climate, geology, biogeography and phylogeny. These factors ultimately influence the agents or processes (e.g., microbes, detritivores, physical fragmentation, retention capacity) that govern litter inputs, storage and decomposition in streams. This framework highlights the dependence of litter dynamics on spatial scale and cautions against extrapolations across scales without quantifying the influence of biophysical variables on the different agents and processes. The framework can be used as a basis for experimental and observational studies of those interactions to develop broader mechanistic understanding of litter dynamics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Limnology-Aquaripária Lab, Department of Ecology, IB, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil

    Alan M. Tonin & José F. Gonçalves Júnior

  2. Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Richard G. Pearson

  3. College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Richard G. Pearson

  4. Department of Life Sciences and Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Manuel A. S. Graça

  5. Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain

    Javier Pérez & Luz Boyero

  6. IKERBASQUE, Bilbao, Spain

    Luz Boyero

Authors
  1. Alan M. Tonin
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  2. José F. Gonçalves Júnior
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  3. Richard G. Pearson
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  4. Manuel A. S. Graça
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  5. Javier Pérez
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  6. Luz Boyero
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Christopher M. Swan

  2. Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain

    Luz Boyero

  3. Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Centre for Functional Ecology, Coimbra, Portugal

    Cristina Canhoto

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Tonin, A.M., Gonçalves Júnior, J.F., Pearson, R., Graça, M.A.S., Pérez, J., Boyero, L. (2021). Multi-Scale Biophysical Factors Driving Litter Dynamics in Streams. In: Swan, C.M., Boyero, L., Canhoto, C. (eds) The Ecology of Plant Litter Decomposition in Stream Ecosystems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72854-0_2

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