Decomposition of leaves of Myrcia lineata (O. Berg) Nied. in reaches with different levels of riparian canopy cover of an Atlantic Forest stream in southeast Brazil
Abstract
Leaf litter decomposition can be used as a tool to assess the integrity of lotic ecosystems, given that decomposition rates may vary in response to environmental changes. This study determined the decomposition rates of leaves of Myrcia lineata (O. Berg) Nied. in two reaches of Norte Stream (Espírito Santo State) that have different levels of riparian canopy cover. We hypothesized that, due to differences in luminosity, water temperature and nutrient availability, the effect of microbial and invertebrate organisms on the decomposition process would differ between the reaches. Leaves of M. lineata were placed in fine (0.5 mm) and coarse (10 mm) mesh bags, and incubated in both reaches. After intervals of 0, 3, 7, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 days, 4 replicates per treatment were collected from each reach. The observed coefficients of decomposition (k) ranged from 0.0015 to 0.0021 day-1 and did not differ between the reaches in both treatments. In total, 288 organisms belonging to 20 taxa were found associated with leaves in the preserved reach, and 705 organisms belonging to 28 taxa in the altered reach. The taxa composition of the invertebrate assemblages was similar, consisting mainly of Chironomidae (Diptera), Baetidae (Ephemeroptera) and Hydroptilidae (Trichoptera). Levels of invertebrate abundance and richness were higher in the altered reach, but did not differ over the incubation periods. Gathering-collectors were dominant in both reaches (67.79% and 64.60%), and the taxonomic composition of invertebrate assemblages varied more widely in the preserved reach. Gripopterygidae (Plecoptera) was the indicator taxon of the assemblages in the preserved reach (IV: 62.8) and Hydroptilidae in the altered reach (IV: 71.8). The results indicate that the removal of the riparian vegetation did not change the decomposition of M. lineata leaves in the stream. The observed differences in the invertebrate assemblages from the two reaches support the notion of the importance of riparian vegetation for the maintenance of aquatic organisms in streams.
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