Leaf litter decomposition and detrital communities following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washington, USA)
Large-scale dam removals provide opportunities to restore river function in the long-term and are massive disturbances to riverine ecosystems in the short-term. The removal of two dams on the Elwha River (WA, USA) between 2011 and 2014 was the largest dam removal project to be completed by that time...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1231689/full |
| _version_ | 1797656044012306432 |
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| author | Carri J. LeRoy Sarah A. Morley Jeffrey J. Duda Alex A. Zinck Paris J. Lamoureux Cameron Pennell Ali Bailey Caitlyn Oswell Mary Silva Brandy K. Kamakawiwo’ole Sorrel Hartford Jacqueline Van Der Hout Roger Peters Rebecca Mahan Rebecca Mahan Justin Stapleton Rachelle C. Johnson Melissa M. Foley Melissa M. Foley |
| author_facet | Carri J. LeRoy Sarah A. Morley Jeffrey J. Duda Alex A. Zinck Paris J. Lamoureux Cameron Pennell Ali Bailey Caitlyn Oswell Mary Silva Brandy K. Kamakawiwo’ole Sorrel Hartford Jacqueline Van Der Hout Roger Peters Rebecca Mahan Rebecca Mahan Justin Stapleton Rachelle C. Johnson Melissa M. Foley Melissa M. Foley |
| author_sort | Carri J. LeRoy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Large-scale dam removals provide opportunities to restore river function in the long-term and are massive disturbances to riverine ecosystems in the short-term. The removal of two dams on the Elwha River (WA, USA) between 2011 and 2014 was the largest dam removal project to be completed by that time and has since resulted in major changes to channel dynamics, river substrates, in-stream communities, and the size and shape of the river delta. To assess ecosystem function across the restored Elwha watershed, we compared leaf litter decomposition at twenty sites: 1) four tributary sites not influenced by restoration activities; 2) four river sites downstream of the upper dam (Glines Canyon Dam); 3) four river sites within the footprint of the former Aldwell Reservoir upstream of the lower dam (Elwha Dam); 4) four river sites downstream of the lower dam; and 5) four lentic sites in the newly developing Elwha delta. Three major findings emerged: 1) decomposition rates differed among sections of the Elwha watershed, with slowest decomposition rates at the delta sites and fastest decomposition rates just downstream of the upper dam; 2) aquatic macroinvertebrate communities establishing in leaf litterbags differed significantly among sections of the Elwha watershed; and 3) aquatic fungal communities growing on leaf litter differed significantly among sections. Aquatic macroinvertebrate and fungal diversity were sensitive to differences in canopy cover, water chemistry, and river bottom sediments across sites, with a stronger relationship to elevation for aquatic macroinvertebrates. As the Elwha River undergoes recovery following the massive sediment flows associated with dam removal, we expect to see changes in leaf litter processing dynamics and shifts in litter-dependent decomposer communities (both fungal and invertebrate) involved in this key ecosystem process. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T17:23:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-57fd5c10fd77411f97777d7dbb497fd6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T17:23:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-57fd5c10fd77411f97777d7dbb497fd62023-10-19T08:05:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2023-10-011110.3389/fevo.2023.12316891231689Leaf litter decomposition and detrital communities following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washington, USA)Carri J. LeRoy0Sarah A. Morley1Jeffrey J. Duda2Alex A. Zinck3Paris J. Lamoureux4Cameron Pennell5Ali Bailey6Caitlyn Oswell7Mary Silva8Brandy K. Kamakawiwo’ole9Sorrel Hartford10Jacqueline Van Der Hout11Roger Peters12Rebecca Mahan13Rebecca Mahan14Justin Stapleton15Rachelle C. Johnson16Melissa M. Foley17Melissa M. Foley18Environmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesFish Ecology Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Seattle, WA, United StatesU.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA, United StatesEnvironmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesEnvironmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesEnvironmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesEnvironmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesEnvironmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesEnvironmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesEnvironmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesEnvironmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesEnvironmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, United StatesU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, Lacey, WA, United StatesClallam County Department of Community Development, Port Angeles, WA, United StatesTribal Environmental Quality Program, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Port Angeles, WA, United StatesTribal Environmental Quality Program, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Port Angeles, WA, United StatesU.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA, United StatesU.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA, United StatesResilient Landscapes Program, San Francisco Estuary Institute, Richmond, CA, United StatesLarge-scale dam removals provide opportunities to restore river function in the long-term and are massive disturbances to riverine ecosystems in the short-term. The removal of two dams on the Elwha River (WA, USA) between 2011 and 2014 was the largest dam removal project to be completed by that time and has since resulted in major changes to channel dynamics, river substrates, in-stream communities, and the size and shape of the river delta. To assess ecosystem function across the restored Elwha watershed, we compared leaf litter decomposition at twenty sites: 1) four tributary sites not influenced by restoration activities; 2) four river sites downstream of the upper dam (Glines Canyon Dam); 3) four river sites within the footprint of the former Aldwell Reservoir upstream of the lower dam (Elwha Dam); 4) four river sites downstream of the lower dam; and 5) four lentic sites in the newly developing Elwha delta. Three major findings emerged: 1) decomposition rates differed among sections of the Elwha watershed, with slowest decomposition rates at the delta sites and fastest decomposition rates just downstream of the upper dam; 2) aquatic macroinvertebrate communities establishing in leaf litterbags differed significantly among sections of the Elwha watershed; and 3) aquatic fungal communities growing on leaf litter differed significantly among sections. Aquatic macroinvertebrate and fungal diversity were sensitive to differences in canopy cover, water chemistry, and river bottom sediments across sites, with a stronger relationship to elevation for aquatic macroinvertebrates. As the Elwha River undergoes recovery following the massive sediment flows associated with dam removal, we expect to see changes in leaf litter processing dynamics and shifts in litter-dependent decomposer communities (both fungal and invertebrate) involved in this key ecosystem process.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1231689/fulldam removalleaf litter decompositionaquatic–terrestrial interactionmacroinvertebrate communitiesfungal communitiesaquatic decomposition |
| spellingShingle | Carri J. LeRoy Sarah A. Morley Jeffrey J. Duda Alex A. Zinck Paris J. Lamoureux Cameron Pennell Ali Bailey Caitlyn Oswell Mary Silva Brandy K. Kamakawiwo’ole Sorrel Hartford Jacqueline Van Der Hout Roger Peters Rebecca Mahan Rebecca Mahan Justin Stapleton Rachelle C. Johnson Melissa M. Foley Melissa M. Foley Leaf litter decomposition and detrital communities following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washington, USA) Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution dam removal leaf litter decomposition aquatic–terrestrial interaction macroinvertebrate communities fungal communities aquatic decomposition |
| title | Leaf litter decomposition and detrital communities following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washington, USA) |
| title_full | Leaf litter decomposition and detrital communities following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washington, USA) |
| title_fullStr | Leaf litter decomposition and detrital communities following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washington, USA) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leaf litter decomposition and detrital communities following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washington, USA) |
| title_short | Leaf litter decomposition and detrital communities following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washington, USA) |
| title_sort | leaf litter decomposition and detrital communities following the removal of two large dams on the elwha river washington usa |
| topic | dam removal leaf litter decomposition aquatic–terrestrial interaction macroinvertebrate communities fungal communities aquatic decomposition |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1231689/full |
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