The leaf breakdown of Picramnia sellowii (Picramniales: Picramniaceae) as index of anthropic disturbances in tropical streams
Abstract There are few studies in tropical regions exploring the use of leaf breakdown process as a functional tool to assess anthropic disturbance on aquatic ecosystems. We assessed the effects of water pollution due to human activities on the leaf breakdown rate of Picramnia sellowii in streams of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Instituto Internacional de Ecologia
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| Series: | Brazilian Journal of Biology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842015000600846&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1811279744153419776 |
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| author | M. P. Lopes R. T. Martins L. S. Silveira R. G. Alves |
| author_facet | M. P. Lopes R. T. Martins L. S. Silveira R. G. Alves |
| author_sort | M. P. Lopes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract There are few studies in tropical regions exploring the use of leaf breakdown process as a functional tool to assess anthropic disturbance on aquatic ecosystems. We assessed the effects of water pollution due to human activities on the leaf breakdown rate of Picramnia sellowii in streams of the southeastern Brazil. The experiment was carried out for 60 days in three reference streams and three streams impaired by organic pollution and absence of riparian vegetation. Three litter bags were incubated in each stream containing 3 ± 0.05 g of P. sellowii leaves. The reference streams presented higher values of dissolved oxygen and lower values of nutrients, turbidity, electrical conductivity, total impermeable area and water temperature. The leaf breakdown rate (k) differed significantly between the reference (k = 0.014 ± 0.003 d–1) and impaired streams (k = 0.005 ± 0.001 d–1). The leaves incubated in the reference streams contained greater fungal biomass (measured as ergosterol concentration) and abundance of invertebrates, as well as greater presence of shredders, with k values being related to the biomass of these organisms. Overall, there were clear differences between the leaf mass loss in the reference and impaired streams. These results reinforce the negative effect of urbanization on leaf breakdown and fungal and shredder biomass. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T01:01:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9db7d2c39d9044a48077a12ee5573fd7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1678-4375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T01:01:12Z |
| publisher | Instituto Internacional de Ecologia |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brazilian Journal of Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-9db7d2c39d9044a48077a12ee5573fd72022-12-22T03:09:29ZengInstituto Internacional de EcologiaBrazilian Journal of Biology1678-437575484685310.1590/1519-6984.00414S1519-69842015000600846The leaf breakdown of Picramnia sellowii (Picramniales: Picramniaceae) as index of anthropic disturbances in tropical streamsM. P. LopesR. T. MartinsL. S. SilveiraR. G. AlvesAbstract There are few studies in tropical regions exploring the use of leaf breakdown process as a functional tool to assess anthropic disturbance on aquatic ecosystems. We assessed the effects of water pollution due to human activities on the leaf breakdown rate of Picramnia sellowii in streams of the southeastern Brazil. The experiment was carried out for 60 days in three reference streams and three streams impaired by organic pollution and absence of riparian vegetation. Three litter bags were incubated in each stream containing 3 ± 0.05 g of P. sellowii leaves. The reference streams presented higher values of dissolved oxygen and lower values of nutrients, turbidity, electrical conductivity, total impermeable area and water temperature. The leaf breakdown rate (k) differed significantly between the reference (k = 0.014 ± 0.003 d–1) and impaired streams (k = 0.005 ± 0.001 d–1). The leaves incubated in the reference streams contained greater fungal biomass (measured as ergosterol concentration) and abundance of invertebrates, as well as greater presence of shredders, with k values being related to the biomass of these organisms. Overall, there were clear differences between the leaf mass loss in the reference and impaired streams. These results reinforce the negative effect of urbanization on leaf breakdown and fungal and shredder biomass.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842015000600846&lng=en&tlng=enfungal biomassleaf decompositionfunctional toolshredding invertebratesurbanization |
| spellingShingle | M. P. Lopes R. T. Martins L. S. Silveira R. G. Alves The leaf breakdown of Picramnia sellowii (Picramniales: Picramniaceae) as index of anthropic disturbances in tropical streams Brazilian Journal of Biology fungal biomass leaf decomposition functional tool shredding invertebrates urbanization |
| title | The leaf breakdown of Picramnia sellowii (Picramniales: Picramniaceae) as index of anthropic disturbances in tropical streams |
| title_full | The leaf breakdown of Picramnia sellowii (Picramniales: Picramniaceae) as index of anthropic disturbances in tropical streams |
| title_fullStr | The leaf breakdown of Picramnia sellowii (Picramniales: Picramniaceae) as index of anthropic disturbances in tropical streams |
| title_full_unstemmed | The leaf breakdown of Picramnia sellowii (Picramniales: Picramniaceae) as index of anthropic disturbances in tropical streams |
| title_short | The leaf breakdown of Picramnia sellowii (Picramniales: Picramniaceae) as index of anthropic disturbances in tropical streams |
| title_sort | leaf breakdown of picramnia sellowii picramniales picramniaceae as index of anthropic disturbances in tropical streams |
| topic | fungal biomass leaf decomposition functional tool shredding invertebrates urbanization |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842015000600846&lng=en&tlng=en |
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