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Nutrients stimulate leaf breakdown rates and detritivore biomass: bottom-up effects via heterotrophic pathways

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Abstract

Most nutrient enrichment studies in aquatic systems have focused on autotrophic food webs in systems where primary producers dominate the resource base. We tested the heterotrophic response to long-term nutrient enrichment in a forested, headwater stream. Our study design consisted of 2 years of pretreatment data in a reference and treatment stream and 2 years of continuous nitrogen (N) + phosphorus addition to the treatment stream. Studies were conducted with two leaf species that differed in initial C:N, Rhododendron maximum (rhododendron) and Acer rubrum (red maple). We determined the effects of nutrient addition on detrital resources (leaf breakdown rates, litter C:N and microbial activity) and tested whether nutrient enrichment affected macroinvertebrate consumers via increased biomass. Leaf breakdown rates were ca. 1.5 and 3× faster during the first and second years of enrichment, respectively, in the treatment stream for both leaf types. Microbial respiration rates of both leaf types were 3× higher with enrichment, and macroinvertebrate biomass associated with leaves increased ca. 2–3× with enrichment. The mass of N in macroinvertebrate biomass relative to leaves tended to increase with enrichment up to 6× for red maple and up to 44× for rhododendron leaves. Lower quality (higher C:N) rhododendron leaves exhibited greater changes in leaf nutrient content and macroinvertebrate response to nutrient enrichment than red maple leaves, suggesting a unique response by different leaf species to nutrient enrichment. Nutrient concentrations used in this study were moderate and equivalent to those in streams draining watersheds with altered land use. Thus, our results suggest that similarly moderate levels of enrichment may affect detrital resource quality and subsequently lead to altered energy and nutrient flow in detrital food webs.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (DEB-9806610) to the University of Georgia. A Dissertation Completion Award from the University of Georgia Graduate School provided additional support to JLG in preparation of the manuscript. We thank Kim Holten, Jon Benstead, Candice Stockdale, Andy Ostrander, Kristen Merritt, Katherine Evans and Andrew Paolucci for field and laboratory assistance. An earlier version of this manuscript was improved by comments from two anonymous reviewers, Steve Kohler, Judy Meyer, Darold Batzer, Mary Freeman, Sue Eggert, Vlad Gulis, Cynthia Tant, John Kominoski, John Davis, Deanna Connors and Karen Blocksom. Sue Eggert provided the basis for the leaf pack-sampling regime. The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Georgia Institute of Ecology provided carbon and nutrient analysis. This experiment complies with the current laws of the United States.

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  1. Jennifer L. Greenwood

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, 247 Brehm Hall, University of Tennessee at Martin, Martin, TN, 38238, USA

  2. Wyatt F. Cross

    Present address: Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA

  3. Holly S. Weyers

    Present address: USGS, 1289 Mc D Drive, Dover, DE, 19901, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Jennifer L. Greenwood, Amy D. Rosemond, Wyatt F. Cross & Holly S. Weyers

  2. Institute of Ecology and Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    J. Bruce Wallace

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  1. Jennifer L. Greenwood
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Correspondence to Jennifer L. Greenwood.

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Communicated by Steven Kohler.

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Greenwood, J.L., Rosemond, A.D., Wallace, J.B. et al. Nutrients stimulate leaf breakdown rates and detritivore biomass: bottom-up effects via heterotrophic pathways. Oecologia 151, 637–649 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-006-0609-7

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