Towards a functional assessment of stream integrity: A first large-scale application using leaf litter decomposition

作者：Magali Brosed, Jérémy Jabiol, Éric Chauvet · 发表于：Ecological Indicators · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109403 · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology、Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies、Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics

There is increasing recognition that indicators of ecosystem functioning are needed to improve current stream monitoring schemes. However, to date, no attempt has been made to include functional metrics in large-scale routine monitoring programs under the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). One reason is the uncertainty if functional indicators really carry new and independent information about stream status or, to the contrary, remain broadly redundant with existing indicators of biological stream quality (based on stream communities). A second reason is that, despite increasing scientific knowledge on how anthropogenic pressures influence ecosystem process rates, no ‘ready for use’ tool is available to translate them into stream ecosystem status. Litter decomposition probably ranges among the most documented stream ecosystem processes, and its potential for bioindication has been repeatedly demonstrated during the past decade. Here we report an extensive comparison of routine French structural indicators (I2M2, IBGN, IBD) with alder litter (microbial and total) decomposition rates in 83 streams located in south-western France. Expectedly, microbial decomposition rates were positively correlated with fungal biomass and activity (conidial production rate), while total and invertebrate-driven decomposition rates increased together with detritivore density and diversity in litter bags. By contrast, correlations between litter decomposition rates and routine structural ind...