Consequences of Detrital Complexity for Ecosystem Function

该项目将研究具有不同腐烂特征的叶碎屑对源头溪流生态系统特性的重要性，这些源头溪流的大部分能量来自周围的森林，是秋季落叶。通过控制碎屑资源的质量和复杂性（即叶片类型的数量），研究人员将检验基于碎屑的生态系统中碎屑的质量和复杂性调节生态系统结构和功能的假设。这将通过控制碎屑的持久性和对生活在溪流中的消费生物的可利用性来实现。增加叶片碎屑的复杂性将减少关键生态系统特征和过程的时间变化，如有机质的常熟作物、有机质输出、真菌繁殖、养分保留、生态系统代谢、无脊椎动物丰度、生物量和产量。全球生物多样性的人为减少需要更好地了解生物多样性对生态系统过程的影响，例如不同的河岸再种植计划对河流生态系统的影响。

This project will examine the importance of leaf detritus with differing decay characteristics on ecosystem properties in headwater streams that receive most of their energy from the surrounding forest as autumn-shed leaves. By manipulating the quality and complexity (i.e., number of leaf types) of detrital resources, the investigators will test the hypothesis that quality and complexity of detritus in a detritus-based ecosystem regulates ecosystem structure and function. This will be accomplished by controlling detritus persistence and availability to stream-dwelling consumer organisms. Increasing the complexity of leaf detritus should reduce temporal variation in key ecosystem characteristics and processes such as standing crop of organic matter, organic matter export, fungal reproduction, nutrient retention, ecosystem metabolism, and invertebrate abundance, biomass and production. Anthropogenic reductions in global biodiversity require an improved understanding of the impacts of biodiversity on ecosystem processes, such as the consequences of different riparian replanting schemes for stream ecosystems.