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Riparian plant litter quality increases with latitude

Boyero L 1 , Graça MAS 2 , Tonin AM 3 , Pérez J 4 , J Swafford A 5 , Ferreira V 2 Show all authors , Landeira-Dabarca A 2 , A Alexandrou M 6 , Gessner MO 7 , McKie BG 8 , Albariño RJ 9 , Barmuta LA 10 , Callisto M 11 , Chará J 12 , Chauvet E 13 , Colón-Gaud C 14 , Dudgeon D 15 , Encalada AC 2 , Figueroa R 16 , Flecker AS 17 , Fleituch T 18 , Frainer A 19 , Gonçalves JF 3 , Helson JE 20 , Iwata T 21 , Mathooko J 22 , M'Erimba C 22 , Pringle CM 23 , Ramírez A 24 , Swan CM 25 , Yule CM 26 , Pearson RG 27

Affiliations 

  • 1 Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, 48940, Spain. [email protected]
  • 2 MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, PT-3001-401, Coimbra, Portugal
  • 3 Laboratorio de Limnologia/AquaRiparia, Departamento de Ecologia, IB, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
  • 4 Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, 48940, Spain
  • 5 Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
  • 6 Wildlands Conservation Science, LLC, P.O. Box 1846, Lompoc, CA, 93438, USA
  • 7 Department of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), 16775, Stechlin, Germany
  • 8 Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007, Uppsala, Sweden
  • 9 Laboratorio de Fotobiología, INIBIOMA, CONICET, Universidad Nacional Comahue, Quintral 1250, 8400, Bariloche, Argentina
  • 10 School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia
  • 11 Laboratorio de Ecologia de Bentos, Departamento Biologia Geral, ICB, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 30161-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
  • 12 Centro para la Investigación en Sistemas Sostenibles de Producción Agropecuaria (CIPAV), Carrera 25 No. 6-62, Cali, Colombia
  • 13 EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INP, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
  • 14 Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, 30458, USA
  • 15 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR, China
  • 16 Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Centro de Recursos Hidricos para la Agricultura y la Minería, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
  • 17 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
  • 18 Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Kraków, Poland
  • 19 Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
  • 20 Surface and Groundwater Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto at Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
  • 21 Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi, 400-8510, Japan
  • 22 Department of Biological Sciences, Egerton University, PO Box 536, Egerton, Kenya
  • 23 Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 30602, Athens, GA, USA
  • 24 Department of Environmental Science, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00919, USA
  • 25 Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA
  • 26 School of Science, Monash University, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia
  • 27 College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, QLD, Australia
Sci Rep, 2017 09 05;7(1):10562.
PMID: 28874830 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10640-3

Abstract

Plant litter represents a major basal resource in streams, where its decomposition is partly regulated by litter traits. Litter-trait variation may determine the latitudinal gradient in decomposition in streams, which is mainly microbial in the tropics and detritivore-mediated at high latitudes. However, this hypothesis remains untested, as we lack information on large-scale trait variation for riparian litter. Variation cannot easily be inferred from existing leaf-trait databases, since nutrient resorption can cause traits of litter and green leaves to diverge. Here we present the first global-scale assessment of riparian litter quality by determining latitudinal variation (spanning 107°) in litter traits (nutrient concentrations; physical and chemical defences) of 151 species from 24 regions and their relationships with environmental factors and phylogeny. We hypothesized that litter quality would increase with latitude (despite variation within regions) and traits would be correlated to produce 'syndromes' resulting from phylogeny and environmental variation. We found lower litter quality and higher nitrogen:phosphorus ratios in the tropics. Traits were linked but showed no phylogenetic signal, suggesting that syndromes were environmentally determined. Poorer litter quality and greater phosphorus limitation towards the equator may restrict detritivore-mediated decomposition, contributing to the predominance of microbial decomposers in tropical streams.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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