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Beech Leaf Breakdown and POM Storage along an AltitudinalStream Gradient
Author(s) -
Fleituch Tadeusz
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
international review of hydrobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 1434-2944
DOI - 10.1002/1522-2632(200107)86:4/5<515::aid-iroh515>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - beech , environmental science , fragmentation (computing) , plant litter , altitude (triangle) , fagaceae , chemistry , environmental chemistry , hydrology (agriculture) , ecology , biology , ecosystem , geology , geometry , mathematics , geotechnical engineering
Breakdown of beech leaf litter and dynamics of particulate organic matter (POM) were investigated at five sampling stations along a 295 m altitudinal gradient of a 1 st to 5 th order undisturbed stream (the River Stradomka, southern Poland). The gradual increase of stored POM with stream altitude was observed. This was explained by changes in the stream substrata. Beech leaves breakdown was faster in the downstream direction. This tendency can be explained by physical fragmentation or by microbial activity but not by water chemistry. The increase of stored total POM and coarse POM in transport reduced the breakdown of exposed beech leaves. It is suggested that when physical and chemical variables of water cannot explain observed altitudinal patterns of leaf breakdown, other factors including different POM and biological parameters should be considered.