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Effects of the Tropical Freshwater Shrimp Caridina weberi (Atyidae) on Leaf Litter Decomposition 1
Author(s) -
Williams Jennifer L.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00583.x
Subject(s) - shrimp , freshwater shrimp , biology , plant litter , litter , decapoda , ecology , fishery , crustacean , ecosystem
Effects of feeding by atyid shrimp, Caridina weberi , on the rate of decomposition of leaf litter were studied in the Opunohu River, Moorea, French Polynesia. In a laboratory feeding experiment shrimp consumed microbially conditioned Hibiscus leaves, but in a field study shrimp did not affect the rate of decomposition of leaf litter. In this system, the rate of decomposition was influenced more by water discharge or by microbial activity than by shrimp.