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KMID : 0380120000230020113
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Korean Journal of Ecology
2000 Volume.23 No. 2 p.113 ~ p.116
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Litter Processing in Tropical Headwater Streams
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Covich, Alan P.
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Abstract
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Different phenological patterns of leaf and fruit fall among native and non-native riparian species provide a spatially and temporally heterogeneous series of alternative food resources for detritivores. Relatively little is known about qualitative differences among these different riparian species. Rates of litter inputs, decomposition, and retention for different sources of riparian litter require long-term documentation. Species of freshwater shrimps, crabs, insects, and gastropods are known to consume a wide range of litter inputs but how these dynamic food webs fuction under changing climatic and land-use conditions is unknown, especially in tropical streams. On-going studies in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico provide an example of how inputs of fronds and fruits from palms (Prestoea montana) serve as important foods and microhabitat for species of freshwater crabs and shrimp. Native riparian species such as Prestoea montana are commonly distributed in the Luquillo Mountains especially along steep slopes and stream banks. After tropical storms with high winds, the large fronds from these native riparian trees provide important inputs of leaf litter to the stream food web. In some streams, the input of ripe fruit from non-native trees such as Java plum (Syzigium jambos) also provides a major source of detrital food resources, especially during periods when fruit fall from native species of palms may be limited.
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