River ecosystems are subject to multiple stressors that affect their structure and functioning. Ecosystem structure refers to characteristics such as channel form, water quality or the composition of biological communities, whereas ecosystem functioning refers to processes such as metabolism, organic matter decomposition or secondary production. Structure and functioning respond in contrasting and complementary ways to environmental stressors. Moreover, assessing the response of ecosystem functioning to stressors is critical to understand the effects on the ecosystem services that produce direct benefits to humans. Yet, there is more information on structural than on functional parameters, and despite the many approaches available to measure river ecosystem processes, structural approaches are more widely used, especially in management. One reason for this discrepancy is the lack of synthetic studies analyzing river ecosystem functioning in a way that is useful for both scientists and managers. Here, we present a synthesis of key river ecosystem processes, which provides a description of the main characteristics of each process, including criteria guiding their measurement as well as their respective sensitivity to stressors. We also discuss the current limitations, potential improvements and future steps that the use of functional measures in rivers needs to face.

Despite predicted global warming, the temperature effects on headwater stream functioning are poorly understood. We studied these effects on microbial-mediated leaf decomposition and the performance of associated aquatic hyphomycete assemblages. Alder leaves were incubated in three streams differing in winter water temperature. Simultaneously, in laboratory, leaf discs conditioned in these streams were incubated at 5, 10 and 15 °C. We determined mass loss, leaf N and sporulation rate and diversity of aquatic hyphomycete communities. In the field, decomposition rate correlated positively with temperature. Decomposition rate and leaf N presented a positive trend with dissolved nutrients, suggesting that temperature was not the only factor determining the process velocity. Under controlled conditions, it was confirmed that decomposition rate and leaf N were positively correlated with temperature, leaves from the coldest stream responding most clearly. Sporulation rate correlated positively with temperature after 9 days of incubation, but negatively after 18 and 27 days. Temperature rise affected negatively the sporulating fungi richness and diversity only in the material from the coldest stream. Our results suggest that temperature is an important factor determining leaf processing and aquatic hyphomycete assemblages and that composition and activity of fungal communities adapted to cold environments could be more affected by temperature rises. Highlight: Leaf decomposition rate and associated fungal communities respond to temperature shifts in headwater streams.

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Leaf litter breakdown is a key process, providing matter and energy to communities inhabiting many headwater streams that flow through forests. This detrital pathway is affected by many human landscape transformations; but it is little known about the impact of small headwater reservoirs on leaf litter decay in streams. Alder leaf litter breakdown rates and associated fauna were studied upstream and downstream of five small water supply reservoirs (surface-release in rainy autumn-winters), in the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal drainage basin (Basque Country, Spain), to assess the effect of impoundment on headwater streams function. Breakdown rates were significantly lower below the dams, mainly associated with a reduction of the density and the biomass of shredders. Among the shredders, Nemouridae and especially Protonemura were less abundant downstream of the dam. Alterations in the physicochemical characteristics of the water due to the reservoirs were negligible throughout our study, and temperature showed only slight variations that could not explain the reduction of the rates. The effect on shredders is likely to be related to differences in the riparian environment and flow regulation by the dams.

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