Analysis of the process of retention of organic matter in stream ecosystems

Speaker, Robert W.; Moore, Kelly M. S.; Gregory, Stan V.

doi:10.1080/03680770.1983.11897582

Cited by 105 publications

(123 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

107

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Such retentive structural features are lacking in the river Nethy system and preliminary trial introductions of leaf material in two of the Nethy tributaries demonstrated that both needles and deciduous leaves can be washed downstream rapidly (Collen unpublished). These leaf release methods can provide accurate assessments of the retention properties of streams (Speaker et al, 1984). Hydrology and substrate related features are important factors affecting retention and riparian vegetation can be a major determinant of retentive properties of streams (Speaker et al, 1984).…”

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These leaf release methods can provide accurate assessments of the retention properties of streams (Speaker et al, 1984). Hydrology and substrate related features are important factors affecting retention and riparian vegetation can be a major determinant of retentive properties of streams (Speaker et al, 1984). The retentive qualities of streams are an important factor influencing biological productivity and the introduction of features, particularly woody debris, to enhance litter retention has been recommended for stream restoration programmes (Laasonen et al, 1998;Laitung et al, 2002;Muotka and Laasonen, 2002) The processing rate of pine needles was very slow at all sites in the river Nethy and limited evidence from two of the sites indicates that a significant amount of a needle may remain even after it has been in the stream for 500 days.…”

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Processing of pine (Pinus sylvestris) and birch (Betula pubescens) leaf material in a small river system in the northern Cairngorms, Scotland

Collen

Keay

Morrison

2004

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Processing rates, and macroinvertebrate colonisation, of pine needles and birch leaves were studied at eight sites on the river Nethy, a small river system in the Cairngorm region of north-eastern Scotland. Throughout this river system, processing rates were slow for pine (k values 0.0015-0.0034 day -1 ) and medium to fast for birch (k values 0.0085-0.0331 day -1 ). Plecopteran shredders dominated both pine and birch leaf packs during the early part of the experiment while chironomids were more important in the latter stages. It is suggested that the slow processing rate of pine needles could adversely affect the productivity of streams, particularly where needles provide the major allochthonous energy source and retentive features are limited. Forest managers should consider this when creating new pinewoods in treeless areas as it will take many years for the trees to reach a size at which they can effectively contribute retentive features, in the form of woody debris, to streams.

show abstract

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Processing of pine (Pinus sylvestris) and birch (Betula pubescens) leaf material in a small river system in the northern Cairngorms, Scotland

Collen

Keay

Morrison

2004

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, the channel substrata and structures that increase the channel roughness, such as rocks, cobbles and woody debris, greatly increase the retentive capacity of a stream (Webster et al, 1994). In contrast, streams with a lower wetted perimeter to cross-sectional area ratio have much lower detritus retention (Speaker et al, 1984). Dead wood (DW) is probably the single most important retention device within a stream; branches and twigs trap passing detritus as well as creating areas of low flow where organic matter can settle, further enhancing the retention process (Trotter, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Leaf transport and retention in a high gradient stream

Pretty

Dobson

2004

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To a large extent, the invertebrate fauna in wooded streams rely upon detritus inputs from the surrounding vegetation as their main food source. Conifer plantations may alter the timing and nutritional quality of leaf inputs into streams, but detritus retention may also be reduced. While it has often been assumed that conifer needles are retained less than broadleaved species, this has never been tested experimentally. This study describes the results of a leaf release experiment carried out in a small headwater stream, comparing the retention of pine needles and oak leaves (wet and dry) over a range of discharges. In addition, retention was compared before and after placing logs in the stream to examine the effect of woody debris on retention efficiency. Retention efficiency was significantly different among the three leaf types tested with wet oak leaves being most retentive, followed by dry oak leaves with dry pine needles being least retentive. Retention efficiency declined significantly with increasing discharge for all three leaf types. The addition of logs increased the retention of dry oak leaves and pine needles, but not wet oak leaves. The predominant features (stones, logs, eddies and bankside vegetation) that accounted for retention varied with discharge and the leaf type used. The results indicate that while conifer needles may be inherently less retentive than broadleaves, the presence of woody debris within the stream channel increases their retention. However, this small-scale study would need to be expanded to investigate the retention dynamics of conifer needles in plantation streams. Nevertheless, management strategies that allow the formation of woody debris accumulations in plantation streams could be valuable in enhancing detritus retention and consequently could benefit invertebrate communities.

show abstract

“…However, this was too difficult in the present experiments because the particles were small and the stream channel too complex to locate all the particles without disturbing or dislodging other particles, or disturbing the stream before subsequent releases. Therefore, I modeled retention based on the negative exponential decay equation using the number of released particles and the number of collected particles at the end of the measured stretch of stream, which is commonly done (Diez et al, 2000;Erman and Lamberti, 1992;Speaker et al, 1984). The negative exponential model is P d = P 0 e −kd , where P d is the number of chips caught in the screen, P 0 the number of chips released, −k the slope or instantaneous retention rate, and d the length of the experimental stream reach (5 m).…”

Section: Study Area and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retention of particulate matter by macrophytes in a first-order stream

Horvath

2004

Aquatic Botany

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Analysis of the process of retention of organic matter in stream ecosystems

Cited by 105 publications

References 4 publications

Processing of pine (Pinus sylvestris) and birch (Betula pubescens) leaf material in a small river system in the northern Cairngorms, Scotland

Processing of pine (Pinus sylvestris) and birch (Betula pubescens) leaf material in a small river system in the northern Cairngorms, Scotland

Leaf transport and retention in a high gradient stream

Retention of particulate matter by macrophytes in a first-order stream

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About