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Article: Leaf litter retention in tropical streams in Hong Kong

TitleLeaf litter retention in tropical streams in Hong Kong
Authors
KeywordsBaseflow
Detritivores
Shredders
Streambed sediments
Transport
Issue Date2011
PublisherE. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.schweizerbart.de/j/archiv-hydrobiologie
Citation
Fundamental And Applied Limnology, 2011, v. 178 n. 2, p. 159-170 How to Cite?
AbstractLeaf litter can be an important food resource in small forest streams, but its availability to detritivorous macroinvertebrates depends on stream retentiveness. Previous work in Hong Kong streams revealed a scarcity of large detritivores, and it is possible that this reflects the availability or instability of litter resources. Using leaf analogues made from waterproof paper, we undertook short-term experiments to measure the retentiveness of eight Hong Kong streams under baseflow conditions during the dry season; four streams had coarse bed sediments (boulder dominated) and four had relatively fine sediments (cobble-gravel dominated). Initially we compared the transport properties of soaked and unsoaked leaf analogues with the leaves of four native trees in one of the streams. Soaked and unsoaked analogues were used to mimic waterlogged and newly-fallen leaves. Mean travel distances (Sp) of leaves and analogues in the study streams ranged from 1-22 m. These are comparable to values recorded from similar-sized streams in temperate latitudes. Unsoaked analogues traveled further (mean Sp = 10.2 m versus 3.1 m) than soaked analogues in all study streams, but retention behaviour of analogues generally matched that of real leaves. Mean travel distances of both analogue types were unrelated to streambed sediment size or sediment heterogeneity, but travel distance of soaked analogues was positively related to stream discharge. Litter retention remained high over a six-day period in one of the streams, suggesting that litter would be readily available to detritivores during periods with stable discharge, and that the scarcity of shredders must be caused by other factors. © 2011 E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/140920
ISSN
2023 Impact Factor: 0.9
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.276
ISI Accession Number ID
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Research Grants Council of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China(HKU) 7509/06M
Funding Information:

The authors are grateful to Ms Lily Ng for providing invaluable laboratory support, as well as two anonymous referees for their constructive comments on the manuscript. A permit for collection of plants was issued by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. The work described in this paper was partially supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China [Project No. (HKU) 7509/06M].

References

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorLi, AOYen_HK
dc.contributor.authorDudgeon, Den_HK
dc.date.accessioned2011-09-23T06:21:26Z-
dc.date.available2011-09-23T06:21:26Z-
dc.date.issued2011en_HK
dc.identifier.citationFundamental And Applied Limnology, 2011, v. 178 n. 2, p. 159-170en_HK
dc.identifier.issn1863-9135en_HK
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/140920-
dc.description.abstractLeaf litter can be an important food resource in small forest streams, but its availability to detritivorous macroinvertebrates depends on stream retentiveness. Previous work in Hong Kong streams revealed a scarcity of large detritivores, and it is possible that this reflects the availability or instability of litter resources. Using leaf analogues made from waterproof paper, we undertook short-term experiments to measure the retentiveness of eight Hong Kong streams under baseflow conditions during the dry season; four streams had coarse bed sediments (boulder dominated) and four had relatively fine sediments (cobble-gravel dominated). Initially we compared the transport properties of soaked and unsoaked leaf analogues with the leaves of four native trees in one of the streams. Soaked and unsoaked analogues were used to mimic waterlogged and newly-fallen leaves. Mean travel distances (Sp) of leaves and analogues in the study streams ranged from 1-22 m. These are comparable to values recorded from similar-sized streams in temperate latitudes. Unsoaked analogues traveled further (mean Sp = 10.2 m versus 3.1 m) than soaked analogues in all study streams, but retention behaviour of analogues generally matched that of real leaves. Mean travel distances of both analogue types were unrelated to streambed sediment size or sediment heterogeneity, but travel distance of soaked analogues was positively related to stream discharge. Litter retention remained high over a six-day period in one of the streams, suggesting that litter would be readily available to detritivores during periods with stable discharge, and that the scarcity of shredders must be caused by other factors. © 2011 E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany.en_HK
dc.languageengen_US
dc.publisherE. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.schweizerbart.de/j/archiv-hydrobiologieen_HK
dc.relation.ispartofFundamental and Applied Limnologyen_HK
dc.subjectBaseflowen_HK
dc.subjectDetritivoresen_HK
dc.subjectShreddersen_HK
dc.subjectStreambed sedimentsen_HK
dc.subjectTransporten_HK
dc.titleLeaf litter retention in tropical streams in Hong Kongen_HK
dc.typeArticleen_HK
dc.identifier.emailDudgeon, D: ddudgeon@hku.hken_HK
dc.identifier.authorityDudgeon, D=rp00691en_HK
dc.description.naturelink_to_subscribed_fulltext-
dc.identifier.doi10.1127/1863-9135/2011/0178-0159en_HK
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-79851490283en_HK
dc.identifier.hkuros194863en_US
dc.relation.referenceshttp://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-79851490283&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpageen_HK
dc.identifier.volume178en_HK
dc.identifier.issue2en_HK
dc.identifier.spage159en_HK
dc.identifier.epage170en_HK
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000286361400006-
dc.publisher.placeGermanyen_HK
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridLi, AOY=24773824300en_HK
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridDudgeon, D=7006559840en_HK
dc.identifier.issnl1863-9135-

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