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Leaf litter degradation in the wave impact zone of a pre-alpine lake

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Book cover Ecological Effects of Water-Level Fluctuations in Lakes

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 204))

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Abstract

Contrary to streams, decomposition processes of terrestrial leaf litter are still poorly understood in lakes. Here, we examined the decomposition of two leaf species, beech (Fagus sylvatica) and poplar (Populus nigra ‘italica’) in the littoral zone of a large pre-alpine lake at a wave exposed site. We focussed on the shredding impact of benthic invertebrates in a field experiment and on the effects of wave-induced disturbances under field and mesocosm conditions. In contrast to our expectations, benthic shredders did not reveal an important role in leaf processing under the conditions of the field experiment (early spring time, wave impact zone). Strong wave turbulence during storm events significantly reduced leaf mass, FPOM and invertebrate densities at field conditions. Several reasons can explain the low importance of shredders in our field study: (a) phenology of the shredder species, (b) feeding preferences and alternative food sources for gammarids, (c) generally low abundance of the native gammarid species due to the recent occurrence of an invasive predator, (d) disturbance of shredder activity due to high wave impact and (e) relatively low food value of the offered leaves. We suggest that leaf litter decomposition in lakes occurs in specific process domains, which largely depend on the hydraulic characteristics and on water-level fluctuations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Limnologisches Institut, Universität Konstanz, Mainaustraße 212, 78464, Constance, Germany

    Simone Pabst, Nicole Scheifhacken, John Hesselschwerdt & Karl M. Wantzen

Authors
  1. Simone Pabst
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  2. Nicole Scheifhacken
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  3. John Hesselschwerdt
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  4. Karl M. Wantzen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Limnologisches Institut, Universität Konstanz, Mainaustraße 252, 78457, Konstanz, Germany

    Karl M. Wantzen , Karl-Otto Rothhaupt  & Martin Mörtl ,  & 

  2. Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, Limnology and Phycology Section, Via Calepina 14, I-38100, Trento, Italy

    Marco Cantonati

  3. Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary

    László G. -Tóth

  4. Biologische Anstalt Helgoland des Alfred-Wegner-Instituts, Kurpromenade 201, 27498, Helgoland, Germany

    Philipp Fischer

  5. ATIG — Aquatic-Terrestrial Interaction Group, Fachbereich Biologie, Postfach M659, Universität Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany

    Karl M. Wantzen

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Pabst, S., Scheifhacken, N., Hesselschwerdt, J., Wantzen, K.M. (2008). Leaf litter degradation in the wave impact zone of a pre-alpine lake. In: Wantzen, K.M., Rothhaupt, KO., Mörtl, M., Cantonati, M., -Tóth, L.G., Fischer, P. (eds) Ecological Effects of Water-Level Fluctuations in Lakes. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 204. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9192-6_12

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