HR: 1330h
AN: NB33I-06    [Abstracts]
TI: The Influence of Shredder Feeding on Fungal Activity in a Nutrient-Enriched Stream and an Unaltered Stream
AU: * Chung, N
EM: chung005@bama.ua.edu
AF: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Box 870206, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0206 United States
AU: Suberkopp, K
EM: ksuberkp@biology.as.ua.edu
AF: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Box 870206, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0206 United States
AB: The effect of shredder feeding on aquatic hyphomycete communities associated with submerged leaves was studied in two southern Appalachian headwater streams in North Carolina. Coarse and fine mesh litter bags containing red maple (Acer rubrum) leaves were placed in the nutrient-enriched stream and in the reference stream and were retrieved monthly. Both shredder feeding and nutrient enrichment enhanced breakdown rates. The breakdown rates of leaves in coarse mesh bags in the reference stream (k = 0.0275) and fine mesh bags in the nutrient enriched stream (k = 0.0272) were not significantly different, suggesting that the shredding effect on litter breakdown was offset by higher fungal activity as a result of nutrient enrichment. Fungal sporulation rates and biomass (based on ergosterol concentrations) were higher in the nutrient enriched than in the reference stream, but neither fungal biomass nor sporulation rate was affected by shredder feeding. Species richness was higher in the nutrient-enriched than in the reference stream. The enrichment with nutrients altered fungal community composition more than shredder feeding.
DE: 4804 Benthic processes/benthos
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly