Nitrogen processing by grazers in a headwater stream: riparian connections

Primary consumers play important roles in the cycling of nutrients in headwater streams, storing assimilated nutrients in growing tissue and recycling them through excretion. Though environmental conditions in most headwater streams and their surrounding terrestrial ecosystems vary considerably over...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Freshwater biology 2016-10, Vol.62 (1)
Main Authors: Hill, Walter R., Griffiths, Natalie A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
excretion
grazers
growth
nutrient recycling
streams
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Summary:Primary consumers play important roles in the cycling of nutrients in headwater streams, storing assimilated nutrients in growing tissue and recycling them through excretion. Though environmental conditions in most headwater streams and their surrounding terrestrial ecosystems vary considerably over the course of a year, relatively little is known about the effects of seasonality on consumer nutrient recycling these streams. Here, we measured nitrogen accumulated through growth and excreted by the grazing snail Elimia clavaeformis (Pleuroceridae) over the course of 12 months in Walker Branch, identifying close connections between in-stream nitrogen processing and seasonal changes in the surrounding forest.
ISSN:0046-5070
1365-2427