Resource-allocation tradeoffs in caddisflies facing multiple stressors.

ABSTRACT: The replacement of native forests by exotic tree monocultures, such as those of Eucalyptus, decreases the quality of leaf litter inputs to streams and often reduces riparian cover, which can elevate water temperature. The combined effects of these stressors on the survival and performance of detritivores may be important, as detritivore species loss leads to reduced litter breakdown, a key ecosystem process. Potential loss of cased caddisfly larvae is of particular concern because they are the predominant detritivores in many streams, they are sensitive to warming, and they expend energy on building and carrying their cases, which may be an added burden under times of stress. In a microcosm experiment, we tested whether (i) poor-quality Eucalyptus globulus litter impaired cas

SUBMITTER: Correa-Araneda F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5528245 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature