Effects of increased temperature and aquatic fungal diversity on litter decompo...

• Author(s): Geraldes, Paulo ; Pascoal, Cláudia ; Cássio, Fernanda
• Date: 2012
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/22178
• Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
• Subject(s): Aquatic hyphomycetes; Biodiversity; Plant-litter decomposition; Warming
• Document Type: Article
• Language: English

Description

This version thus not correspond to the final version of the journal. To assess the final version please go to: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1754504812000876 Climate warming and biodiversity loss are two major factors threatening freshwaters. Aquatic hyphomycetes are fungi that play a key role in organic matter turnover in streams. To assess the impacts of temperature increase and aquatic hyphomycete diversity on plant-litter decomposition, we manipulated fungal assemblage composition at two levels of diversity (four and eight species) under ambient temperature of 16 º C and two regimes of temperature increase differing in 8 º C: abrupt versus gradual increase from 16 to 24 º C. The effects were evaluated on leaf-litter decomposition, fungal biomass and reproduction. Results showed faster leaf decomposition under increased temperature, but no differences were found between an abrupt and a gradual increase in temperature. Assemblage composition was the major factor controlling fungal biomass and reproduction, while fungal diversity was only critical to maintain reproduction.