Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T09:09:27.289Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Long-term dynamics of organic matter and elements exported as coarse particulates from two Caribbean montane watersheds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2012

T. Heartsill Scalley ,
F. N. Scatena ,
S. Moya  and
A. E. Lugo
T. Heartsill Scalley*
Affiliation:
International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Jardín Botánico Sur, 1201 Calle Ceiba, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico 00926-1115
F. N. Scatena
Affiliation:
International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Jardín Botánico Sur, 1201 Calle Ceiba, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico 00926-1115 Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6316, USA
S. Moya
Affiliation:
International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Jardín Botánico Sur, 1201 Calle Ceiba, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico 00926-1115
A. E. Lugo
Affiliation:
International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Jardín Botánico Sur, 1201 Calle Ceiba, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico 00926-1115
*
1Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

In heterotrophic streams the retention and export of coarse particulate organic matter and associated elements are fundamental biogeochemical processes that influence water quality, food webs and the structural complexity of forested headwater streams. Nevertheless, few studies have documented the quantity and quality of exported organic matter over multiple years and under a range of conditions that includes both droughts and hurricanes. This study quantifies the export of coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM, > 12.7 mm), over 18 y in two headwater streams in north-east Puerto Rico. Daily exports ranged from 0 to over 170 g ha−1 d−1 and averaged 7.39 g ha−1 d−1, with similar amounts coming from leaves (3.5 g ha−1 d−1) and wood (3.2 g ha−1 d−1). Export of coarse particulate organic carbon was 3.0 g ha−1 d−1 which constitutes only 1.32% of carbon exports. Most litter falling into the streams was processed in place as only 2.3% of the leaf litter falling directly into these perennial channels was exported as CPOM. On average, 6 wk y−1 had no exports while events transporting more than 10 g ha−1 d−1 occurred every 2.8 mo. Instead of a single annual pulse as observed in deciduous systems, there were annual peaks in CPOM exports during May and September and less export during the drier period from December to February. Ratios of C:N in the exported material were highest in the driest month and lowest during rainy months, while leaf fluxes for nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium were highest in rainy months and lowest during February. Although median daily exports and exports during low- and base-flow periods were similar before and after Hugo, after 16 y exports during moderate- and high-flow periods were still less than those in the 2 y prior to the hurricane. Our observations indicate a system with high rates of internal processing that quickly returns to median daily conditions following hurricanes but requires several decades for storm-flow exports to return to pre-disturbance conditions and indicates that the long-term pattern of CPOM export is associated with the level of maturity of watershed vegetation.

Keywords

allochthonouscoarse particulate organic matter (CPOM)elementsexportleaveslitterfallnutrientsPuerto Ricostreams
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , March 2012 , pp. 127 - 139
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

ALLAN, J. D. 1995. Stream ecology, structure and function of running waters. Chapman & Hall, London. 338 pp.Google Scholar
BEARD, K. H., VOGT, K. A., VOGT, D. J., SCATENA, F. N., COVICH, A. P., SIGURDARDOTTIR, R., SICCAMA, T. G. & CROWL, T. A. 2005. Structural and functional responses of a subtropical forest to 10 years of hurricanes and droughts. Ecological Monographs 75:345–361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BENSTEAD, J. P., ROSEMOND, A. D., CROSS, W. F., WALLACE, J. B., EGGERT, S. L., SUBERKROPP, K., GULIS, V., GREENWOOD, J. L. & TANT, C. J. 2009. Nutrient enrichment alters storage and fluxes of detritus in a headwater stream ecosystem. Ecology 90:2556–2566.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CHAO-YONG, L. H. & SCHULTE, E. E. 1985. Digestion of plant-tissue for analysis by ICP emission-spectroscopy. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 16:943–958.Google Scholar
CHAPMAN, H. D. & PRATT, P. F. 1979. Métodos de análisis para suelos, plantas y aguas. Editorial Trillas, México. 195 pp.Google Scholar
COVICH, A. P. & CROWL, T. A. 1990. Effects of hurricane storm flow on transport of woody debris in a rain forest stream (Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico). Pp. 197–205 in Krishna, J. H., Quiñones-Aponte, V., Gomez, F. G. & Morris, G. L. (eds.). Proceedings of the International Symposium on Tropical Hydrology and Fourth Caribbean Islands Water Resources Congress. American Water Resources Association, Bethesda.Google Scholar
COVICH, A. P., CROWL, T. A. & SCATENA, F. N. 2003. Effects of extreme low flows on freshwater shrimps in a perennial tropical stream. Freshwater Biology 48:1199–1206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CROSS, W. F., COVICH, A. P., CROWL, T. A., BENSTEAD, J. P. & RAMIREZ, A. 2008. Secondary production, longevity and resource consumption rates of freshwater shrimps in two tropical streams with contrasting geomorphology and food web structure. Freshwater Biology 53:2504–2519.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CROWL, T. A., MCDOWELL, W. H., COVICH, A. P. & JOHNSON, S. L. 2001. Freshwater shrimp effects on detrital processing and nutrients in a tropical headwater stream. Ecology 82:775–783.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CROWL, T. A., WELSH, V., HEARTSILL SCALLEY, T. & COVICH, A. P. 2006. Effects of different types of conditioning on rates of leaf-litter shredding by Xiphocaris elongata, a neotropical freshwater shrimp. Journal of North American Benthological Society 25:198–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
EWEL, J. J. & WHITMORE, J. L. 1973. The ecological life zones of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. USDA Forest Service, Institute of Tropical Forestry, Research Paper ITF-018. 72 pp.Google Scholar
FISHER, S. G. & LIKENS, G. E. 1973. Energy flow in Bear Brook, New Hampshire – integrative approach to stream ecosystem metabolism. Ecological Monographs 43:421–439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GOLDSMITH, S. T., CAREY, A. E., LYONS, W. B., KAO, S. J., LEE, T. Y. & CHEN, J. 2008. Extreme storm events, landscape denudation, and carbon sequestration: Typhoon Mindulle, Choshui River, Taiwan. Geology 36:483–486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HEARTSILL SCALLEY, T. 2005. Characterization of riparian zone vegetation and litter production in tropical, montane rainforest along an environmental gradient. Ph.D. Dissertation. Utah State University, Logan, Utah. 114 pp.Google Scholar
HEARTSILL SCALLEY, T., CROWL, T. A., TOWNSEND, M. & COVICH, A. P. 2001. Freshwater shrimp population structure and distribution dynamics in a tropical rainforest stream. Pp. 732–735 in Ganeshaiah, K. N., Shaanker, R. U. & Bawa, K. S. (eds.) Tropical ecosystems: structure, diversity and human welfare. Proceedings of the International Conference on Tropical Ecosystems Bangalore, India. Oxford–IBH Press, New Delhi.Google Scholar
HEARTSILL SCALLEY, T., SCATENA, F. N., ESTRADA, C., MCDOWELL, W. H. & LUGO, A. E. 2007. Disturbance and long-term patterns of rainfall and throughfall nutrient fluxes in a subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico. Journal of Hydrology 333:472–485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HEARTSILL SCALLEY, T., CROWL, T. A. & THOMPSON, J. 2009. Tree species distributions in relation to stream distance in a mid-montane wet forest, Puerto Rico. Caribbean Journal of Science 45:52–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HEARTSILL SCALLEY, T., SCATENA, F. N., LUGO, A. E., MOYA, S. & ESTRADA RUIZ, C. R. 2010. Changes in structure, composition, and nutrients during 15 years of hurricane-induced succession in a subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico. Biotropica 42:455–463.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HOLDRIDGE, L. R. 1967. Life zone ecology. Tropical Science Center, San Jose, Costa Rica. 206 pp.Google Scholar
LARNED, S. T. 2000. Dynamics of coarse riparian detritus in a Hawaiian stream ecosystem: a comparison of drought and post-drought conditions. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 19:215–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LARSEN, M. C., TORRES-SANCHEZ, A. J. & CONCEPCION, I. M. 1999. Slopewash, surface runoff and fine-litter transport in forest and landslide scars in humid-tropical steeplands, Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 24:481–502.3.0.CO;2-G>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LODGE, D. J., SCATENA, F. N., ASBURY, C. E. & SANCHEZ, M. J. 1991. Fine litterfall and related nutrient inputs resulting from hurricane Hugo in subtropical wet and lower montane rain forests of Puerto Rico. Biotropica 23:336–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MARTINELLI, L. A., DEVOL, A. H., VICTORIA, R. L. & RICHEY, J. E. 1991. Stable carbon isotope variation in c3 and c4 plants along the Amazon river. Nature 353:57–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MCDOWELL, W. H. & ASBURY, C. E. 1994. Export of carbon, nitrogen, and major ions from three tropical montane watersheds. Limnology and Oceanography 39:111–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MEYER, J. L., WALLACE, J. B. & EGGERT, S. L. 1998. Leaf litter as a source of dissolved organic carbon in streams. Ecosystems 1:240–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'CONNOR, P. J., COVICH, A. P., SCATENA, F. N. & LOOPE, L. L. 2000. Non-indigenous bamboo along headwater streams of the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico: leaf fall, aquatic leaf decay and patterns of invasion. Journal of Tropical Ecology 16:499–516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ORTIZ ZAYAS, J. R. 1998. The metabolism of the Río Mameyes, Puerto Rico: carbon fluxes in a tropical rain forest river. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. 344 pp.Google Scholar
ORTIZ ZAYAS, J. R., LEWIS, W. M., SAUNDERS, J. F., MCCUTCHAN, J. H. & SCATENA, F. N. 2005. Metabolism of a tropical rainforest stream. Journal of North American Benthological Society 24:769–783.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OSTERTAG, R., SCATENA, F. N. & SILVER, W. L. 2003. Forest floor decomposition following hurricane litter inputs in several Puerto Rican forests. Ecosystems 6:261–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PYRON, M., COVICH, A. P. & BLACK, R. W. 1999. On the relative importance of pool morphology and woody debris to distributions of shrimp in a Puerto Rican headwater stream. Hydrobiologia 405:207–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ROYO, A. A., HEARTSILL SCALLEY, T., MOYA, S. & SCATENA, F. N. 2011. Non-arborescent vegetation trajectories following repeated hurricane disturbance: ephemeral versus enduring responses. Ecosphere 2:art77. [doi:10.1890/ES11-00118.1]CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SCATENA, F. N. 1989. An introduction to the physiography and history of the Bisley Experimental Watersheds in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station, New Orleans, Louisiana. 22 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SCATENA, F. N. 1990. Selection of riparian buffer zones in humid tropical steep lands. Pp. 328–337 in Ziemer, R. R., O'Loughlin, C. L. & Hamilton, L. S. (eds.). Humid tropical steeplands: research needs and applications to reduce erosion and sedimentation in tropical steep lands. International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) Press, Wallingford.Google Scholar
SCATENA, F. N. 2001. Ecological rhythms and the management of humid tropical forests: Examples from the Caribbean National Forest, Puerto Rico. Forest Ecology and Management 55:1–12.Google Scholar
SCATENA, F. N. & GUPTA, A. 2012. Streams of the montane humid tropics. In: Shroder, J. & Wohl, E. (eds.). Treatise on geomorphology. Academic Press, San Diego, vol. 9, in press.Google Scholar
SCATENA, F. N. & LARSEN, M. C. 1991. Physical aspects of hurricane Hugo in Puerto Rico. Biotropica 23:317–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SCATENA, F. N. & LUGO, A. E. 1995. Geomorphology, disturbance, and the soil and vegetation of 2 subtropical wet steepland watersheds of Puerto Rico. Geomorphology 13:199–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SCATENA, F. N., MOYA, S., ESTRADA, C. & CHINEA, J. D. 1996. The first five years in the reorganization of aboveground biomass and nutrient use following Hurricane Hugo in the Bisley Experimental Watersheds, Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Biotropica 28:424–440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SELVA, E. C., COUTO, E. G., JOHNSON, M. S. & LEHMANN, J. 2007. Litterfall production and fluvial export in headwater catchments of the southern Amazon. Journal of Tropical Ecology 23:329–335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SULLIVAN, N. H., BOWDEN, W. B. & MCDOWELL, W. H. 1999. Short-term disappearance of foliar litter from three tropical tree species before and after hurricane disturbance. Biotropica 31:382–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
TANK, J. L., ROSI-MARSHALL, E. J., GRIFFITHS, N. A., ENTREKIN, S. A. & STEPHEN, M. L. 2010. A review of allochthonous organic matter dynamics and metabolism in streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 29:118–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
VOGT, K. A., VOGT, D. J., BOON, P., COVICH, A., SCATENA, F. N., ASBJORNSEN, H., OHARA, J. L., PEREZ, J., SICCAMA, T. G., BLOOMFIELD, J. & RANCIATO, J. F. 1996. Litter dynamics along stream, riparian and upslope areas following Hurricane Hugo, Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Biotropica 28:458–470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WALLACE, J. B., WHILES, M. R., EGGERT, S., CUFFNEY, T. F., LUGTHART, G. H. & CHUNG, K. 1995. Long-term dynamics of coarse particulate organic-matter in three Appalachian mountain streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 14:217–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WALLACE, J. B., CUFFNEY, T. F., EGGERT, S. L. & WHILES, M. R. 1997. Stream organic matter inputs, storage, and export for Satellite Branch at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina, USA. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 16:67–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WALLACE, J. B., EGGERT, S. L., MEYER, J. L. & WEBSTER, J. R. 1999. Effects of resource limitation on a detrital-based ecosystem. Ecological Monographs 69:409–442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WEBSTER, J. R., COVICH, A. P., TANK, J. L. & CROCKETT, T. V. 1994. Retention of coarse organic particles in streams in the southern Appalachian mountains. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 13:140–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WEBSTER, J. R., WALLACE, J. B. & BENFIELD, E. F. 1995. Organic processes in streams of the eastern United States. Pp. 117–187 in Cushing, C. E., Cummins, K. M. & Minshall, G. W. (eds.). River and streams ecosystems 22: ecosystems of the world. Elsevier, Amsterdam.Google Scholar
ZALAMEA, M. & GONZALEZ, G. 2008. Leaffall phenology in a subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico: From species to community patterns. Biotropica 40:295–304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ZOU, X. M., ZUCCA, C. P., WAIDE, R. B. & MCDOWELL, W. H. 1995. Long-term influence of deforestation on tree species composition and litter dynamics of a tropical rain-forest in Puerto Rico. Forest Ecology and Management 78:147–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar