A global analysis of terrestrial plant litter dynamics in non-perennial waterways

T. Datry, A. Foulquier, R. Corti, D. Von Schiller, K. Tockner, Clara Mendoza-Lera, J.C. Clément, M.O. Gessner, M. Moleón, R. Stubbington, B. Gücker, R. Albarinõ, D.C. Allen, F. Altermatt, M.I. Arce, S. Arnon, D. Banas, A. Banegas-Medina, E. Beller, M.L. BlanchetteJ.F. Blanco-Libreros, J.J. Blessing, I.G. Boëchat, K.S. Boersma, M.T. Bogan, N. Bonada, N.R. Bond, K.C. Brintrup Barriá, A. Bruder, R.M. Burrows, T. Cancellario, C. Canhoto, S.M. Carlson, S. Cauvy-Fraunié, N. Cid, M. Danger, B. De Freitas Terra, A.M. De Girolamo, E. De La Barra, R. Del Campo, V.D. Diaz-Villanueva, F. Dyer, A. Elosegi, E. Faye, C. Febria, B. Four, S. Gafny, S.D. Ghate, R. Gómez, L. Gómez-Gener, M.A.S. Gracą, S. Guareschi, F. Hoppeler, J.L. Hwan, J.I. Jones, S. Kubheka, A. Laini, S.D. Langhans, C. Leigh, C.J. Little, S. Lorenz, J.C. Marshall, E. Martín, A.R. McIntosh, E.I. Meyer, M. Miliša, M.C. Mlambo, M. Morais, N. Moya, P.M. Negus, D.K. Niyogi, A. Papatheodoulou, I. Pardo, P. Pařil, S.U. Pauls, V. Pešić, M. Polášek, C.T. Robinson, P. Rodríguez-Lozano, R.J. Rolls, M.M. Sánchez-Montoya, A. Savić, O. Shumilova, K.R. Sridhar, A.L. Steward, R. Storey, A. Taleb, A. Uzan, R. Vander Vorste, N.J. Waltham, C. Woelfle-Erskine, D. Zak, C. Zarfl, A. Zoppini

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

122 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Perennial rivers and streams make a disproportionate contribution to global carbon (C) cycling. However, the contribution of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which sometimes cease to flow and can dry completely, is largely ignored although they represent over half the global river network. Substantial amounts of terrestrial plant litter (TPL) accumulate in
dry riverbeds and, upon rewetting, this material can undergo rapid microbial processing. We present the results of a global research collaboration that collected and analysed TPL from 212 dry riverbeds across major environmental gradients and climate zones. We assessed litter decomposability by quantifying the litter carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and oxygen (O2) consumption in standardized assays and estimated the potential short-term CO2 emissions during rewetting events. Aridity, cover of riparian vegetation, channel width and dry-phase duration explained most variability in the quantity and decomposability of plant litter in IRES. Our estimates indicate that a single pulse of CO2 emission upon litter rewetting contributes up to 10% of the daily CO2
emission from perennial rivers and stream, particularly in temperate climates. This indicates that the contributions of IRES should be included in global C-cycling assessments.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)497-503
Number of pages7
JournalNature Geoscience
Volume11
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

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