Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

The effects caused by the replacement of native riparian forest with Eucalyptus sp. on the benthic macro-invertebrate community

Author(s):

Marcelo Bevilacqua Remor ¹ *, Cesar Santos ², Silvio Cesar Sampaio ³, Luciano Fabris Sgarbi ⁴, Mauren Sorace ³

Recieved Date: 2012-09-28, Accepted Date: 2013-04-20

Abstract:

The replacement of native riparian forests with exotic plants, especially Eucalyptus sp. can cause changes in ecological processes of small orders rivers. The leaves of Eucalyptus sp. have lower nutrients concentration, higher hardness and secondary metabolites which inhibit the decomposing micro-organisms and benthic macro-invertebrate colonization, which are the connection between the dead organic matter and the rest of the food chain. Thus the aim of the study was to test the following hypothesis: leaf decomposition rate will be lower in the substrate composed of Eucalyptus sp. leaves, when compared to the substrate composed of native tree species leaves; the benthic macro-invertebrates diversity will be lower in the substrate composed of Eucalyptus sp. leaves than the one composed of native tree species leaves. Sixty litter bags were used in the experiment, 30 of them were filled with 5 g of Eucalyptus sp leaves and the other 30 with a mixture of native trees leaves. From the results it was concluded that leaf decomposition rates were similar for both substrates, substrate composed of native trees leaves and substrate composed of Eucalyptus sp. leaves; the benthic macroinvertebrates diversity was lower in the substrate composed of Eucalyptus sp. leaves when compared to the substrate composed of native tree species leaves.

Keywords:

Litter decomposition, exotic plants, litter bag, degradative succession, diversity

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 2
Category: Environment
Pages: 1444-1448

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