MULTIPLE TROPHIC LEVELS OF A FOREST STREAM LINKED TO TERRESTRIAL LITTER INPUTS

The importance of terrestrial-aquatic linkages was evaluated by a larg e-scale, 3-year exclusion of terrestrial leaf litter inputs to a fores t stream. Exclusion of leaf litter had a strong bottom-up effect that was propagated through detritivores to predators. Most invertebrate ta xa in the predominant habitat declined in either abundance, biomass, o r both, compared with taxa in a nearby reference stream. However, faun a in moss habitats changed little, indicating that different food webs exist in habitats of different geomorphology. Thus, the ecosystem-lev el consequences of excluding detrital inputs to an ecosystem were demo nstrated. Inputs of riparian detritus are essential for conservation o r restoration of diverse stream food webs.