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Effects of varying detrital nutrient concentrations on macroinvertebrate abundance and biomass / Jeffrey W. Nelson

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: Logan, UT : Utah State University, 1982.Description: x, 84 leaves : ill. ; 29 cmOnline resources: Abstract: Emergent growing shoots, which may be added by muskrats (Ondatra zibethica) during a population irruption, are considerably richer in nitrogen and phosphorus than are dead leaves which fall into the water during senescence and fragmentation. The primary hypothesis was that the nutritional quality of Typha sp. litter samples would influence response patterns by various detritivorous macroinvertebrate functional groups.Macroinvertebrate abundance and biomass was not found to depend on litter nutritional quality. No differential response to litter decompositional stage was observed according to trophic function.However, shredder and scraper macroinvertebrates seem to have adapted life history patterns to seasonal input patterns of coarse detritus.These functional groups, adapted to coarse litter inputs, exhibited strong seasonal shifts in abundance and biomass. Those invertebrates trophically adapted to fine particulate detritus or live prey showed few seasonal changes.

Thesis(M.S.)--Utah State University, 1982.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-72).

Emergent growing shoots, which may be added by muskrats (Ondatra zibethica) during a population irruption, are considerably richer in nitrogen and phosphorus than are dead leaves which fall into the water during senescence and fragmentation. The primary hypothesis was that the nutritional quality of Typha sp. litter samples would influence response patterns by various detritivorous macroinvertebrate functional groups.Macroinvertebrate abundance and biomass was not found to depend on litter nutritional quality. No differential response to litter decompositional stage was observed according to trophic function.However, shredder and scraper macroinvertebrates seem to have adapted life history patterns to seasonal input patterns of coarse detritus.These functional groups, adapted to coarse litter inputs, exhibited strong seasonal shifts in abundance and biomass. Those invertebrates trophically adapted to fine particulate detritus or live prey showed few seasonal changes.

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