Colonization of invaders plants debris in water bodies throughout the decomposition process

• Grant number: 12/13642-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: March 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Susana Trivinho Strixino
• Grantee: Luciene Aparecida Leite Rossi
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

For many decades, the problems caused by invasive plants have been the focus of interest to ecologists. They appear for a combination of species movement and changes in environmental conditions that provide opportunities for establishment of invasive species. The replacement of riparian vegetation by these invasive species could affect the functioning of aquatic system because the native one has many important functions for the environment, including the supply of organic matter as energy source for the community that inhabits the place. Therefore, the decomposition of leaf litter in streams is an important process that depends on several factors. The chironomid larvae are one of the most significant group of macroinvertebrates associated with plant debris and preliminary studies indicated the presence of a considerable number of shredders species. In this sense, the objectives of this study are: (1) to compare the colonization by chironomid larvae on debris of three invasive alien species (Urochloa subquadripara, Pteridium arachnoideum and Hedychium coronarium) and one native species (Talauma ovata) during the decomposition process; (2) to analyze and classify the larvae feeding groups comparing the trophic structure of assemblies formed in the debris of different plant debris, (3) to evaluate the role of shredders in the process of decomposition of different plant debris, (4) to analyze the kinetics of organic decomposition in the presence and absence of aquatic macroinvertebrates and (5) to analyze the chemical composition of plants. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

LEITE-ROSSI, LUCIENE APARECIDA; SAITO, VICTOR SATORU; CUNHA-SANTINO, MARCELA BIANCHESSI; TRIVINHO-STRIXINO, SUSANA. How does leaf litter chemistry influence its decomposition and colonization by shredder Chironomidae (Diptera) larvae in a tropical stream?. Hydrobiologia, v. 771, n. 1, p. 119-130, MAY 2016. (12/13642-8)

LEITE-ROSSI, L. A.; SAULINO, H. H. L.; SHIMABUKURO, E. M.; CUNHA-SANTINO, M. B.; TRIVINHO-STRIXINO, S.. Shredder Chironomid Diets Are Influenced by Decomposition Rates of Different Leaf Litter Species. Neotropical Entomology, v. 48, n. 1, p. 38-49, FEB 2019. (12/13642-8)