Terrestrial Subsidies to Riparian Food Webs
Collaborators:	David Hibbs, Stephanie Hart, Joselin Matkins (OSU)
Funding:	USGS-FRESC, CFER, OSU FRL

Vegetation plays many critical roles in the productivity of riparian terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Two roles have received much attention in previous studies: large wood and shade. An often ignored yet critical role of riparian vegetation is as a source of nutrition for riparian food webs. Many food webs are supported at their base by the breakdown and incorporation of leaf litter into fungi, insects, etc. In headwater streams, riparian leaf litter inputs provide essential subsidies that fuel in-stream productivity, in addition to subsidizing food chains of terrestrial riparian habitats.

This study addresses how plant community composition and other factors influence the delivery of detritus from riparian forests to headwater stream ecosystems of the Oregon Coast Range. Ongoing studies seek to understand leaf litter inputs and dynamics in Douglas-fir versus red alder dominated riparian zones. We are also using experiments to understand how nitrogen (N) availability in the litter versus in the environment may interact to influence rates of litter breakdown. We also hope to examine changes in the stable isotope composition of the litter over time in order to constrain the potential for tracing vegetation contributions through food webs at these sites. This research is part of the larger ARMACS study within CFER.

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