Effects of exotic tree plantations on plant litter decomposition in streams

LARRAÑAGA A.; MARTINEZ A.; ALBARIÑO R. J.; CASAS J.; FERREIRA V. ; PRINCIPE R. E.

The ecology of plant litter decomposition in stream ecosystems

SPRINGER

Año: 2021; p. 297 - 322

The need for tree-derived industrial products is causing an increase inthe land surface covered by fast-growing monoculture plantations throughout theworld. Species planted are selected mostly prioritizing their rapid growth, with lessconsideration to minimizing the negative environmental effects they create. Amongthe various ecosystems that can be negatively affected by plantations, streams areamong the most impacted, as they strongly depend on dead organic matter from thesurrounding vegetation. Changes in land use in favour of monocultures can havelarge consequences on stream biodiversity and functioning since they can lead toalterations in the diversity, quantity, quality and timing of litter inputs. Here, wereview the literature dealing with the effects of plantations on litter decomposition instreams, with special focus on eucalyptus and conifer plantations, which have beenmore thoroughly studied than other planted tree species. The effects of plantationson litter decomposition in streams have a degree of regional specificity, and dependon the composition of detritivores, litter characteristics (of native and exotic species)and local environmental conditions. There is, nonetheless, a need for further describing the effects of specific planted exotic species and for more studies out ofEurope and North America.