Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1086/735823 |
| Document | author version |
| Title (Primary) | The contribution of the hyporheos to whole-stream invertebrate secondary production |
| Author | Pasqualini, J.
; Majdi, N.; Weitere, M.; Brauns, M. |
| Source Titel | Freshwater Science |
| Year | 2025 |
| Department | ASAM; FLOEK |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Supplements | https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/suppl/10.1086/735823 |
| Keywords | ecosystem functions; meiofauna; clogging; agriculture; benthic; hyporheic; secondary production; macroinvertebrates; fine sediment; agriculture; stream communities; nutrient pollution |
| Abstract | The hyporheic zone has been recognized as a hot spot of numerous biogeochemical processes, yet its role in invertebrate-mediated energy fluxes is unclear. In this study, we sought to improve our understanding of the contribution of the hyporheic zone to whole-stream invertebrate secondary production relative to that of the benthic zone, as well as how agricultural land use affects the functionality and relative contributions of both zones to overall stream production. We sampled the meio- and macrofauna from the benthic (surface to 5-cm depth) and hyporheic (5–15-cm depth) zones of an agricultural and a forested stream and quantified their production in both zones. The benthic zone’s contribution to whole-stream production was consistently higher than the hyporheic zone’s contribution in both streams, but the hyporheic zone’s contribution varied between streams. In the hydrologically well-connected hyporheic zone of the forested stream, a diverse community of Diptera, Coleoptera, Rotifera, Acari, and Nematoda sustained 31% of whole-stream production. Conversely, the hyporheic community in the agricultural stream, primarily composed of Diptera and Nematoda, contributed only 8% of whole-stream production. This smaller contribution is likely due to the presence of fine sediment in the agricultural stream, which hydrologically disconnected the hyporheic zone and created unfavorable habitat conditions (i.e., anoxia, elevated NH4+) for most taxa. In contrast, the benthic zone of the agricultural stream was extremely productive, with the invasive taxa Potamopyrgus antipodarum (J. E. Gray, 1853) accounting for 46% of whole-stream production. The increase in production was likely driven by higher resource quality and quantity as well as reduced fish predation. Overall, the co-occurrence of agricultural stressors altered the spatial distribution of production within the stream, leading to a disproportionate increase in the benthic zone and a reduction in the hyporheic zone. Given that the benthic and hyporheic zones play distinct roles in many different ecological processes, it is important to examine whether overall stream functioning can be sustained when imbalances in the contributions of both zones arise because of stressors. |
| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=30686 |
| Pasqualini, J., Majdi, N., Weitere, M., Brauns, M. (2025): The contribution of the hyporheos to whole-stream invertebrate secondary production Freshw. Sci. 44 (2) 10.1086/735823 |
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