Effects of Burial and Floodplain Retention on Stream Processing of Allochthonous Litter

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Abstract
We examined the effects of floodplain storage and burial within the sand of a coastal plain stream on processing of sweetgum leaf litter (Liquidambar styraciflua L.). Breakdown rates, C:N ratios, structural composition and invertebrate colonization of litter packs were monitored. Reductions in C:N ratios and alterations in structural components of the litter were greater during the spring than winter; burial limited the reduction in these variables during the spring. Invertebrate density and taxa richness were generally greater during the spring than the winter. With the exception of tipulid shredders colonizing spring-incubated litter, burial greater reduced invertebrate colonization during both seasons. Floodplain "conditioning" and timing of litter entry into the second-order stream had little influence on litter processing rates. Burial reduced leaf processing during the winter. In contrast, the breakdown of buried litter increased during the spring, largely due to the activities of tipulid shredders. As a result of their presence, surface and substrate breakdown rates were similar. Temporary retention of litter on th floodplain or by burial may ultimately promote a more efficient recycling of organic matter within the lotic system.