Linking riparian forest harvest to benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Andean headwater streams in southern Chile

摘要: Abstract Headwater streams are fully linked to surrounding riparian vegetation through coarse and fine organic matter inputs. However, forestry operations in or close corridors, particularly mountainous forested microcatchments, can alter both the dynamics composition, structure function of stream macroinvertebrate assemblages. Although it is an issue great concern elsewhere, Andean headwater scarce information exist about this respect. By using a paired-catchment approach (thinned vs . unthinned) two sets selected evergreen deciduous small southern Chile (39°S), we evaluated effects forest harvest on seasonal annual litterfall structural functional attributes macroinvertebrates between January 2008 2009. Metrics used assess changes included input, invertebrate colonization leaf decomposition dominant plant species (evergreen: Laureliopsis philippiana , Myrceugenia planipes ; deciduous: Nothofagus alpina ), taxa richness, feeding group (FFG) their densities biomasses for each stream. In experimental trials, microcatchments registered significant differences input. The total input was as follows: Unthinned (UE) = 3699, thinned (TE) = 3249, unthinned (UD) = 3151, (TD) = 2981 kg ha −1 y Leaf dry mass losses were significantly higher during summer spring L. autumn N. These results concomitant rates abundance bags. Macroinvertebrate density biomass also contrasted; shredders FFG showed in-stream bag studies. There generally no major composition but detected comparatively collectors shredders. Our suggest that activities carried out affect role plants benthic invertebrates nutrient fluxes downstream.