Macroinvertebrate assemblages associated to break down the process of native and exotic plant leaves in a rain forest stream

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2017 in the subject Biology - Ecology, grade: 18, , course: Limnología, language: English, abstract: Benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages during leafs breakdown proccess of Ficus maxima and Bambusa vulgaris were investigated. Meshed bags with leafs were placed along a rainforest stream and progressibly recovered during 24 days, every time chemical variables were measured. Assemblages were compared reducing dimensionality with a NMSD analysis. An ANCOVA was applied to test differences in the remaining mass of the compared leaves, with time as covariate. NMDS resulted in 17% stress after dimensional reduction, allowing to identify assemblages differences throught time and between leafs.

Native F. maxima presented faster decomposition and more complex macroinvertebrate community than the exotic B. vulgaris. Different temporal assemblages were found depending on the plant, being more evident in native species leaves, while the other was more redundant. This successional patterns alterations remark the danger of introduced species to the rain forest ecosystem.