Long-term consequences of a wildfire for leaf-litter breakdown in a Mediterranean stream

AbstractWildfire frequency and intensity are expected to increase as a result of climate change, but few studies have assessed the effects of wildfires on stream ecosystem processes. The aim of our study was to examine the long-term responses of leaf-litter breakdown to wildfire in a Mediterranean stream. Riparian canopy cover was reduced by a fire, resulting in higher temperatures and light levels and reduced leaf-litter inputs in the stream 8 y after the fire. Benthic invertebrate communities recovered quickly after the fire, and the abundances of different functional feeding groups (FFGs), including shredders, were not different between streams affected and unaffected by the fire after >2 postfire years. We compared microbially mediated (fine-mesh bags) and total breakdown rates (coarse-mesh bags) of Populus alba leaf litter incubated in the stream affected by the wildfire and a neighboring control stream. Microbial and total leaf-litter breakdown were faster in the stream affected by fire. Faster micr...