Fluvial transport of coarse particulate organic matter in a coastal mountain stream of a rainy-temperate evergreen broadleaf forest in southern Chile

Iroume, Andres; Ruiz-Villanueva, Virginia; Salas-Coliboro, Sebastian

Abstract

Coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM, i.e. particles such as leaves, wood fragments, twigs, branches, flowers, seeds and fruits) in aquatic systems influences the flow, provides an important food source, and at the catchment scale, may significantly contribute to total carbon export. CPOM exports have rarely been quantified in subtropical, broadleaf forest streams. We captured CPOM in Bunte traps in the rainfall-dominated Vuelta de Zorra stream in southern Chile to (a) propose a novel classification to characterize the different CPOM components, (b) analyze the frequency of each matter class (i.e. leaves, wood fragments, and `others') and its seasonal variability, (c) quantify the CPOM transported, (d) derive a model to quantify CPOM transport rates, and (e) compare the transported CPOM data with those from a unique long-term (> sevenyears) large wood monitoring dataset. Results showed that leaves were significantly more abundant than other types of CPOM in all seasons. The dry CPOM transport rate ranged over three orders of magnitude, and there was a significant relationship with mean discharge. Mean dry CPOM yield for the study period 2015-2017 was 4.6kg/ha/yr when normalizing to the total forested catchment area. The 2009-2018 decadal average yield was 6.8kg/ha/yr when normalizing to the total forested catchment area. These values are similar to measurements from deciduous and coniferous forests in streams in the United States and the Brazilian Mato Grosso and similar to 1/10 of the yields obtained in a Swiss torrent. Over a three-year period, the CPOM exports in Vuelta de Zorra ranged between 13 and 36% of the exported large wood (particles with diameters >= 100mm and length >= 1m) exports. Our data collected from an underrepresented area improve the understanding of global carbon budgets and cycling. (C) 2020 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Más información

Título según WOS: ID WOS:000562801200001 Not found in local WOS DB
Título de la Revista: EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
Volumen: 45
Número: 13
Editorial: Wiley
Fecha de publicación: 2020
Página de inicio: 3216
Página final: 3230
DOI:

10.1002/esp.4961

Notas: ISI