ArticlePloS one2018
Priming of leaf litter decomposition by algae seems of minor importance in natural streams during autumn.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A Global Synthesis on Land-Cover Changes in Watersheds Shaping Freshwater Detrital Food Webs.Global change biology · 2025Pooled it
- Biological Diversity Associated with Pesticides Residues in Certain Egyptian Watercourses.Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology · 2025Article
- Algae, shrimp grazing, and fecal pellets synergistically increase microbial activity and enhance N immobilization during Typha angustifolia leaf litter decomposition.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2022Article
- Macrophyte communities as indicators of the ecological status of drainage canals and regulated rivers (Eastern Poland).Environmental monitoring and assessment · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Allochthonous detritus of terrestrial origin is one of the main energy sources in forested headwater streams, but its poor nutritional quality makes it difficult to use by heterotrophs. It has been suggested that algae growing on this detritus can enhance its nutritional quality and promote decomposition. So far, most evidence of this "priming effect" is derived from laboratory or mesocosm experiments, and its importance under natural conditions is unclear. We measured accrual of algae, phosphorus uptake capacity, and decomposition of poplar leaves in autumn in open- and closed-canopy reaches in 3 forest and 3 agricultural streams. Chlorophyll a abundance did not change significantly with stream type or with canopy cover, although in some agricultural streams it was higher in open than in closed canopy reaches. Canopy cover did not affect either phosphate uptake capacity or microbial decomposition. On the other hand, although there was no effect of canopy cover on invertebrate fragmentation rate, a significant interaction between canopy cover and stream suggests priming occurs at least in some streams. Overall, the results point to a weak or no priming effect of algae on litter decomposition in natural streams during autumn.
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Registered trials
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