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<p>Food webs in small, forested streams rely heavily on litterfall for energy, but the role of fruitfall remains understudied. We conducted a field experiment comparing the decomposition of two fruits with hard pericarps (<i>Astrocaryum vulgare</i> and <i>Bactris gasipaes</i>) and five with soft pericarps (<i>Genipa americana</i>, <i>Mangifera indica</i> [non-native], <i>Mauritia flexuosa</i>, <i>Syzygium cumini</i> [non-native], and <i>Talisia esculenta</i>). Whole and cut fruits were incubated in fine- and coarse-mesh litter bags for 62&#xa0;days to simulate undamaged and vertebrate-damaged fruitfall. We expected that fruits with thin pericarps or cut fruits would decompose faster than hard-pericarp fruits, because both macroinvertebrates and microbes could access the soft tissue. This expectation was partially confirmed; cut fruits generally decomposed faster and supported higher invertebrate richness, while hard-pericarp fruits resisted decomposition regardless of treatment. In the whole fruit experiment, 785 invertebrates were recorded, dominated by <i>Endotribelos</i> (Diptera: Chironomidae; 96%). Abundance was highest in <i>S. cumini</i> and lowest in <i>A. vulgare</i>, with higher values in coarse-mesh bags. <i>A. vulgare</i> had 17× more remaining mass than other fruits, with no mesh-size effects, indicating strong resistance to decomposition. In the cut-fruit experiment, 2715 invertebrates from 14 families were recorded, with <i>A. vulgare</i> again showing the highest remaining mass (34× more than other species). The remaining mass did not differ between mesh types, emphasizing microbial activity. Richness was highest in <i>G. americana</i> and <i>A. vulgare</i> and lowest in <i>M. indica</i>. Intact pericarps limited invertebrate access, as richness increased in cut fruits. Both whole and cut fruits can complement leaf litter as an energy source in Amazonian stream food webs.</p>

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Processing of decomposing fruits by macroinvertebrates in a Central Amazonian stream food web

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月5日

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  • Renato T. Martins,
  • Raul B. Pinedo-Garcia,
  • Irene S. Revollo,
  • Neusa Hamada,
  • Alan P. Covich

摘要

Food webs in small, forested streams rely heavily on litterfall for energy, but the role of fruitfall remains understudied. We conducted a field experiment comparing the decomposition of two fruits with hard pericarps (Astrocaryum vulgare and Bactris gasipaes) and five with soft pericarps (Genipa americana, Mangifera indica [non-native], Mauritia flexuosa, Syzygium cumini [non-native], and Talisia esculenta). Whole and cut fruits were incubated in fine- and coarse-mesh litter bags for 62 days to simulate undamaged and vertebrate-damaged fruitfall. We expected that fruits with thin pericarps or cut fruits would decompose faster than hard-pericarp fruits, because both macroinvertebrates and microbes could access the soft tissue. This expectation was partially confirmed; cut fruits generally decomposed faster and supported higher invertebrate richness, while hard-pericarp fruits resisted decomposition regardless of treatment. In the whole fruit experiment, 785 invertebrates were recorded, dominated by Endotribelos (Diptera: Chironomidae; 96%). Abundance was highest in S. cumini and lowest in A. vulgare, with higher values in coarse-mesh bags. A. vulgare had 17× more remaining mass than other fruits, with no mesh-size effects, indicating strong resistance to decomposition. In the cut-fruit experiment, 2715 invertebrates from 14 families were recorded, with A. vulgare again showing the highest remaining mass (34× more than other species). The remaining mass did not differ between mesh types, emphasizing microbial activity. Richness was highest in G. americana and A. vulgare and lowest in M. indica. Intact pericarps limited invertebrate access, as richness increased in cut fruits. Both whole and cut fruits can complement leaf litter as an energy source in Amazonian stream food webs.