Importance of canopy herbivores to dissolved and particulate organic matter fluxes to the forest floor

Few studies deal with the origin and contribution of organic matter (OM) fluxes from forest canopies to the variability of DOM and nutrient dynamics in the forest floor. Recent studies indicate a microbial and phytophages origin of OM in the throughfall of temperate forest ecosystems and reported inputs of dissolved (< 0.45 mu m) organic carbon (DOC) with throughfall range between 40 and 160 kg C ha(-1) year(-1). Data on particulate organic matter (0.45 mu m < POM < 2 mm) associated with throughfall fluxes are rare and not often considered in terrestrial ecosystem element budgets. Using field and laboratory experiments, we investigated the direct effects of canopy infestation by two functional groups of herbivores (sap and leaf feeders) on dissolved and particulate organic matter fluxes in throughfall and their impact on forest floor processes. Throughfall fluxes of particulate amino-nitrogen beneath infested spruce were about 60% and those of bexosecarbon beneath infested hardwood trees up to 70% higher compared to uninfested control trees. Corresponding fluxes to filtered samples showed no statistically significant differences. In column irrigation experiments, different levels of aphid infestation (uninfested, moderately, heavy infested) were simulated by adding honeydew to the irrigation solution. Forest floor solution chemistry from forest floor showed a significant reduction in NH4-N and NO3-N fluxes, slightly reduced DON fluxes and significantly increased CO2 effluxes following honeydew application. We suggest that the amount of POM compounds transported with throughfall solution and its subsequent effects on forest floor processes depend on the herbivore functional group and on the level of infestation. From both a quantitative and qualitative point of view, our data indicate that herbivory-mediated organic matter in particulate and dissolved forms contribute considerably to the overall throughfall input of organic substances into the forest floor. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.