TY - JOUR
T1 - The riverine bioreactor
T2 - An integrative perspective on biological decomposition of organic matter across riverine habitats
AU - Peralta-Maraver, Ignacio
AU - Stubbington, Rachel
AU - Arnon, Shai
AU - Kratina, Pavel
AU - Krause, Stefan
AU - de Mello Cionek, Vivian
AU - Leite, Nei Kavaguichi
AU - da Silva, Aurea Luiza Lemes
AU - Thomaz, Sidinei Magela
AU - Posselt, Malte
AU - Milner, Victoria Susan
AU - Momblanch, Andrea
AU - Moretti, Marcelo S.
AU - Nóbrega, Rodolfo L.B.
AU - Perkins, Daniel M.
AU - Petrucio, Mauricio M.
AU - Reche, Isabel
AU - Saito, Victor
AU - Sarmento, Hugo
AU - Strange, Emily
AU - Taniwaki, Ricardo Hideo
AU - White, James
AU - Alves, Gustavo Henrique Zaia
AU - Robertson, Anne L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/6/10
Y1 - 2021/6/10
N2 - Riverine ecosystems can be conceptualized as ‘bioreactors’ (the riverine bioreactor) which retain and decompose a wide range of organic substrates. The metabolic performance of the riverine bioreactor is linked to their community structure, the efficiency of energy transfer along food chains, and complex interactions among biotic and abiotic environmental factors. However, our understanding of the mechanistic functioning and capacity of the riverine bioreactor remains limited. We review the state of knowledge and outline major gaps in the understanding of biotic drivers of organic matter decomposition processes that occur in riverine ecosystems, across habitats, temporal dimensions, and latitudes influenced by climate change. We propose a novel, integrative analytical perspective to assess and predict decomposition processes in riverine ecosystems. We then use this model to analyse data to demonstrate that the size-spectra of a community can be used to predict decomposition rates by analysing an illustrative dataset. This modelling methodology allows comparison of the riverine bioreactor's performance across habitats and at a global scale. Our integrative analytical approach can be applied to advance understanding of the functioning and efficiency of the riverine bioreactor as hotspots of metabolic activity. Application of insights gained from such analyses could inform the development of strategies that promote the functioning of the riverine bioreactor across global ecosystems.
AB - Riverine ecosystems can be conceptualized as ‘bioreactors’ (the riverine bioreactor) which retain and decompose a wide range of organic substrates. The metabolic performance of the riverine bioreactor is linked to their community structure, the efficiency of energy transfer along food chains, and complex interactions among biotic and abiotic environmental factors. However, our understanding of the mechanistic functioning and capacity of the riverine bioreactor remains limited. We review the state of knowledge and outline major gaps in the understanding of biotic drivers of organic matter decomposition processes that occur in riverine ecosystems, across habitats, temporal dimensions, and latitudes influenced by climate change. We propose a novel, integrative analytical perspective to assess and predict decomposition processes in riverine ecosystems. We then use this model to analyse data to demonstrate that the size-spectra of a community can be used to predict decomposition rates by analysing an illustrative dataset. This modelling methodology allows comparison of the riverine bioreactor's performance across habitats and at a global scale. Our integrative analytical approach can be applied to advance understanding of the functioning and efficiency of the riverine bioreactor as hotspots of metabolic activity. Application of insights gained from such analyses could inform the development of strategies that promote the functioning of the riverine bioreactor across global ecosystems.
KW - Biodegradation
KW - Body mass-abundance scaling
KW - Latitude
KW - Metabolic theory
KW - Regulating ecosystem service
KW - Riverine ecosystems
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100615465&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145494
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145494
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33581537
AN - SCOPUS:85100615465
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 772
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 145494
ER -