Leaf litter quality drives the feeding by invertebrate shredders in tropical streams

Amazon and Cerrado forested streams show natural fluctuations in leaf-litter quantity along the time and space, suggesting a change on litter quality input. These natural fluctuations of leaf-litter have repercussion on the organic matter cycling and  consequentlyeffects on leaf decomposition in forested streams. The effects of the quantity of leaf litter with contrasting traits on consumption by larvae of shredder insects from biomes with different organic matter dynamics have still been an understudied question. The Trichoptera Phylloicus spp. is a typical shredder in tropical headwater streams and keep an important role in leaf-litter decomposition. Here, we assessed the consumption by shredder Phylloicus spp., from Amazonia and Cerrado biomes, on higher (Maprounea guianensis) and lower quality leaves (Inga laurina) in different proportions and quantities. Experiments were performed concomitantly in microcosms approaches, simulating Cerrado and Amazonian streams. Higher leaf consumpt...