Data From: Stream biodiversity and function benefit from forest fragments in agricultural landscapes

This dataset supports the manuscript “Stream biodiversity and function benefit from forest fragments in agricultural landscapes,” accepted for publication in Oecologia pending minor corrections. The study evaluated how the spatial arrangement of forest fragments and deforested reaches influences stream environmental conditions, aquatic invertebrate communities, and leaf litter breakdown in agricultural catchments. Data were collected from eight streams, including four streams flowing from an upstream forest fragment to a downstream deforested reach and four flowing from an upstream deforested reach to a downstream forest fragment. The dataset includes environmental and physicochemical characteristics of 16 stream reaches, taxonomic composition, functional feeding groups and abundance of aquatic invertebrates associated with litter bags, and leaf breakdown data from coarse- and fine-mesh litter bags. The experiment included single-species treatments of Miconia chartacea and Inga laurina and a mixed-species treatment containing both leaf species. Together, these data can be used to assess the effects of forest fragments, reach position, leaf identity and leaf diversity on stream biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.