Riparian deforestation may strongly affect stream functioning, with consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem services. These effects can be assessed using bioindicators relating to biotic community structure and ecosystem functioning. We evaluated the effects of riparian deforestation on 1. measures of community structure using aquatic benthic invertebrates, and 2. an aspect of ecosystem functioning, aquatic leaf processing. We selected sites along gradients of riparian land use in four Atlantic rainforest streams and measured physical and chemical properties for their association with riparian deforestation. We sampled benthic invertebrates and calculated metrics of community structure at each site. We measured rates of leaf processing using leaves of a common riparian tree, Guarea guidonia. Riparian deforestation was accompanied by increasing concentration of ammonia, water current and temperature and decreasing nightly oxygen saturation. Invertebrate diversity decreased and community metrics changed with deforestation as expected of negative impacts. Leaf processing decreased with deforestation. Although there were significant differences in physical and chemical measurements among streams, the gradients in community and ecosystem responses were similar, thus suggesting that both types of bioindicators were useful for monitoring changes and relating them to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function.

河岸的森林砍伐可能严重影响河流的功能，对生物多样性和生态系统服务产生影响。可以使用与生物群落结构和生态系统功能有关的生物指标来评估这些影响。我们评估了河岸砍伐森林对1.水生底栖无脊椎动物的群落结构测量，以及2.生态系统功能，水生叶加工方面的影响。我们在四个大西洋雨林溪流中沿河岸土地利用的坡度选择了站点，并测量了与河岸砍伐森林相关的理化特性。我们对底栖无脊椎动物进行了采样，并计算了每个站点的群落结构度量。我们使用普通河岸树Guarea guidonia的叶子测量了叶子加工的速率。沿岸森林砍伐伴随着氨浓度，水流和温度的升高以及夜间氧饱和度的降低。正如预期的负面影响一样，无脊椎动物的多样性减少了，社区的指标随着森林的砍伐而改变了。随着森林砍伐，叶片加工减少。尽管溪流之间的物理和化学测量存在显着差异，但群落和生态系统响应的梯度相似，因此表明这两种生物指标都可用于监测变化并将其与生物多样性和生态系统功能的丧失联系起来。