The dry phase of intermittent rivers promotes the accumulation of leaf litter on various terrestrial and aquatic habitats. This environmental heterogeneity causes a chemical diversification of leaf litter by a range of physical and biological degradation processes acting across the various habitats. After flow resumption, the chemically diversified leaves are mixed and subject to continued decomposition downstream. We hypothesized that the chemical diversification of leaf litter during the dry phase would affect leaf litter decomposition under re-established lotic conditions. Our laboratory treatments mimicking dry-phase habitats caused a strong chemical diversification of leaf litter, which—upon combination in mixed litter bags—accelerated its decomposition in a perennial river reach. We suggest that intermittent rivers may act as hotspots of organic matter diversification, with potential implications for organic matter processing at the river-network scale.

中文翻译：

---

流量间歇通过落叶化学多样化改变河流中的碳加工

断断续续的河流干涸期促进了各种陆地和水生栖息地的落叶堆积。这种环境异质性通过一系列作用于不同栖息地的物理和生物降解过程导致落叶的化学多样化。流量恢复后，化学多样化的叶子混合并在下游继续分解。我们假设在干燥阶段叶凋落物的化学多样化会影响重新建立的激流条件下的凋落物分解。我们模拟干旱期栖息地的实验室处理导致落叶物的化学多样化，这在混合垃圾袋中组合后加速了其在多年生河流中的分解。