Abstract
Coarse woody debris (CWD) represents a relatively stable habitat in many lakes with forested shorelines providing a living place for a wide range of species. The spatial complexity of CWD is recognized as an important factor promoting the abundance, diversity and productivity of littoral biota, mainly by providing shelters and moderating predator–prey interactions. However, little is as yet known on the response of different species to various levels of CWD complexity and the effects of the spatial arrangement of CWD on the connectivity between littoral populations. It is also unclear how CWD decay, which modifies the surface complexity of wood and the quality of food, affects the diversity of wood-associated species and trophic interactions. Further research is also needed to recognize the contribution of littoral wood to carbon sequestration and nutrient fluxes, considering factors affecting the CWD decay rate, such as wood species and environmental conditions. CWD resources are systematically depleted by shoreline development which leads to disruptions in the functioning of lake ecosystems. Attempts at restoring CWD habitat provided ambiguous effects on littoral species and therefore better understanding of the role of CWD in lake ecosystems is crucial to the development of successful restoration projects and effective management programmes.
Highlights
Coarse woody debris (CWD) originating from riparian trees represents a relatively stable habitat in many lakes with forested shorelines (Christensen et al, 1996; Guyette et al, 2002)
The natural mortality of riparian trees and their damage caused by wind are the main sources of CWD in waters (Harmon et al, 1986)
Apart from natural agents, logging associated with shoreline development can initially increase CWD inputs by introducing large amounts of debris into the littoral zone (Guyette & Cole, 1999; Glaz et al, 2009); over longer time periods it reduces the stocks of wood because of the loss of riparian trees (Christensen et al, 1996; Francis & Schindler, 2006) and terrestrial CWD, which is very often removed by landowners (Francis & Schindler, 2006; Marburg et al, 2006)
Summary
Coarse woody debris (CWD) originating from riparian trees represents a relatively stable habitat in many lakes with forested shorelines (Christensen et al, 1996; Guyette et al, 2002). CWD is usually defined as logs (Fig. 1A), large branches (Fig. 1B), standing dead trees (snags) (Fig. 1C),chunks of wood (fragmented snags and logs), and coarse roots (Fig. 1D) (Harmon et al, 1986) with a diameter C10 cm and length C1 m (Francis & Schindler, 2006; Sass et al, 2006; DeBoom & Wahl, 2013). The significance of CWD in the littoral zone was often neglected and poorly studied, as wood usually occupies relatively small patches in comparison to other common habitats, such as macrophytes. It has been shown that CWD increases the Hydrobiologia (2016) 767:13–25
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