Storage and Dynamics of Subsurface Detritus in a Sand-Bottomed Stream

Annual mean storage of buried detritus (0–20 cm depth) in a first-order, sand-bottomed stream was 4.8 kg AFDM/m2, approximately one order of magnitude greater than surface storage. Forty percent of the buried detritus was wood > 8 mm; much of the remainder was 1–8 mm particles. Exchange of detritus between surface and shallow sediments occurred throughout the year; exchange between surface and deep sediments occurred only during spates Heavy rainfall during a September hurricane caused a mean scour depth of 6 cm (range = 0–27 cm) and contributed to a 0 94 kg/m2 reduction of buried detritus. Buried leaves were processed slower than leaves on the sediment surface (25% of initial buried leaves remained after 1 yr). Particles < 8 mm were processed faster from January to March (19% mass reduction) than at other times (8–9% mass reduction). Except during the September spate burial was approximately offset by decomposition. About 21% of estimated autumnal leaf input to the stream became buried. Given the large q...

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