Energetic mismatch induced by warming decreases leaf litter decomposition by aquatic detritivores.

The balance of energetic losses and gains is of paramount importance for understanding and predicting the persistence of populations and ecosystem processes in a rapidly changing world. Previous studies suggested that metabolic rate often increases faster with warming than resource ingestion rate, leading to an energetic mismatch at high temperature. However, little is known about the ecological consequences of this energetic mismatch for population demography and ecosystem functions. Here, we combined laboratory experiments and modelling to investigate the energetic balance of a stream detritivore Gammarus fossarum along a temperature gradient and the consequences for detritivore populations and organic matter decomposition. We experimentally measured the energetic losses (metabolic rate) and supplies (ingestion rate) of Gammarus and we modelled the impact of rising temperatures and changes in Gammarus body size induced by warming on population dynamics and benthic organic matter dynamics in freshwater systems. Our experimental results indicated an energetic mismatch in a Gammarus population where losses via metabolic rate increase faster than supplies via food ingestion with warming, which translated in a decrease in energetic efficiency with temperature rising from 5 to 20°C. Moreover, our consumer-resource model predicts a decrease in the biomass of Gammarus population with warming, associated with lower maximum abundances and steeper abundance decreases after biomass annual peaks. These changes resulted in a decrease in leaf litter decomposition rate and thus longer persistence of leaf litter standing stock over years in the simulations. In addition, Gammarus body size reductions led to shorter persistence for both leaf litter and Gammarus biomasses at low temperature and the opposite trend at high temperature, revealing that body size reduction was weakening the effect of temperature on resource and consumer persistence. Our model contributes to identifying the mechanisms that explain how thermal effects at the level of individuals may cascade through trophic interactions and influence important ecosystem processes. Considering the balance of physiological processes is crucial to improve our ability to predict the impact of climate change on carbon stocks and ecosystem functions.

Consequences of biodiversity loss for litter decomposition across biomes.

The decomposition of dead organic matter is a major determinant of carbon and nutrient cycling in ecosystems, and of carbon fluxes between the biosphere and the atmosphere. Decomposition is driven by a vast diversity of organisms that are structured in complex food webs. Identifying the mechanisms underlying the effects of biodiversity on decomposition is critical given the rapid loss of species worldwide and the effects of this loss on human well-being. Yet despite comprehensive syntheses of studies on how biodiversity affects litter decomposition, key questions remain, including when, where and how biodiversity has a role and whether general patterns and mechanisms occur across ecosystems and different functional types of organism. Here, in field experiments across five terrestrial and aquatic locations, ranging from the subarctic to the tropics, we show that reducing the functional diversity of decomposer organisms and plant litter types slowed the cycling of litter carbon and nitrogen. Moreover, we found evidence of nitrogen transfer from the litter of nitrogen-fixing plants to that of rapidly decomposing plants, but not between other plant functional types, highlighting that specific interactions in litter mixtures control carbon and nitrogen cycling during decomposition. The emergence of this general mechanism and the coherence of patterns across contrasting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems suggest that biodiversity loss has consistent consequences for litter decomposition and the cycling of major elements on broad spatial scales.

Litter Quality Modulates Effects of Dissolved Nitrogen on Leaf Decomposition by Stream Microbial Communities.

Rates of leaf litter decomposition in streams are strongly influenced both by inorganic nutrients dissolved in stream water and by litter traits such as lignin, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations. As a result, decomposition rates of different leaf species can show contrasting responses to stream nutrient enrichment resulting from human activities. It is unclear, however, whether the root cause of such discrepancies in field observations is the interspecific variation in either litter nutrient or litter lignin concentrations. To address this question, we conducted a controlled laboratory experiment with a known fungal community to determine decomposition rates of 38 leaf species exhibiting contrasting litter traits (N, P and lignin concentrations), which were exposed to 8 levels of dissolved N concentrations representative of field conditions across European streams (0.07 to 8.96 mg N L-1). The effect of N enrichment on decomposition rate was modelled using Monod kinetics to quantify N effects across litter species. Lignin concentration was the most important litter trait determining decomposition rates and their response to N enrichment. In particular, increasing dissolved N supply from 0.1 to 3.0 mg N L-1 accelerated the decomposition of lignin-poor litter (e.g. < 10% of lignin, 2.9× increase ± 1.4 SD, n = 14) more strongly than that of litter rich in lignin (e.g. > 15% of lignin, 1.4× increase ± 0.2 SD, n = 9). Litter nutrient concentrations were less important, with a slight positive effect of P on decomposition rates and no effect of litter N. These results indicate that shifts in riparian vegetation towards species characterized by high litter lignin concentrations could alleviate the stimulation of C turnover by stream nutrient enrichment.

Biotic and abiotic variables influencing plant litter breakdown in streams: a global study.

Plant litter breakdown is a key ecological process in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Streams and rivers, in particular, contribute substantially to global carbon fluxes. However, there is little information available on the relative roles of different drivers of plant litter breakdown in fresh waters, particularly at large scales. We present a global-scale study of litter breakdown in streams to compare the roles of biotic, climatic and other environmental factors on breakdown rates. We conducted an experiment in 24 streams encompassing latitudes from 47.8° N to 42.8° S, using litter mixtures of local species differing in quality and phylogenetic diversity (PD), and alder (Alnus glutinosa) to control for variation in litter traits. Our models revealed that breakdown of alder was driven by climate, with some influence of pH, whereas variation in breakdown of litter mixtures was explained mainly by litter quality and PD. Effects of litter quality and PD and stream pH were more positive at higher temperatures, indicating that different mechanisms may operate at different latitudes. These results reflect global variability caused by multiple factors, but unexplained variance points to the need for expanded global-scale comparisons.

Leaf-associated fungal diversity in acidified streams: insights from combining traditional and molecular approaches.

We combined microscopic and molecular methods to investigate fungal assemblages on alder leaf litter exposed in the benthic and hyporheic zones of five streams across a gradient of increasing acidification for 4 weeks. The results showed that acidification and elevated Al concentrations strongly depressed sporulating aquatic hyphomycetes diversity in both zones of streams, while fungal diversity assessed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) appeared unaffected. Clone library analyses revealed that fungal communities on leaves were dominated by members of Ascomycetes and to a lesser extent by Basidiomycetes and Chytridiomycetes. An important contribution of terrestrial fungi was observed in both zones of the most acidified stream and in the hyporheic zone of the reference circumneutral stream. The highest leaf breakdown rate was observed in the circumneutral stream and occurred in the presence of both the highest diversity of sporulating aquatic hyphomycetes and the highest contribution to clone libraries of sequences affiliated with aquatic hyphomycetes. Both methods underline the major role played by aquatic hyphomycetes in leaf decomposition process. Our findings also bring out new highlights on the identity of leaf-associated fungal communities and their responses to anthropogenic alteration of running water ecosystems.

Aquatic hyphomycete species are screened by the hyporheic zone of woodland streams.

Aquatic hyphomycetes strongly contribute to organic matter dynamics in streams, but their abilities to colonize leaf litter buried in streambed sediments remain unexplored. Here, we conducted field and laboratory experiments (slow-filtration columns and stream-simulating microcosms) to test the following hypotheses: (i) that the hyporheic habitat acting as a physical sieve for spores filters out unsuccessful strategists from a potential species pool, (ii) that decreased pore size in sediments reduces species dispersal efficiency in the interstitial water, and (iii) that the physicochemical conditions prevailing in the hyporheic habitat will influence fungal community structure. Our field study showed that spore abundance and species diversity were consistently reduced in the interstitial water compared with surface water within three differing streams. Significant differences occurred among aquatic hyphomycetes, with dispersal efficiency of filiform-spore species being much higher than those with compact or branched/tetraradiate spores. This pattern was remarkably consistent with those found in laboratory experiments that tested the influence of sediment pore size on spore dispersal in microcosms. Furthermore, leaves inoculated in a stream and incubated in slow-filtration columns exhibited a fungal assemblage dominated by only two species, while five species were codominant on leaves from the stream-simulating microcosms. Results of this study highlight that the hyporheic zone exerts two types of selection pressure on the aquatic hyphomycete community, a physiological stress and a physical screening of the benthic spore pool, both leading to drastic changes in the structure of fungal community.

Litter identity mediates predator impacts on the functioning of an aquatic detritus-based food web.

During past decades, several mechanisms such as resource quality and habitat complexity have been proposed to explain variations in the strength of trophic cascades across ecosystems. In detritus-based headwater streams, litter accumulations constitute both a habitat and a resource for detritivorous macroinvertebrates. Because litter edibility (which promotes trophic cascades) is usually inversely correlated with its structural complexity (which weakens trophic cascades), there is a great scope for stronger trophic cascades in litter accumulations that are dominated by easily degradable litter species. However, it remains unclear how mixing contrasting litter species (conferring both habitat complexity and high quality resource) may influence top-down controls on communities and processes. In enclosures exposed in a second-order stream, we manipulated litter species composition by using two contrasting litter (alder and oak), and the presence-absence of a macroinvertebrate predator (Cordulegaster boltonii larvae), enabling it to effectively exert predation pressure, or not, on detritivores (consumptive versus non-consumptive predation effects). Leaf mass loss, detritivore biomass and community structure were mostly controlled independently by litter identity and mixing and by predator consumption. However, the strength of predator control was mediated by litter quality (stronger on alder), and to a lesser extent by litter mixing (weaker on mixed litter). Refractory litter such as oak leaves may contribute to the structural complexity of the habitat for stream macroinvertebrates, allowing the maintenance of detritivore communities even when strong predation pressure occurs. We suggest that considering the interaction between top-down and bottom-up factors is important when investigating their influence on natural communities and ecosystem processes in detritus-based ecosystems.

Benthic algae stimulate leaf litter decomposition in detritus-based headwater streams: a case of aquatic priming effect?

In detritus-based ecosystems, autochthonous primary production contributes very little to the detritus pool. Yet primary producers may still influence the functioning of these ecosystems through complex interactions with decomposers and detritivores. Recent studies have suggested that, in aquatic systems, small amounts of labile carbon (C) (e.g., producer exudates), could increase the mineralization of more recalcitrant organic-matter pools (e.g., leaf litter). This process, called priming effect, should be exacerbated under low-nutrient conditions and may alter the nature of interactions among microbial groups, from competition under low-nutrient conditions to indirect mutualism under high-nutrient conditions. Theoretical models further predict that primary producers may be competitively excluded when allochthonous C sources enter an ecosystem. In this study, the effects of a benthic diatom on aquatic hyphomycetes, bacteria, and leaf litter decomposition were investigated under two nutrient levels in a factorial microcosm experiment simulating detritus-based, headwater stream ecosystems. Contrary to theoretical expectations, diatoms and decomposers were able to coexist under both nutrient conditions. Under low-nutrient conditions, diatoms increased leaf litter decomposition rate by 20% compared to treatments where they were absent. No effect was observed under high-nutrient conditions. The increase in leaf litter mineralization rate induced a positive feedback on diatom densities. We attribute these results to the priming effect of labile C exudates from primary producers. The presence of diatoms in combination with fungal decomposers also promoted decomposer diversity and, under low-nutrient conditions, led to a significant decrease in leaf litter C:P ratio that could improve secondary production. Results from our microcosm experiment suggest new mechanisms by which primary producers may influence organic matter dynamics even in ecosystems where autochthonous primary production is low.

Trophic complexity enhances ecosystem functioning in an aquatic detritus-based model system.

1. Understanding the functional significance of species interactions in ecosystems has become a major challenge as biodiversity declines rapidly worldwide. Ecosystem consequences arising from the loss of diversity either within trophic levels (horizontal diversity) or across trophic levels (vertical diversity) are well documented. However, simultaneous losses of species at different trophic levels may also result in interactive effects, with potentially complex outcomes for ecosystem functioning. 2. Because of logistical constraints, the outcomes of such interactions have been difficult to assess in experiments involving large metazoan species. Here, we take advantage of a detritus-based model system to experimentally assess the consequences of biodiversity change within both horizontal and vertical food-web components on leaf-litter decomposition, a fundamental process in a wide range of ecosystems. 3. Our concurrent manipulation of fungal decomposer diversity (0, 1 or 5 species), detritivore diversity (0, 1 or 3 species), and the presence of predatory fish scent showed that trophic complexity is key to eliciting diversity effects on ecosystem functioning. Specifically, although fungi and detritivores tended to promote decomposition individually, rates were highest in the most complete community where all trophic levels were represented at the highest possible species richness. In part, the effects were trait-mediated, reflected in the contrasting foraging responses of the detritivore species to predator scent. 4. Our results thus highlight the importance of interactive effects of simultaneous species loss within multiple trophic levels on ecosystem functioning. If a common phenomenon, this outcome suggests that functional ecosystem impairment resulting from widespread biodiversity loss could be more severe than inferred from previous experiments confined to varying diversity within single trophic levels.

The combination of chemical, structural, and functional indicators to evaluate the anthropogenic impacts on agricultural stream ecosystems.

Freshwater contamination by pesticides in agricultural landscapes is of increasing concern worldwide, with strong pesticide impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and ultimately human health (drinking water, fishing). In addition, the excessively large number of substances, as well as their low - and temporally variable - concentrations in water, make the chemical monitoring by grab sampling very demanding and not fully representative of the actual contamination. Tools that integrate temporal variations and that are ecologically relevant are clearly needed to improve the monitoring of freshwater contamination and assess its biological effects. Here, we studied pesticide contamination and its biological impacts in 10 stream sections (sites) belonging to 3 agricultural catchments in France. In each site, we deployed a combination of pesticide integrative samplers, biocenotic indicators based on benthic macroinvertebrates, and functional indicators based on leaf litter decomposition and associated fungal communities. The 3 approaches largely proved complementary: structural and functional indicators did not respond equally to different agricultural impacts such as pesticide contamination (as revealed by integrative samplers), nutrients, or oxygen depletion. Combining chemical, structural, and functional indicators thus seems an excellent strategy to provide a comprehensive picture of agricultural impacts on stream ecosystems.

A global experiment suggests climate warming will not accelerate litter decomposition in streams but might reduce carbon sequestration.

The decomposition of plant litter is one of the most important ecosystem processes in the biosphere and is particularly sensitive to climate warming. Aquatic ecosystems are well suited to studying warming effects on decomposition because the otherwise confounding influence of moisture is constant. By using a latitudinal temperature gradient in an unprecedented global experiment in streams, we found that climate warming will likely hasten microbial litter decomposition and produce an equivalent decline in detritivore-mediated decomposition rates. As a result, overall decomposition rates should remain unchanged. Nevertheless, the process would be profoundly altered, because the shift in importance from detritivores to microbes in warm climates would likely increase CO(2) production and decrease the generation and sequestration of recalcitrant organic particles. In view of recent estimates showing that inland waters are a significant component of the global carbon cycle, this implies consequences for global biogeochemistry and a possible positive climate feedback.

Global distribution of a key trophic guild contrasts with common latitudinal diversity patterns.

Most hypotheses explaining the general gradient of higher diversity toward the equator are implicit or explicit about greater species packing in the tropics. However, global patterns of diversity within guilds, including trophic guilds (i.e., groups of organisms that use similar food resources), are poorly known. We explored global diversity patterns of a key trophic guild in stream ecosystems, the detritivore shredders. This was motivated by the fundamental ecological role of shredders as decomposers of leaf litter and by some records pointing to low shredder diversity and abundance in the tropics, which contrasts with diversity patterns of most major taxa for which broad-scale latitudinal patterns haven been examined. Given this evidence, we hypothesized that shredders are more abundant and diverse in temperate than in tropical streams, and that this pattern is related to the higher temperatures and lower availability of high-quality leaf litter in the tropics. Our comprehensive global survey (129 stream sites from 14 regions on six continents) corroborated the expected latitudinal pattern and showed that shredder distribution (abundance, diversity and assemblage composition) was explained by a combination of factors, including water temperature (some taxa were restricted to cool waters) and biogeography (some taxa were more diverse in particular biogeographic realms). In contrast to our hypothesis, shredder diversity was unrelated to leaf toughness, but it was inversely related to litter diversity. Our findings markedly contrast with global trends of diversity for most taxa, and with the general rule of higher consumer diversity at higher levels of resource diversity. Moreover, they highlight the emerging role of temperature in understanding global patterns of diversity, which is of great relevance in the face of projected global warming.

Water-sediment exchanges control microbial processes associated with leaf litter degradation in the hyporheic zone: a microcosm study.

The present study aimed to experimentally quantify the influence of a reduction of surface sediment permeability on microbial characteristics and ecological processes (respiration and leaf litter decomposition) occurring in the hyporheic zone (i.e. the sedimentary interface between surface water and groundwater). The physical structure of the water-sediment interface was manipulated by adding a 2-cm layer of coarse sand (unclogged systems) or fine sand (clogged systems) at the sediment surface of slow filtration columns filled with a heterogeneous gravel/sand sedimentary matrix. The influence of clogging was quantified through measurements of hydraulic conductivity, water chemistry, microbial abundances and activities and associated processes (decomposition of alder leaf litter inserted at a depth of 9 cm in sediments, oxygen and nitrate consumption by microorganisms). Fine sand deposits drastically reduced hydraulic conductivity (by around 8-fold in comparison with unclogged systems topped by coarse sand) and associated water flow, leading to a sharp decrease in oxygen (reaching less than 1 mg L(-1) at 3 cm depth) and nitrate concentrations with depth in sediments. The shift from aerobic to anaerobic conditions in clogged systems favoured the establishment of denitrifying bacteria living on sediments. Analyses performed on buried leaf litter showed a reduction by 30% of organic matter decomposition in clogged systems in comparison with unclogged systems. This reduction was linked to a negative influence of clogging on the activities and abundances of leaf-associated microorganisms. Finally, our study clearly demonstrated that microbial processes involved in organic matter decomposition were dependent on hydraulic conductivity and oxygen availability in the hyporheic zone.

Future increase in temperature more than decrease in litter quality can affect microbial litter decomposition in streams.

The predicted increase in atmospheric CO(2) concentration for this century is expected to lead to increases in temperature and changes in litter quality that can affect small woodland streams, where water temperature is usually low and allochthonous organic matter constitutes the basis of the food web. We have assessed the individual and interactive effect of water temperature (5 and 10°C) and alder litter quality produced under ambient CO(2) levels (ambient litter) or under CO(2) concentrations predicted for 2050 (elevated litter) on litter decomposition and on fungal activity and assemblage structure. Litter decomposition rates and fungal respiration rates were significantly faster at 10 than at 5°C, but they were not affected by litter quality. Litter quality affected mycelial biomass accrual at 5 but not at 10°C, while increases in temperature stimulated biomass accrual on ambient but not on elevated litter. A similar pattern was observed for conidial production. All variables were stimulated on elevated litter at 10°C (future scenario) compared with ambient litter at 5°C (present scenario), but interactions between temperature and litter quality were additive. Temperature was the factor that most strongly affected the structure of aquatic hyphomycete assemblages. Our results indicate that if future increases in atmospheric CO(2) lead to only slight modifications in litter quality, the litter decomposition and fungal activities and community structure will be strongly controlled by increased water temperature. This may have serious consequences for aquatic systems as faster litter decomposition may lead to food depletion for higher trophic levels.

Latitude dictates plant diversity effects on instream decomposition.

Running waters contribute substantially to global carbon fluxes through decomposition of terrestrial plant litter by aquatic microorganisms and detritivores. Diversity of this litter may influence instream decomposition globally in ways that are not yet understood. We investigated latitudinal differences in decomposition of litter mixtures of low and high functional diversity in 40 streams on 6 continents and spanning 113° of latitude. Despite important variability in our dataset, we found latitudinal differences in the effect of litter functional diversity on decomposition, which we explained as evolutionary adaptations of litter-consuming detritivores to resource availability. Specifically, a balanced diet effect appears to operate at lower latitudes versus a resource concentration effect at higher latitudes. The latitudinal pattern indicates that loss of plant functional diversity will have different consequences on carbon fluxes across the globe, with greater repercussions likely at low latitudes.

Impacts of detritivore diversity loss on instream decomposition are greatest in the tropics.

The relationship between detritivore diversity and decomposition can provide information on how biogeochemical cycles are affected by ongoing rates of extinction, but such evidence has come mostly from local studies and microcosm experiments. We conducted a globally distributed experiment (38 streams across 23 countries in 6 continents) using standardised methods to test the hypothesis that detritivore diversity enhances litter decomposition in streams, to establish the role of other characteristics of detritivore assemblages (abundance, biomass and body size), and to determine how patterns vary across realms, biomes and climates. We observed a positive relationship between diversity and decomposition, strongest in tropical areas, and a key role of abundance and biomass at higher latitudes. Our results suggest that litter decomposition might be altered by detritivore extinctions, particularly in tropical areas, where detritivore diversity is already relatively low and some environmental stressors particularly prevalent.

Temperature oscillation coupled with fungal community shifts can modulate warming effects on litter decomposition.

Diel temperature oscillations are a nearly ubiquitous phenomenon, with amplitudes predicted to change along with mean temperatures under global-warming scenarios. Impact assessments of global warming have largely disregarded diel temperature oscillations, even though key processes in ecosystems, such as decomposition, may be affected. We tested the effect of a 5 degrees C temperature increase with and without diel oscillations on litter decomposition by fungal communities in stream microcosms. Five temperature regimes with identical thermal sums (degree days) were applied: constant 3 degrees and 8 degrees C; diel temperature oscillations of 5 degrees C around each mean; and oscillations of 9 degrees C around 8 degrees C. Temperature oscillations around 8 degrees C (warming scenario), but not 3 degrees C (ambient scenario), accelerated decomposition by 18% (5 degrees C oscillations) and 31% (9 degrees C oscillations), respectively, compared to the constant temperature regime at 8 degrees C. Community structure was not affected by oscillating temperatures, although the rise in mean temperature from 3 degrees to 8 degrees C consistently shifted the relative abundance of species. A simple model using temperature-growth responses of the dominant fungal decomposers accurately described the experimentally observed pattern, indicating that the effect of temperature oscillations on decomposition in our warming scenario was caused by strong curvilinear responses of species to warming at low temperature, particularly of the species becoming most abundant at 8 degrees C (Tetracladium marchalianum). These findings underscore the need to consider species-specific temperature characteristics in concert with changes in communities when assessing consequences of global warming on ecosystem processes.

Rapid characterization of aquatic hyphomycetes by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Protein fingerprinting using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI--TOF MS) is a rapid, reliable, and economical method to characterize isolates of terrestrial fungi and other microorganisms. The objective of our study was to evaluate the suitability of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of aquatic hyphomycetes, a polyphyletic group of fungi that play crucial roles in stream ecosystems. To this end, we used 34 isolates of 21 aquatic hyphomycete species whose identity was confirmed by spore morphology and internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS) nuc rDNA sequencing. We tested the efficiency of three protein extraction methods, including chemical and mechanical treatments using 13 different protocols, with the objective of producing high-quality MALDI-TOF mass spectra. In addition to extraction protocols, mycelium age was identified as a key parameter affecting protein extraction efficiency. The dendrogram based on mass-spectrum similarity indicated good and relevant taxonomic discrimination; the tree structure was comparable to that of the phylogram based on ITS sequences. Consequently, MALDI-TOF MS could reliably identify the isolates studied and provided greater taxonomic accuracy than classical morphological methods. MALDI-TOF MS seems suited for rapid characterization and identification of aquatic hyphomycete species.

Biodiversity of leaf litter fungi in streams along a latitudinal gradient.

Global patterns of biodiversity have emerged for soil microorganisms, plants and animals, and the extraordinary significance of microbial functions in ecosystems is also well established. Virtually unknown, however, are large-scale patterns of microbial diversity in freshwaters, although these aquatic ecosystems are hotspots of biodiversity and biogeochemical processes. Here we report on the first large-scale study of biodiversity of leaf-litter fungi in streams along a latitudinal gradient unravelled by Illumina sequencing. The study is based on fungal communities colonizing standardized plant litter in 19 globally distributed stream locations between 69°N and 44°S. Fungal richness suggests a hump-shaped distribution along the latitudinal gradient. Strikingly, community composition of fungi was more clearly related to thermal preferences than to biogeography. Our results suggest that identifying differences in key environmental drivers, such as temperature, among taxa and ecosystem types is critical to unravel the global patterns of aquatic fungal diversity.

Global patterns and drivers of ecosystem functioning in rivers and riparian zones.

River ecosystems receive and process vast quantities of terrestrial organic carbon, the fate of which depends strongly on microbial activity. Variation in and controls of processing rates, however, are poorly characterized at the global scale. In response, we used a peer-sourced research network and a highly standardized carbon processing assay to conduct a global-scale field experiment in greater than 1000 river and riparian sites. We found that Earth's biomes have distinct carbon processing signatures. Slow processing is evident across latitudes, whereas rapid rates are restricted to lower latitudes. Both the mean rate and variability decline with latitude, suggesting temperature constraints toward the poles and greater roles for other environmental drivers (e.g., nutrient loading) toward the equator. These results and data set the stage for unprecedented "next-generation biomonitoring" by establishing baselines to help quantify environmental impacts to the functioning of ecosystems at a global scale.