Resource quality and stoichiometric constraints on stream ecosystem functioning

Resource quality and stoichiometric imbalances in carbon : nutrient ratios between consumers and resources can influence key ecosystem processes. In many streams, this has important implications for food webs that are based largely upon the utilization of terrestrial leaf-litter, which varies widely among litter types in its value as a food source for detritivores and as a substrate for microbial decomposers.