Death and Decomposition in Aquatic Ecosystems

Resource subsidies affect nutrient cycling, species interactions and food webs in ways that influence ecosystem structure and function, but their effects depend on the history, magnitude, and recurrence frequency of the subsidies. In aquatic ecosystems, plant detritus has been considered the predominant form of such subsidies; however, while considered less abundant in many ecosystems, carrion represents subsidies with relatively rapid turnover...