• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2001

Leaf Litter processing rate of Quercus mongolica was compared with that of Carpinus cordata in a first-order stream draining Mt. Jumbong in Inje-Gun, Kangwon Province. Daily processing rate (-k . day$^{-1}$ ) of Q. mongolica leaf litter in mesh bags was 0.00503, about one-third of that of C. cordata leaf litter. Forty five macroinvertebrate taxa were collected from litter bags; 39 taxi from C. cordate and 38 taxa from Q. mongolica litter bags. Nemoura tau, a precopteran shredder, was the most abundant taxon in both leaf species, and the second was the non-predatory chironomids. In terms of biomass, Gammarus, an amphipodan shredder, was the largest. and followed by Cincticostella castanea, an ephemeropteran gatherers. The biomass of most insect taxa decreased during April to June, while that of non-insect taxa greatly increased during the same time period. Gammarus was the most important shredder talon to the leaf litter breakdown in the experimental stream and appeared to prefer C. cordata to Q. nongolica leaf litter. N. tau, in spite of its abundance, seemed to have a limited effect on the leaf litter processing . Since other shredders were minor compared with these two taxa, leaf litter processing in this stream appeared to largely depend on the feeding ecology of Gammarus.