PPT Slide

In a healthy stream, leaves are consumed by a functional feeding group of aquatic insects known as shredders at the lower end of the food chain.

Copyright 2000, Center for Watershed Protection

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The leaf packs are colonized by bacteria and the energy contained within them is consumed by a functional feeding group of aquatic insects known as shredders. Shredders are at the lower end of the food chain and are often absent in urban streams.