Significance statement
Dissolved organic matters and inorganic nutrients released from forest
leaf litter are important energy and nutrient sources that support the
production of aquatic food webs. However, the variation of the release
efficiencies of dissolved organic matter and inorganic nutrients of leaf
litter with different stoichiometric traits and from distinct tree types
are elusive. Our study revealed that release efficiency of dissolved C,
N, and P is highly species-specific and partially related to leaf litter
stoichiometry. This inferred that changes of the vegetation with
different leaf litter stoichiometry in watersheds can alter the food web
structure in the ambient aquatic ecosystems. We believe that these
results, notably on the stoichiometry of forest leaf litter and leaf
litter leachate and its cross-ecosystem effects on aquatic food webs
have a broad appeal among both aquatic and terrestrial ecologists.