Detritus and dynamics of populations, food webs and communities

Food web theory was developed in large part on the pathway of primary production from plants to herbivores to predators even though most primary productivity is uneaten by herbivores and enters the food web as detritus. What happens to this dominant chunk of the world's productivity? Is the detrital food web a self-contained sink internally recycling energy and nutrients or a link that affects the population dynamics of classic herbivore webs? Do these dynamics differ with system productivity or among habitats, e.g., aquatic versus terrestrial? Whatever the case, we should understand much more about this fundamental component of communities. This working group will focus on the role of detritus in the dynamics and structure of communities; determine systematic differences in its production, quality, and use among habitats; and delineate a framework to integrate detrital and classic food webs.