Tiegs, S.D.Capps, K.A.Costello, D.M.Schmidt, J.P.Patrick, C.J.Follstad Shah, J.J.LeRoy, C.J.Acuña, VicençAlbariño, RicardoAllen, Daniel C.Alonso, CeciliaAndino, PatricioArango, ClayAroviita, JukkaBarbosa, Marcus V.M.Barmuta, Leon A.Baxter, ColdenBellinger, BrentBoyero, LuzBragina, LyubovBrown, Lee E.Bruder, AndreasBruesewitz, Denise A.Burdon, Francis J.Callisto, MarcosCamacho, AntonioCanhoto, CristinaCastillo, María M.Chauvet, EricClapcott, JoanneColas, FannyColón-Gaud, ChecoCornut, JulienCrespo-Pérez, VerónicaCross, Wyatt F.Culp, JosephDanger, MichaelDangles, Olivierde Eyto, ElviraDerry, Alison M.Villanueva, Veronica DíazDouglas, Michael M.Elosegi, ArturoEncalada, Andrea C.Entrekin, SallyEspinosa, RodrigoFerreira, VerónicaFerriol, CarmenFlanagan, Kyla M.Flecker, Alexander S.Fleituch, TadeuszFrainer, AndréFriberg, NikolaiFrost, Paul C.Garcia, Erica A.García-Lago, LilianaSoto, Pavel Ernesto GarcíaGessner, Mark OGhate, SudeepGiling, Darren PGilmer, AlanGonçalves, José FranciscoGonzales, Rosario KarinaGraça, Manuel ASGrace, MikeGriffiths, Natalie AGrossart, Hans-PeterGuérold, FrançoisGulis, VladGutiérrez-Fonseca, Pablo EHepp, Luiz UHiggins, ScottHishi, TakuoHuddart, JosephHudson, JohnImberger, MossIñiguez-Armijos, CarlosIsken, Mark WIwata, TomoyaJanetski, David JKirkwood, Andrea EKoning, Aaron AKosten, SarianKuehn, Kevin ALaudon, HjalmarLeavitt, Peter RLemes da Silva, Aurea LLeroux, ShawnLisi, Peter JMacKenzie, RichardMarcarelli, Amy MMasese, Frank OMcIntyre, Peter BMcKie, Brendan GMedeiros, AdrianaMeissner, KristianMiliša, MarkoMishra, ShailendraMiyake, YoMoerke, AshleyMombrikotb, ShorokMooney, RobMoulton, TimothyMuotka, TimoNegishi, JunjiroNeres-Lima, ViniciusNieminen, Mika LNimptsch, JorgeOndruch, JakubPaavola, RikuPardo, IsabelPeeters, Edwin THMPozo, JesusPrussian, AaronQuenta, EstefaniaReid, BrianRichardson, John SRigosi, AnnaRincón, JoséRisnoveanu, GetaRobinson, Christopher TRodríguez-Gallego, LorenaRoyer, Todd VRusak, James ASantamans, Anna CSelmeczy, Géza BSimiyu, GelasSkuja, AgnijaSmykla, JerzySponseller, RyanSridhar, Kandikere RStoler, AaronSwan, Christopher Mde Mello, Franco TeixeiraTonkin, Jonathan DUusheimo, SariVeach, Allison MVilbaste, SirjeVought, Lena B-MWang, Chiao-PingWebster, Jackson RWilson, Paul BWoelfl, StefanWoodward, GuyXenopoulos, Marguerite AYates, Adam GYoshimura, ChihiroYule, Catherine MZhang, YixinZwart, Jacob A2024-09-232024-09-232024Tiegs, S. D., Capps, K. A., Costello, D. M., Schmidt, J. P., Patrick, C. J., Follstad Shah, J. J., LeRoy, C. J., Acuña, V., Albariño, R., Allen, D. C., Alonso, C., Andino, P., Arango, C., Aroviita, J., Barbosa, M. V. M., Barmuta, L. A., Baxter, C., Bellinger, B., Boyero, L., . . . Zwart, J. A. (2024). Human activities shape global patterns of decomposition rates in rivers. Science, 384(6701), 1191-1195. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn12620036-8075https://hdl.handle.net/10289/16944Rivers and streams contribute to global carbon cycling by decomposing immense quantities of terrestrial plant matter. However, decomposition rates are highly variable and large-scale patterns and drivers of this process remain poorly understood. Using a cellulose-based assay to reflect the primary constituent of plant detritus, we generated a predictive model (81% variance explained) for cellulose decomposition rates across 514 globally distributed streams. A large number of variables were important for predicting decomposition, highlighting the complexity of this process at the global scale. Predicted cellulose decomposition rates, when combined with genus-level litter quality attributes, explain published leaf litter decomposition rates with high accuracy (70% variance explained). Our global map provides estimates of rates across vast understudied areas of Earth and reveals rapid decomposition across continental-scale areas dominated by human activities.enThis is an author’s accepted version of an article published in the journal Science. © 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/CELLDEX Consortium‡CELLDEX ConsortiumJournal Article10.1126/science.adn12621095-920330 Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences31 Biological Sciences3103 Ecology3007 Forestry Sciences