Aquatic vegetation as an indicator of littoral habitats and various stages of lake aging in north-eastern Poland

Abstract

-The habitats of 356 phytocoenoses dominated by 15 species of aquatic plants were investigated. Among the properties of water, Na + , pH, total Fe, Ca 2+ , NO 3 x , SO 4 2x , hardness and COD-KMnO 4 were the most important in differentiating the habitats of the phytocoenoses studied. Considerable physicochemical differences were found between the waters of the phytocoenoses of Ranunculus circinatus (hard waters rich in Na + ), Nuphar pumila (soft waters with high levels of total Fe), Elodea canadensis, Ceratophyllum demersum (alkaline waters) and Stratiotes aloides (waters containing high concentrations of Ca 2+ and SO 4 2x ). The substrate properties that best differentiated the habitats compared were PO 4 3x , hydration, organic matter content, total N, dissolved SiO 2 , Ca 2+ , Na + and pH. Patches of R. circinatus inhabited substrates containing the highest levels of PO 4 3x . Those of S. aloides were associated with substrates poor in PO 4 3x . Patches of C. demersum were confined to substrates rich in total N. Phytocoenoses of R. circinatus were associated with large lakes, whereas those of N. pumila were restricted mostly to smaller lakes. The deepest parts of lakes were inhabited by Potamogeton lucens. Phytocoenoses of S. aloides occurred mostly in shallow waters, on thick sediments. The investigated phytocoenoses also represent different stages of succession. The phytocoenoses of Potamogeton perfoliatus, R. circinatus, Myriophyllum spicatum and Polygonum amphibium, which develop on mineral substrates, initiate the process of succession, whereas those of Myriophyllum verticillatum, Nymphaea candida, Nymphaea alba, N. pumila and S. aloides, which inhabit highly hydrated organic substrates, are characteristic of the late stages of succession.

Holocene sediment record from Briaunis palaeolake, Eastern Lithuania: history of sedimentary environment and vegetation dynamics

“…3). The presence of Ceratophyllum demersum shows that the basin was influenced by limeenriched water (Kłosowski et al 2011). The mentioned taxa suggest that the water depth could have been approximately 3 m (Hannon, Gaillard 1997).…”

Postglacial history of vegetation, human activity and lake-level changes at Jezioro Linówek in northeast Poland, based on multi-proxy data

“…in northeastern Europe (Heikkilä and Seppä 2003;Seppä and Poska 2004). The presence of Ceratophyllum demersum shows that Linówek was influenced by lime-rich water (Kłosowski et al 2011). At *4500 B.C., submerged plants almost completely disappeared from the lake, an event that occurred at the time of an increased share of Botryococcus and Pediastrum boryanum (Fig.…”

Quantitative Assessment of Epiphytic and Benthic Meioinvertebrate Fauna in Various Types of Standing Water

“…In studies conducted in Lake Sakadaš (Croatia), it was demonstrated that the composition of invertebrates associated with macrophytes (M. spicatum L.) is consistent with the trophy of the studied lake [35]. Some elodeids, for example M. spicatum L., typically occur on mineral surfaces of meso to eutrophic lakes [36].…”