Distribution of Vascular Plant Communities in Slovenian Watercourses

Abstract

Rivers and streams are heterogenous ecosystems that host a great number of vascular plant communities. The territory of Slovenia is highly diverse regarding geomorphologic, geologic, climatic, and edaphic conditions. We presumed that environmental variability will also affect the distribution of hygrophilous vascular plants in running waters and consequently the structure of plant communities they form. We analyzed macrophyte, spatial, and environmental parameters in 906 stretches of the watercourses occurring in the Dinaric, Pannonian, and Po lowland hydro-ecoregions. We determined 87 vascular plant taxa. The most abundant were Myriophyllum spicatum, Phalaris arundinacea, and Potamogeton nodosus. Submerged macrophytes presented about one third of total species abundance, while amphiphytes were somewhat less abundant. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that distance from the source explained 15.1% of the growth form type variability, and current velocity and latitude explained 4.1% each. With the assessed parameters, we explained 31.6% of the variability. When CCA was run with taxa, only 20.9% of their variability was explained with statistically significant parameters. We distinguished 25 different plant associations belonging to five classes and nine alliances. The majority of defined plant communities were distributed in different watercourses belonging to different hydro-ecoregions. Only seven communities had a narrower distribution range, three of them on karst poljes. Among them, the new association Mentho aquaticae-Oenanthetum fistulosae from the river Mali Obrh on the Loško polje was described in this contribution.

Composition and Diversity Variation of Ferns (Pteridophyta) at Barangay San Rafael, Prosperidad, Agusan Del Sur Philippines: Distribution and Conservation Status

“…According to the study of Sastrapradija et al, 1979, these species of ferns (Pteridophyta) is very suitable for ornamental plants and commonly found in the forest. Furthermore, the young leaves are utilized for various purposes, particularly vegetables and medicinal treatments in some disease (Arini and Kinho, 2012;Zelnik et al, 2021). Based on some review, various pteridophytes have properties that explicitly be used in alternative medicine for treatment of various human diseases and illnesses.…”

Long-Term Changes in Macrophyte Distribution and Abundance in a Lowland River

“…It often occurs in alkaline waters in oligotrophic and mesotrophic states [ 55 ]. It could be found as an emergent form in shallow water, with leaves partly floating on the surface in slow streams, and as a submerged form [ 56 ]. S. sagittifolia and filamentous algae prevailed in the lower part of the river in 2016, in the stretches, where in 1996 and 2000, P. natans was dominant.…”

Hydrology-Shaped Plant Communities: Diversity and Ecological Function

“…A hydrological gradient and a fluctuating water level present major driving forces, which determine the distribution of different plant communities as well as plant species composition within them. This was evidenced in various aquatic ecosystems, such as wet-meadows [12], marshes [4], intermittent lake [15], flood-forests [11], ponds [10], lakes [3,17], or rivers [6]. Waterlogged or flooded soil can become an inhospitable environment, which excludes the majority of species, while in the remaining species, it triggers the expression of various traits and mechanisms that enable survival despite oxygen shortage in the root zone.…”

“…In addition, moving water masses as waves or current present a physical factor preventing successful colonization of certain communities [7,14]. Thus, when various factors shaping the plant communities are assessed [6] according to their importance, a hydrological regime often overrides all other environmental factors, also altering the pattern of regionality, which is generally accepted in biogeography [7].…”

“…This diversity reflects the high biotic diversity of terrestrial ecosystems [5]; however, the diversity in aquatic systems is known to the lesser extent. Zelnik et al [6] studied vascular plant communities in 33 watercourses in different regions of Slovenia. Hydrologically, the most outstanding is the Karst region, where watercourses are marked by extreme water level fluctuations and even intermittence, which affect the presence of vascular plants.…”