Is There a Pattern for Occurrence of Macrophytes in Polish Ponds?

Abstract

Although ponds are common elements in the environment, dependences occurring in these ecosystems have not been fully investigated. Our study focuses on the correlation between environmental factors and changes occurring in ponds—mostly the distribution of macrophytes in space and time. The aim of our analyses was to indicate which physicochemical variables were characteristic of ponds in specific habitats (forest, agriculture field, and village) and whether they could associate the distribution of vegetation in these ponds. Thirteen ponds differing in morphometric parameters and location in landscape (ponds located in agriculture fields, forests, and villages) were analyzed. Our research was based on data covering a period of 10 years (2008–2018). The following parameters were analyzed: the water content of NH4+, NO3−, NO2−, TP, PO43−, Na, K, Mg, Ca, and Fe, pH, temperature and morphometric parameters. Macrophytes were observed during the growing season in July 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. Three homogeneous species groups were distinguished in statistical analyses and the dominance of selective environmental factors was assigned to them. The first group consisted of indicator species for forest ponds. Their waters were characterized by a low content of Ca, Mg, and Na as well as an increased content of NH4+ and Fe. The second group was composed of indicator species for field ponds, where the highest NO3− concentrations were found. The third group was formed by indicator species for village ponds. Water of these ponds was characterized by higher concentration levels of K, Na, and total P.

Species Richness and Taxonomic Distinctness of Zooplankton in Ponds and Small Lakes from Albania and North Macedonia: The Role of Bioclimatic Factors

“…A number of studies have generally indicated a positive relationship between the surface area of lacustrine environments and zooplankton diversity (e.g., [30][31][32]; but see [13]); accordingly, crustacean zooplankton has been shown to have higher species richness in small ponds as compared with lakes [16,33,34]. This notwithstanding, we hypothesized that area alone may not be an adequate predictor, and that local bioclimatic conditions may ultimately contribute in explaining diversity variations across waterbodies by influencing their physical-chemical characteristics, as observed in recent investigations on freshwater macroinvertebrates and macrophytes [27,28,35]. This could be particularly true for waterbodies in mountainous habitats, where temperature and precipitation regimes intensely reflect the chemical-physical characteristics and hydroperiod of the waterbodies themselves [36], regulating the harshness and stability of the aquatic environments and, in turn, the diversity of the biota living in them ( [22] and literature cited).…”