Small Standing-Water Ecosystems in the Transitional Temperate Climate of the Western Balkans

Špoljar, Maria; Shumka, Spase; Tasevska, Orhideja; Ostojić, Аleksandar; Balkić, Anita Galir; Lajtner, Jasna; Pepa, Bledar; Dražina, Tvrtko; Ternjej, Ivančica

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-86478-1_2

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(76 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…According to theanalyzed data, there is a linkage among rotifer species richness along different altitudinal distributions of lakes, where Lake of Dushku (1380 m) is distinguished by 16 taxa, while Lake of Valamare (2070 m) with four taxa. All taxa identified are new records for their localities [41,42]. In regard to the studies of high mountain lakes in Albania, 31 taxa of rotifers are reported among the zooplankton of analyzed mountain lakes, mostly at the north-eastern range, the elevation of which ranges from 1470 to 2200 m. Among them, the taxa Brachionus quadridentatus, Keratella cochlearis, K. quadrata, Notholca squamula, Euchlanis dilatata, E. incisa, Mytilina ventralis, M. ventralis brevispina, Trichotria tetractis, Colurella uncinata, Lepadella patella, L. patella similis, Lecane flexilis, L. luna, L. lunaris, L. quadrientata, Cephalodella gibba, Trichocerca longiseta, T. rattus, T. similis, T. vernalis, Synchaeta pectinata, Asplanchna priodonta, A. girodi, Testudinella patina, Conochilus unicornis, Hexarthra fennica, and Filinia longiseta were found in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The genera that have been recorded as having the highest number of rotifers in Albanian inland waters are Lecane (16 species), Trichocerca (15 species), Brachionus (15 species), Keratella (7 species), Polyarthra (7 species), and Lepadella (6 species). Along with other types of ecosystems, small-standing water ecosystems, including those of glacial origin that are the focus of this work, are thought to be particularly important for biodiversity conservation, and proper management is desperately needed [42]. There are very few publications dedicated to rotifers of glacial lakes [43,44] and the particular features noted by [45] are also the case for the Albanian glacial lakes.…”

Section: Particularities Of Glacial Lakes Distribution and Specific B...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evidences of Climate Changes and Conservation Needs for Halting Further Deterioration of Small Glacial Lakes

Shumka,

Spoljar

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Particularities Of Glacial Lakes Distribution and Specific B...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidences of Climate Changes and Conservation Needs for Halting Further Deterioration of Small Glacial Lakes

Shumka,

Spoljar

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The interaction of all these threats has a general negative effect on freshwater habitats [10], and on the specialized vascular flora that colonizes SWEs. Although SWE are globally abundant and their ecological importance is unquestionable, there is a general lack of studies on these habitats, which are often neglected and overlooked by scientific communities and, consequently, in conservation policies [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Horse Grazing on Floristic Diversity in Mediterranean Small Standing-Water Ecosystems (SWEs)

Fenu

Melis

Pinna

et al. 2022

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Small standing-Water Ecosystems (SWEs), despite their pivotal ecological role due to their participation in hydrogeological processes and their richness in biodiversity, seem to be often overlooked by the scientific community. In this study, the vascular plant diversity in some representative SWEs, that host a peculiar assemblage of plant and animal species, was investigated in relation to the disturbance effects of a wild horse population. A total of 50 plots, equally distributed in small and large SWEs, were surveyed and a level of disturbance was attributed to each plot. We found greater species richness in small and undisturbed SWEs, which suggests the negative impact of horse grazing on the richness of plant species in this type of habitat. Significant differences in plant assemblage were found according to the disturbance level, whereas, contrary to what was observed for species richness, no differences were detected based on their size. The diversity indices, used to evaluate the richness and diversity in these areas, recorded the highest values for small and undisturbed areas. This result highlights that the disturbance of the horse grazing plays a pivotal role in affecting the diversity and richness of species in the SWEs. These findings suggest that SWE systems should be analyzed considering these areas as unique in order to allow the conservation of the plant richness and biodiversity of the SWE systems in conjunction with the protection of horses.

show abstract

Rotifers as indicators of trophic state in small water bodies with different catchments (field vs. forest)

Kuczyńska-Kippen,

Zhang,

Mleczek

et al. 2024

Hydrobiologia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Current methods for assessing lake trophic status using zooplankton are well-established, but there is a lack of approaches for small, shallow water bodies. This study addresses the gap by analyzing rotifer communities across 100 ponds in different catchment areas (field and forest). We hypothesized that the Rotifer Trophic State Index (TSIROT) is an effective tool for assessing trophic state, yielding comparable results to the Carlson TSI index. We also proposed that variations in physical and chemical parameters would significantly affect rotifer composition, impacting the trophic state assessment. Field ponds, exposed to agricultural runoff, exhibited higher trophic states and a predominance of detritivorous species. In contrast, forest ponds, with extensive macrophyte coverage, maintained lower trophic states and supported diverse algivorous species, particularly of littoral and mesotrophic origin. This confirmed our hypothesis that catchment type strongly influences trophic state and rotifer communities. We demonstrated that rotifer traits—abundance, species diversity, habitat type preferences and proportions of eutrophic versus mesotrophic species—along with TSIROT, are effective in assessing water quality in ponds. Overall, the results validate TSIROT as a reliable tool for small water bodies, comparable to Carlson’s TSI index, and highlight the importance of catchment type in influencing water quality.

show abstract

Small Standing-Water Ecosystems in the Transitional Temperate Climate of the Western Balkans

Cited by 4 publications

References 49 publications

Evidences of Climate Changes and Conservation Needs for Halting Further Deterioration of Small Glacial Lakes

Evidences of Climate Changes and Conservation Needs for Halting Further Deterioration of Small Glacial Lakes

Impact of Horse Grazing on Floristic Diversity in Mediterranean Small Standing-Water Ecosystems (SWEs)

Rotifers as indicators of trophic state in small water bodies with different catchments (field vs. forest)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About