Naslov
Ecological preferences of aquatic bryophytes and their communities – insights from Croatian watercourses

Autori
Rimac, Anja ; Alegro, Antun ; Šegota, Vedran ; Vuković, Nina ; Koletić, Nikola

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
European vegetation survey: methods and approaches in a changing environment / Attorre, Fabio ; Biurrun, Idoia ; Chytrý, Milan ; Kuzemko, Anna ; Schaminée, Joop - Rim : Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, 2023, 102-102

Skup
31st Conference of the European Vegetation Survey

Mjesto i datum
Rim, Italija, 21.05.2023. - 25.05.2023

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Dinaric Ecoregion, Karstic rivers, Ecological responses, Land use, Macrophytes, Water quality

Sažetak
An extensive survey of aquatic vegetation in Croatian watercourses was conducted to assess the ecological status according to the Water Framework Directive. Macrophyte cover and abundance were assessed along 100 m-long transects using the extended Braun-Blanquet scale. The survey yielded 80 bryophyte species from 208 sites on 144 different watercourses. Direct multivariate ordination of vegetation data paired with 18 environmental variables revealed that freshwater bryophytes and their assemblages were segregated along the gradients of water chemistry and the proportion of natural and urban area within the catchment. Furthermore, the ecological responses of individual species were explored with generalized additive models. The majority of the species preferred watercourses with unaltered catchments, clean, well-oxygenated water with low nutrient and organic matter content, as well as low electrical conductivity. However, the most frequent and widely distributed species, such as Fontinalis antipyretica, Rhynchostegium riparioides, Cratoneuron filicinum, Fissidens crassipes, Cinclidotus fontinaloides and C. riparius, had a wide ecological tolerance. Several species with narrow ecological niches, indicative of good water quality were identified as well, while only Riccia fluitans and Leptodyctium riparium had optima in hypereutrophic waters with high electrical conductivity and organic content and were frequently associated with a high share of intensive agriculture within the catchment area. When only bryophyte-dominated sites were considered, five communities segregated along the gradient of several climatic, physiographic and water chemistry parameters were recognized. The geographical patterns of the bryophytes and their communities revealed that clean, fast and cold karstic rivers with larger substrates and larger catchment areas, which are characteristic of the Dinaric Ecoregion, provide the most suitable habitats supporting their greatest diversity.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA