Search results for "Macrophyte"
showing 10 items of 92 documents
Allelopathic effects of microcystin-LR on the germination, growth and metabolism of five charophyte species and a submerged angiosperm
2013
Abstract Microcystins (MCs) are produced by cyanobacteria in aquatic environments and adversely affect macrophytes at very high concentrations. However, the effects of MC on macrophytes at concentrations of environmental relevance are largely unknown. The main objective of this study was to analyze the allelopathic effects of MC-LR at natural concentrations (1, 8 and 16 μgMC-LR/L) on five charophyte species ( Chara aspera , C. baltica , C. hispida , C. vulgaris and Nitella hyalina ) and the angiosperm Myriophyllum spicatum . Macrophyte specimens were obtained from a restored area located in Albufera de Valencia Natural Park, a protected coastal Mediterranean wetland. Two different experimen…
Chara hispida beds as a sink of nitrogen: Evidence from growth, nitrogen uptake and decomposition
2007
8 pages, and tables stadistics, and figures.
Citizen science projects for monitoring alien macrophytes
2016
To understand the invasive potential and the spread dynamics of an alien species, any newly colonized area needs to be quickly detected. Therefore, regular monitoring programs and public awareness campaigns are essential. Since intensive monitoring activities involving scientists are expensive, the occurrence and spread of marine species could remain undetected or could be detected only years after the initial colonization. Citizen Science initiatives, a potential solution to this problem providing supplemental information that would otherwise be lost, are able to involve different groups of volunteers: students, tourists, divers, underwater photographers, amateurs and fishermen. Volunteers…
Phytoplankton dynamics in permanent and temporary Mediterranean waters: is the game hard to play because of hydrological disturbance?
2012
Only few scientific investigations have been carried out, to our knowledge, on phytoplankton in Mediterranean temporary ponds. To test the hypothesis that climate forcing is the main factor affecting dynamics and structure of planktic algae in these peculiar ecosystems, and to assess the importance of human impacts on this basic component of the aquatic biota, phytoplankton structure and dynamics were analysed in two temporary, long lasting (9 months), ponds, and in a permanent one. The three studied water bodies can be classified as mesoeutrophic, which show extended macrophyte beds and are subjected to one or more human impacts, such as eutrophication, fish and plant introduction, and gar…
The allelopathic capacity of submerged macrophytes shapes the microalgal assemblages from a recently restored coastal wetland
2013
Abstract We have tested the efficiency of isolated and combined submerged macrophyte cultures to inhibit, through allelopathy, the natural phytoplankton growth. Both plants and microalgae come from the same wetland, a recently restored area in Albufera de Valencia Natural Park (Spain). The need to replant the area under restoration with submerged macrophytes makes this information essential for wetland management. The selection and culture of the submerged macrophytes used in that restoration (four charophytes: Chara hispida , Chara vulgaris , Chara baltica , Nitella hyalina , and one angiosperm: Myriophyllum spicatum ) provided a good opportunity to test in the laboratory the allelopathic …
Experimental Study on the Diet of Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) under Different Ecological Conditions in a Shallow Lake
2004
We studied the diet of the eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki with in situ experimental mesocosms located in a shallow lake. Different nutrient concentrations (phosphorus and nitrogen) and fish population densities were tested. Our results confirm that it is a planktivorous species, with also a great ingestion of algae and detritus. Nutrient fertilization caused almost no changes in this species feeding behavior, but larger mosquitofish stocks induced a shift to zooplanktivory and a decline in detritivory. When macrophytes were present, the predation effect focused on zooplankton and plant-associated animals, otherwise predation on bottom macroinvertebrates increased. Females preyed up…
Biological quality metrics: their variability and appropriate scale for assessing Streams
2006
The concept of spatial scale is at the research frontier in ecology, and although focus has been placed on trying to determine the role of spatial scale in structuring communities, there still is a further need to standardize which organism groups are to be used at which scale and under which circumstances in environmental assessment. This paper contributes to the understanding of the variability at different spatial scales (reach, stream, river basin) of metrics characterizing communities of different biological quality elements (macrophytes, fishes, macroinvertebrates and benthic diatoms) as defined by the Water Framework Directive. For this purpose, high-quality reaches from medium-sized…
<strong>Microhabitat preference of caddisfly (Trichoptera) communities in a medium-sized lowland stream in Latvia</strong>
2011
The microhabitat preference of caddisfly (Trichoptera) communities was studied in 8 types of microhabitats in a fast-flowing, medium-sized, lowland stream in Latvia. A total 36 caddisfly taxa belonging to 14 families were recorded in microhabitat samples. A PCA biplot of caddisfly taxa abundance in microhabitats showed 3 distinct caddisfly taxa groups: depositional [Limnephilidae Gen. sp., Anabolia laevis (Zetterstedt) and Lasiocephala basalis (Kolenati)], lithal [ Agapetus ochripes Curtis and Psychomyia pusilla (Fabricius)], and submerged macrophyte and water moss caddisfly microhabitat communities ( Ithytrichia lamellaris Eaton, Hydropsyche siltalai Dohler and Hydropsyche spp. juv.). The …
The invasion history of Elodea canadensis and E. nuttallii (Hydrocharitaceae) in Italy from herbarium accessions, field records and historical litera…
2022
AbstractWe analysed the invasion history of two North American macrophytes (Elodea canadensis and E. nuttallii) in Italy, through an accurate census of all available herbarium and field records, dating between 1850 and 2019, and a rich literature collection describing the initial introduction and naturalisation phase that supports the results obtained by the occurrence records. Elodea canadensis arrived in Italy before 1866 and had two invasion phases, between the 1890s and 1920s and between the 1990s and 2000s; E. nuttallii, probably arrived in the 1970s, started invading in 2000 and the invasion is still ongoing. Botanical gardens and fish farming played a crucial role in dispersal and na…
Isoëtes sabatina (Isoëtaceae, Lycopodiopsida). Taxonomic distinctness and preliminary ecological insights
2021
1) Isoëtes sabatina is the rarest aquatic quillwort in Europe. Although recently found (2013) in Lake Bracciano (central Italy), the species is just one step away from extinction with an estimated population not exceeding 400 individuals and a spatial range of a few hundred square metres. 2) Lake Bracciano is a deep, oligo-mesotrophic Mediterranean volcanic lake that has been subjected to human activities. From January to October 2017, the lake experienced a dramatic water level decrease (up to −1.50 m), which significantly affected the littoral zone and the habitat of I. sabatina. 3) To improve the chances of survival of I. sabatina, the first eco-taxonomic investigation on this species wa…