Search results for "wetland"
showing 10 items of 214 documents
Do invasive alien plants really threaten river bank vegetation? : a case study based on plant communities typical for Chenopodium ficifolium : an ind…
2018
Riparian zones are very rich in species but subjected to strong anthropogenic changes and extremely prone to alien plant invasions, which are considered to be a serious threat to biodiversity. Our aim was to determine the spatial distribution of Chenopodium ficifolium, a species demonstrating strong confinement to large river valleys in Central Europe and an indicator of annual pioneer nitrophilous vegetation developing on river banks, which are considered to be of importance to the European Community. Additionally, the habitat preferences of the species were analysed. Differences in the richness and abundance of species diagnostic for riverside habitats, as well as the contribution of resi…
The first confirmed population of the globally endangered Pilularia minuta (Marsileaceae) in Sicily
2016
Based on a recent collection made by the authors, the presence of the endangered Pilularia minuta Durieu in Sicily (Italy) is confirmed. Critical review of relevant literature and herbarium specimens suggests that the only previous report for the island, made in 1887, can, fairly confidently, be considered to be the result of a misidentification. There is an urgent need to protect the wetland at Anguillara (near Calatafimi), where the species was found.
Positive impacts of important bird and biodiversity areas on wintering waterbirds under changing temperatures throughout Europe and North Africa
2020
Clausen, Preben/0000-0001-8986-294X WOS: 000536149100018 Migratory waterbirds require an effectively conserved cohesive network of wetland areas throughout their range and life-cycle. Under rapid climate change, protected area (PA) networks need to be able to accommodate climate-driven range shifts in wildlife if they are to continue to be effective in the future. Thus, we investigated geographical variation in the relationship between local temperature anomaly and the abundance of 61 waterbird species during the wintering season across Europe and North Africa during 1990-2015. We also compared the spatio-temporal effects on abundance of sites designated as PAs, Important Bird and Biodivers…
Carbon metabolic rates and GHG emissions in different wetland types of the Ebro Delta
2020
Deltaic wetlands are highly productive ecosystems, which characteristically can act as C-sinks. However, they are among the most threatened ecosystems, being very vulnerable to global change, and require special attention towards its conservation. Knowing their climate change mitigating potential, conservation measures should also be oriented with a climatic approach, to strengthen their regulatory services. In this work we studied the carbon biogeochemistry and the specific relevance of certain microbial guilds on carbon metabolisms of the three main types of deltaic wetlands located in the Ebro Delta, north-eastern Spain, as well as how they deal with human pressures and climate change ef…
Reuse of urban-treated wastewater from a pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow system in Sicily (Italy) for irrigation of Bermudagrass (Cynodon dact…
2016
Constructed wetlands (CW) are one of the most important biological technology for the treatment and reuse of wastewaters. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reuse of treated wastewater (TWW) from CW for irrigation of Bermudagrass turf (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) and assess the effects of TWW on the biometric and qualitative parameters of the turfgrass and on chemical–physical soil properties. The research was carried out in Sicily (Italy) in a pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow system which was fed with urban TWW following secondary treatment from an activate sludge wastewater treatment plant. The pilot-system included three separate parallel units. The outflow TWW flowed downh…
Hydrology Affects Environmental and Spatial Structuring of Microalgal Metacommunities in Tropical Pacific Coast Wetlands
2016
The alternating climate between wet and dry periods has important effects on the hydrology and therefore on niche-based processes of water bodies in tropical areas. Additionally, assemblages of microorganism can show spatial patterns, in the form of a distance decay relationship due to their size or life form. We aimed to test spatial and environmental effects, modulated by a seasonal flooding climatic pattern, on the distribution of microalgae in 30 wetlands of a tropical dry forest region: the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Three surveys were conducted corresponding to the beginning, the highest peak, and the end of the hydrological year during the wet season, and species abun…
Formalized classification of European fen vegetation at the alliance level
2017
AimsPhytosociological classification of fen vegetation (Scheuchzerio palustris-Caricetea fuscae class) differs among European countries. Here we propose a unified vegetation classification of European fens at the alliance level, provide unequivocal assignment rules for individual vegetation plots, identify diagnostic species of fen alliances, and map their distribution.LocationEurope, western Siberia and SE Greenland.Methods29 049 vegetation-plot records of fens were selected from databases using a list of specialist fen species. Formal definitions of alliances were created using the presence, absence and abundance of Cocktail-based species groups and indicator species. DCA visualized the s…
Survival of an Endangered OrchidLiparis loeseliiin Habitats with Different Water Level Fluctuations
2018
Liparis loeselii (L.) Rich. is an endangered orchid species which occurs in wetland habitats. For successful conservation of this orchid it is necessary to recognize its adaptive traits and special habitat requirements. Therefore, we examined morphological and anatomical traits in relation to the water level, cover of vascular plants and seed viability of L. loeselii in habitats with different water level fluctuations. Field studies of L. loeselii were carried out in nine localities and four habitat types: alkaline fen, calcareous fen with Cladium mariscus, transition mire and quaking bog. The fluctuations of seasonal water level were defined in the range from dry substrate to short time fl…
Physiological Responses of Wetland Species Rumex Hydrolapathum to Increased Concentration of Biogenous Heavy Metals Zn and Mn in Substrate
2020
Abstract The aim of the present study was to determine if individuals of Rumex hydrolapathum Huds native to saline wetlands are able to tolerate high concentration of biogenous heavy metals Zn and Mn in substrate and to accumulate high concentration of these metals in aboveground parts. Plant physiological status was monitored by using non-destructive analysis of chlorophyll and chlorophyll a fluorescence. R. hydrolapathum plants accumulated up to 1840 mg·kg−1 Zn and 6400 mg·kg−1 Mn in older leaves. The usefulness of monitoring changes in chlorophyll concentration and chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters to predict physiological response of R. hydrolapathum plants to excess Zn and Mn was n…
Spatio-temporal analyses of local biodiversity hotspots reveal the importance of historical land-use dynamics
2017
Woodland key habitats (WKHs) form a network of local biodiversity hotspots in human-dominated landscapes of northern Europe. They have been designated based on the presence of old-growth species and structures, and are considered to indicate long-term forest cover. To test whether WKHs do particularly occur in continuous forest land and to explore the scale dependence of relationships between WKH presence and their historical and environmental properties, we analysed them at five spatial scales (from stand to landscape: 80–2500 m) and referring to four reference years (1790, 1860, 1910, and 2010) using univariate and multivariate analyses. We upscaled the georeferenced data using a moving w…