Current Distribution and Conservation Issues of Aquatic Plant Species Protected under Habitats Directive in Lithuania (original) (raw)
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Caldesia Parnassifolia – not extinct in Lithuania
Botanica Lithuanica, 2016
Caldesia parnassifolia (L.) Parl. is a "near threatened" species in Europe and it has been treated as extinct in Lithuania, the latest gathering dating back to 1957. Occurring there at the northern border of its range, this species was recorded only once at the beginning of the 19 th century and twice in separate localities in the middle of the 20 th century. In summer 2015, after an interval of almost 60 years, C. parnassifolia was found in a new locality, more than 100 km north of those previously known. A very abundant population composed of vegetative and flowering (turion forming) individuals was spread over about 3.5 ha area in Lake Rūžas, known as a unique Lithuanian habitat of Aldrovanda vesiculosa. C. parnassifolia formed almost monodominant stands along swampy shores and less abundantly occurred in communities of floating leaved species (mainly Nuphar luteum and Potamogeton natans) at a depth of 0.5-1 m. It is likely that implemented measures to improve the habitat condition for A. vesiculosa were favourable for the appearance of C. parnassifolia.
Biodiversity: Research and Conservation, 2012
Lychnothamnus barbatus, which in Lithuania occurs northernmost in Europe, was identified in 4 lakes: Balsys, Mažasis Gulbinu, Vygris and Šventininkai. The aim of the paper was to present the recent vegetation, habitat conditions, abundance and co-occurring plant species in shallow Lake Šventininkai. L. barbatus population was rediscovered after 50 years. It was recorded in 1823 and 1960, but it has not been detected later on during scattered investigations until now. Recent vegetation of Lake Šventininkai is a typical of eutrophic lakes with the domination of Ceratophyllum demersum, Elodea canadensis and rarely - L. barbatus. The submerged communities are represented by 7 associations. L. barbatus was distributed at the depth of 1.1-2.1 m. Nitellopsis obtusa, Chara globularis, Chara contraria were the most common, co-occurring species of I. barbatus. Lake Šventininkai is a unique, very shallow (average depth <3 m) lake with re-established L. barbatus population after its total d...
Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark
Background: Wet, intermittently flooded freshwater coastal and shallow water habitats are notable for their high biodiversity. Many of the usually semiaquatic annuals or small perennials common in such habitats are in decline due to the high sensitivity of such habitats to changes caused by anthropogenic and natural factors. The Euro-Siberian semiaquatic Elatine hydropiper rarely occurs in Lithuania and is protected there and in other Baltic and Central European countries. In 2020, we found a large population of Elatine hydropiper in southern Lithuania (Varėna district) in Lake Pabezninkai and its exposed shores. The water level of the lake has receded by about 1.5-1.6 m since 2018, exposing wide, wet, and sandy or silty shores. The aim of this study was to determine the status of the Elatine hydropiper population and to assess its potential for long-term survival. The objectives of the study were to (a) determine the size and quantitative characteristics of the population, (b) assess the seed bank in the shallows and exposed shores of the lake, (c) assess the species diversity in the communities with Elatine hydropiper, (d) evaluate the conservation value of the studied species and the lake habitat. Methods: The studies were carried out between 2020 and 2021. The number and coverage of plant patches as well as seed bank studies were carried out at three sites with different shoreline substrate. At each site, the number of patches and coverage was assessed in 50 sample plots of 100 cm 2. The seed bank was examined in the top 5 cm of the substrate. A total of 90 substrate samples were analyzed. Results: We found that Elatine hydropiper grows on ca. 0.38 ha in the lake and on ca. 0.95 ha on the shores. On the exposed shores, the mean number of Elatine hydropiper patches per 1 m 2 was 2155 ± 1241.5 and their mean cover was 23.17% of the surface. Seed bank analyses revealed that the seeds and seed shells were significantly more abundant in the bottom sediments than in the shore sand or silt. The mean number of seeds per liter of soil was 85.8 ± 210.2, and the mean number of seed shells was 217.0 ± 265.8. Conclusions: The assessment of the status of the species in Lithuania according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) criteria has led us to conclude that it should now be classified as vulnerable [A3; B1ab(iii); C2a(ii); D2]. The key to protecting Elatine hydropiper and other co-occurring rare species with similar ecological and biological characteristics, as well as the plant communities of shallows and exposed wet banks, is to protect their habitats. The survival of the species and their habitats could be assured by recurring significant water level fluctuations in the lake, resulting in periodic emergence of patches of wet sand or silt free from perennial vegetation.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The selection of appropriate locations for the reintroduction of endangered plant species is an important process, because it usually influences the success of the conservation. The aim of this study was to select the optimal substitute habitats for Aldrovanda vesiculosa, taking into account the influence of physical–chemical factors (light intensity, temperature, pH, concentration of dissolved forms of nitrogen and cyanobacterial toxin microcystin-LR) on the efficiency of plant growth. Water analysis and field observations of the habitats of six lakes in Eastern Poland typified as potential substitute habitats for aldrovanda were carried out. The results of the experiments showed that both the concentration and the form in which nitrogen compounds are present in the environment were the factors limiting the growth rate and condition of plants. The second factor that caused the inhibition of aldrovanda growth was microcystin-LR. It was found that the habitat conditions in Lake Brzez...
Habitat variability of the Littorelletea uniflorae plant communities in Polish Lobelia lakes
Hydrobiologia, 2006
The communities differ considerably from each other with respect to water and substrate properties, and attain their optimum development under specific habitat conditions. The present study reveals that, in Poland, the substrate properties of the above communities, with the exception of calcium content, vary to the same extent as those of most communities typical of eutrophic lakes.
Floristic diversity of midforest lakes (Sobibór Landscape Park, Poland)
Ekológia (Bratislava), 2016
Aquatic vegetation greatly impacts lake functions. Forest ecosystems surrounding lakes are effective protection zone of lakes and their associated flora and fauna. The presence of aquatic plants depends on many factors, including the chemical composition and acidity of water, the shape of the lake catchment, the angle of slope along shorelines and the management of surrounding lands. Natural ecosystems throughout Eastern Europe are threatened by anthropogenic activities. Aquatic systems and bogs are particularly sensitive to disturbances. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of land management, forest type and stand age on aquatic plant colonisation within lakes as well as to quantify and qualify the structure of macrophyte communities within two lakes, Płotycze Sobiborskie and Orchowe, located in the Sobibór Landscape Park in western Poland. Even though there were few bogs within the catchment areas and lake buffer zones, where they did occur they had the greatest ef...
2006
The study presents a listing of aquatic plants in the south-western part of the Silesian Upland and an estimation of the degree of threat to individual species, taking into account their present frequency of occurrence and dynamic tendencies in the study area. Among 73 analysed species, 10 are considered to be probably extinct in the study area, 33 are listed as rare or endangered (with a small or decreasing number of localities), while 30 are not threatened. 23 plant species are under legal protection, while 12 of them are listed in the ÑPolish Red Data Book of Plantsî. The highest concentration of localities of aquatic plants was observed in the eastern part of the study area, in the vicinity of the town of Øory. Among the apparently extinct species, the majority are dicotyledonous plants, while monocotyledonous plants predominate in other two groups, which allows to draw the conclusion that they seem to be better adapted to anthropogenic transformations of the environment
Biodiversity and Conservation, 2010
The aim of this study was to diagnose changes in species composition and their dynamics caused by human impact in aquatic and marsh vegetation in the contemporary agricultural landscape. The most serious threat was an increase in the nitrogen content of surface waters and groundwater which had resulted from the intensive management of the surrounding areas. Floristic data were collected in a lake, peaty pools and a drainage ditch within agricultural areas in the Wielkopolska region (West Poland) in 2006–2007, and compared with data from 1976–1980. The species richness had significantly increased and the shares of sociological and geographical–historical groups had changed clearly. This was reflected in an increase in the synanthropization index from 32.6 to 48.5. All the changes resulted from human impact, which had caused the acceleration of eutrophication in the water bodies. The natural plant succession, especially in the reed beds and sedge communities, was also accelerated due to human pressure. The vascular plant species richness in aquatic and marsh habitats increased by 40, because 15 species had disappeared and 55 new had appeared. However, six moss and four stonewort species had disappeared and only three new moss species were found. The increase in species richness did not raise the natural value of the flora, because the new species group is composed mainly of synanthropic species: native (apophytes) and alien, whereas all the lost species are endangered and rare native species (spontaneophytes), which occur only in natural or seminatural conditions. On the local scale, as species richness increases, plant communities lose their natural value. As an effect of synanthropization the stenotopic species disappear, while the widespread species spread even more. The increase in species richness is a consequence of appearance of species with a wide ecological scale that are not typical for aquatic ecosystems in patches of emergent vegetation. Finally, the species diversity of the whole landscape declines.
Ecology of rare water plant communities in lakes of north-eastern Poland
Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, 2012
Habitat studies were conducted on three rare plant communities dominated by <em>Nuphar pumila</em>, <em>Nymphaea candida </em>and <em>Hydrilla verticillata </em>in lakes of north-eastern Poland. The comparison of habitat properties of these three types of phytocoenoses with those of <em>Nuphar lutea </em>common in the area under study was also performed. It was demonstrated that the plant communities studied were ecologically distinct. The habitats of the phytocoenoses of <em>N. pumila </em>differed most significantly from those of the other phytocoenoses. They often inhabited softer waters poor in Mg<sup>2+</sup>, dissolved SiO<sub>2</sub>, but rich in total Fe, PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup>, NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>, and were associated with acidic substrates containing lower levels of Ca2+ and Na+, but greater amounts of total Fe and NO3−. The differ...