Macrophyte distribution in the River Vils (Oberpfalz, Bavaria) (original) (raw)
Related papers
Aquatic Botany, 1984
Wiegleb, G., 1984. A study of habitat conditions of the macrophytic vegetation in selected river systems in Western Lower Saxony (Federal Republic of Germany). Aquat. Bot., 18: 313-352. In connection with a ph.ytosociological survey of running water macrophytes in Lower Saxony, ecological investigations were carried out in selected river systems. Within these systems, 43 sampling sites were studied. The vegetation of the sampling sites was classified by means of cluster analysis into 7 groups, 3 of which occurred on the diluvial plains and 2 in the coastal marsh area only. Forty-one parameters were measured 3-7 times covering 2 vegetation periods. In the first instance, the structure of the data was carefully studied by bivariate correlation analysis and factor analysis. A high number of significant correlations was detected, which indicates difficulties in ecological interpretation. Temporal variation of the parameters measured was also studied, and they were classified into 3 groups according to stability. For a study of the relationships between the vegetation and the ecological parameters, the data set was split into 5 subsets (physical data, water chemical data, interstitial water chemical data, sediment characteristics, and a mixed set of simple field data). The relationships of each subset to the vegetation was studied separately using cluster analysis. The mixed data set FIELD showed the highest degree of similarity to the vegetation clustering. Analysis of variance was carried out in order to find out which variables differ most among the vegetation types. The best differentiation qualities were shown by some physical and water chemical parameters (oxygen content, turbitity, current velocity, acidity, calcium). This result can only be interpreted ecologically in connection with the intercorrelations observed. The ecological behaviour of some species of medium frequency was also studied in detail by means of analysis of variance. The means of all parameters for occurrence and non-occurrence were compared. In the case of Ranunculus peltatus Schrank, MyriophyUum alterniflorum DC and Elodea canadensis Michx., several differentiation variables could be detected. Finally, the zonation of two rivers was studied in detail by comparing the vegetation sequence with important physical and chemical parameters. The interaction between these parameter groups is clearly shown. Physical parameters like current velocity are responsible for the basic zonation, whilst chemical parameters can modify the zones to a large extent. The necessity for a comprehensive approach to such types of data sets, including profound structural data analysis, is stressed in the discussion. The special problem of relating phytosociological and ecological data is discussed. The methods used are explained and possible objections are noted. The difficulties of using the habitat ecological results for bioindication pur
Limnologica, 2004
A new assessment system for macrophytes and phytobenthos in German rivers meeting the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) of the European Community is described. Biocoenotic types based on biological, chemical and hydromorphological data from over 200 river sites covering the main ecoregions, hydromorphological stream types and degradation forms have been defined. For developing a classification system the quality element macrophytes and phytobenthos was divided into three components: macrophytes, benthic diatoms and remaining phytobenthos. For macrophytes seven types including one subtype, for benthic diatoms 14 types including three subtypes and for the remaining phytobenthos five river types were identified. The benthic vegetation at reference condition was described for most of the river types. Degradation is characterised as deviation in benthic vegetation species composition and abundance from the reference biocoenosis. For classification in five ecological status classes, several metrics were developed and used in combination with existing indices. For some of the described river types additional investigations are necessary before a classification system can be developed.
Hydrobiologia, 2014
The aim of the study was to identify the vegetation pattern in the different types of watercourses basing on survey in reference conditions in a wide geographical gradient, including mountain, upland and lowland rivers. We tested relationship between composition of macrophytes to environmental variables including: altitude, slope, catchment area, geology of valley, land use, hydromorphological features, water physical and chemical measurements. Analysis based on 109 pristine river sites located throughout major types of rivers in Central Europe. Qualitative and quantitative plant surveys were carried out between 2005 and 2013. Based on TWINSPAN classification and DCA analysis, six macrophyte types were distinguished. The lowland sites were divided into the following three types: humic rivers and two types of siliceous rivers depending on the catchment area, including medium-large and small rivers. The mountain and upland rivers were divided into three geological types: siliceous, calcareous and gravel. We found that the variation of macrophyte communities was determined by several habitat factors (mainly altitude, flow type, riverbed granulometry, conductivity and alkalinity), whereas the spatial factor was rather limited; further, the plant diversity was not reflected accurately by the European ecoregion approach.
Hydrobiologia, 2013
This resampling study in 338 semi-permanent plots analyses changes in river macrophyte diversity in 70 water courses (small streams to medium-sized rivers) from four regions of the northwest German lowlands during the last six decades. The total macrophyte species pool decreased between the 1950s and 2010/2011 by 28% (from 51 to 37 species), mean plot-level species richness by 19% (from 4.7 to 3.8 species per relevé) and the number of red-listed species by 40% (from 30 to 18 species). Species loss was associated with marked change in species traits: species with presumably higher mechanical stress tolerance (indicated by low specific leaf area and short leaf longevity) are more abundant today. Nearly, half of the species present in the 1950s had either disappeared or been replaced by other species in the recent relevés. The dramatic impoverishment is likely a consequence of continued nutrient input that drove oligo-and mesotraphent species to extinction, and of restructuring and maintenance works in the water courses that reduced stagnant and undisturbed river habitats, where stress-intolerant species can persist. Efficient measures to reduce the nutrient load and to re-naturalise stream and river beds are urgently needed to halt and reverse the loss of macrophyte diversity.
Sierka E., Tomczak A. (2013). Macrophytes in the assessment of river ecological condition on the example of Pszczynka River (Silesian Upland). Environmental & Socio-economic Studies 1(3), 14-20., 2013
The Water Framework Directive introduced an ecological approach to the assessment and classification of waters. The part of the assessmentare macrophyte-based methods used in the evaluation of the ecologicalcondition of rivers in respect of biodiversity. The Macrophyte Method for River Assessment has been used in Poland since 2007 and provides us with an information about ecological state of the rivers. Presented analyses were aimed to describe macrophyte development in the sandylowland type of river in the Silesian Upland. The assessment was made for lowland Pszczynka River (45.8 km total length, total catchment area 368.3 km 2), which is a left-bank tributary of Vistula River. At the selected 10 research sections of the river (100 m each) the composition of macrophytes and abiotic conditions of the river were described. The paper presents the results of preliminary assessment of ecological condition of Pszczynka River on the background sources of substances discharged to the riveralongits course. Macrophyte Index for Rivers (MIR) was calculated based on the results of t he research-river bed surface coverage by the particular plant species. The MIR limit values were used to determine the class of water quality in the examined river. Overall, the ecological status of Pszczynka River was rated as moderate and its water classified as Class III of water quality.
Hydrobiologia, 2007
The occurrence of exclusively submerged macrophytes (hydrophytes) was analyzed on a data set of 608 mapped stream segments with a total length of 106 km from the Upper Rhine floodplain. There were three objectives. The first was to test the evidence of plot-sized bias which occurs when structural homogenous river sections are mapped. In the dataset, with a broad range of areas sampled, this bias was small but the mapping procedure nevertheless had some disadvantages for ecological interpretation of hydrophyte data. The second objective was to test for spatial autocorrelation of species composition among consecutive stream sections. Results showed that spatial autocorrelation is an intrinsic and not easily interpretable feature, which might weaken the interpretative strength of pure species-environment relationships in streams. The third objective was to analyse species-environment relationships, by redundancy analysis. The analyses gave satisfying distribution patterns of the 25 most frequent hydrophytes, using a small group of environmental parameters-current, shading, turbidity and maximum depth. They could be assigned into three groups-rheophilic, potamale and related to groundwater influence. The high amount of unexplained variability in species data is due to the large data set where the high plasticity of most hydrophytes becomes apparent and thus resulting in a broad niche overlap. The study gives a representative overview over one of the richest regions in Germany for hydrophytes.
Macrophyte development in unimpacted lowland rivers in Poland
Hydrobiologia, 2010
Freshwater classification according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is based on estimation of the deviation between biological elements found on river stretch in comparison with communities detected in the same river type under reference conditions (undisturbed and near-natural habitats). We present analyses to describe macrophyte development in pristine lowland rivers and to reveal the variation among various stream types. The study is based on a country-wide survey of Poland with a dataset of 642 sites on 367 water courses. Surveyed rivers covered the whole lowland area of Poland. Field surveys were conducted using the Polish macrophyte approach, which enabled calculation of several macrophyte metrics. Firstly, a numerical index MIR (Macrophyte Index for Rivers) was computed, which reflects river degradation, especially eutrophication. Furthermore, five diversity metrics were calculated. Each survey, in addition to macrophyte assessment, was supplemented by a complex suite of environmental records. Reference conditions were defined using four criteria: (1) catchment land use, (2) hydromorphological features, (3) water quality and (4) biological assessment. The selected reference lowland rivers included 40 sites. To classify plant data, two-way indicator species analysis Twinspan was used. This resulted in distinguishing four endclusters which were heterogeneous according to plant composition: organic rivers and three types of siliceous rivers (small with sandy substrate, small with stony substrate and large rivers). The differentiation of environmental factors between river types was confirmed by a variance analysis (ANOVA). Furthermore, the environmental database was explored with principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA principal components were analysed against river types with the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Finally botanical differences between identified river types have been detected, using botanical metrics the share of different macrophyte groups and relationships with particular species were defined.
The surveys made on 80 river sites in Ecoregion 14 (Poland) were undertaken in years 2006-2008 to determine influence of river modifications and water trophy on variability of taxonomic structure of macrophyte taxa. Field surveys were conducted using widely accepted methods such as the River Habitat Survey and Mean Trophic Rank, supplemented by physico-chemical analyses of water and hydrochemical index for evaluation of trophic level. Obtained results showed, that there are significant differences between lowland and upland river sites according to the rate of channel modifications, concentration of trophic parameters and thus between aquatic macrophyte structure. The variability of taxonomic structure of aquatic macrophytes was found according to site altitude, rate of modifications and water quality parameters. It was found, that in case of lowland rivers the simultaneous influence of modifications and water trophy can affect taxonomic structure stronger than in upland sites, where level of kinetic energy of water flow plays the most important role.
River habitat and macrophyte surveys in Poland. Results from 2003 and 2007
2008
The purpose of our visits in May 2003 and August 2007 was to support development of River Habitat Survey (RHS) and macrophyte surveys in Poland. By carrying out RHS and macrophyte surveys on a selection of rivers, we also tested the techniques for inter-calibration purposes under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Specific objectives were to: • Provide expert support for RHS and macrophyte training courses organised by the Agricultural University in Poznan. These were located near Poznan in May 2003 and Bialystok in August 2007. • Locate and survey a selection of lowland rivers in Poland, using RHS 1 , plus the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) 2 and Mean Trophic Ranking (MTR) 3 macrophyte survey methods. The dominant macrophyte on the Narew at PL-6 was Potamogeton natans. Backwaters in PL-7 had rich macrophyte communities; Potentilla palustris was common. Sandy margins can become vegetated to form natural berms; PL-8. Dense reed growth on natural berm/terrace; PL-8.