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Fluctuations of the water level at the edges of temporary water bodies provide favourable living conditions for annual plant communities of the phytosociological class Isoëto-Nanojuncetea. Such communities of periodically flooded ponds within the agricultural landscape of NE Germany are particularly rich in rare plant species of that class. During the past decades drainage, fertilisation and herbicides in the surrounding arable fields have led to a severe decline in diversity of these species. To develop efficient conservation strategies it is essential to understand the factors driving the species composition. Therefore, we studied how varying water regimes, soil properties and agricultural practices affect the diversity and species composition of these temporary ponds. The study was carried out in seven ponds on a conventionally managed farm in NE Brandenburg. At each of these wetlands mixed soil samples were taken to determine the pH, total nitrogen and phosphorus concentration. The plant species were recorded in 177 plots, each covering 1 x 1 m2. For each plot, the water level was recorded in April, July and August 2013, respectively, resulting in five "water level regimes". Total species number and percentages of Isoëto-Nanojuncetea species were determined per plot, to evaluate water level effects on the vegetation. In addition, mean Ellenberg indicator values for light, moisture and nutrients were calculated to assess the environmental conditions.
Plant communities and environmental gradients in mires of the Ammergauer Alps (Bavaria, Germany)
(2013)
In this study we present the plant communities, their abiotic site conditions and the main environmental gradients underlying variation in species composition of mire sites in three montane mires in the Northern Limestone Alps. For the phytosociological description of the mires we sampled species composition in 115 relevés. In order to characterize the site conditions of the most important plant communities we measured humification as well as water table depth, pH and electrical conductivity at 46 sites during a large part of the growing season. The main environmental gradients were identified by fitting environmental vectors and smoothed surfaces onto NMDS ordination. The most frequent communities on subneutral and neutral sites were the Caricetum davallianae, the Amblystegio stellati-Caricetum dioicae and the Schoenetum ferruginei, whereas acidic sites were mainly covered by the Eriophoro-Trichophoretum cespitosi. The most important factor for floristic variation between sites was pH. However, within bogs and fens, variation in species composition was mainly due to differences in water table depth.