Vegetation dynamics on exposed pond bottoms in the Českobudějovická basin (Czech Republic)
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2005 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Phytocoenologia |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Botany |
| Keywords | fishpond management; Isoëto-Nanojuncetea; moisture gradient; ordination South Bohemia; seasonal changes; storage ponds |
| Description | The vegetation dynamics on the exposed bottoms of fishponds and storage ponds were studied. In 20012002, total 42 permanent plots in 19 storage ponds and 7 plots in 2 nursery fishponds were established. 445 relevĂŠs were recorded using the Braun-Blanquet method and stored in Czech National Phytosociological Database in TURBO(VEG). The data from autumn 2001 and the vegetation period of 2002 were analysed using DCA and CCA methods from the package CANOCO, STATISTICA software and JUICE 6.1 software. Species lists exported from TURBO(VEG) served to general description of species richness. The study attempt to explain the relationship in vegetation cover and floristic spectrum on one hand and abiotic factors and management on the other hand. The CCA analysis detected as the most important variables moisture and the week in which the data were recorded. These factors influence the basic vegetation structure and species composition; however, the variables explained only 2.5 % of variability. The both factors are partly given by the type of summer drying of the pond, i. e. by the management. According to the type of summer drying and optimal phase for vegetation we distinguished spring ponds (the storage ponds and nursery fishponds) and summer ponds. The nursery fishponds are only shortly dried in AprilJune. Therefore there occur especially annual species with extremely short live cycle, e. g. Coleanthus subtilis. Thermophilous species, germinating not before June, and plants with longer live cycle are eliminated. The spring storage ponds are dried from December or early spring during the whole vegetation period. They are characterised by a high amount of perennial species, e. g. Juncus articulatus and Equisetum palustre. In the summer storage ponds, dried mostly for 24 months in summer and early autumn, thermophilous annual species, such as Lindernia dubia are supported. Besides the summer drying, in the storage ponds there are used other management practices, e. g. herbicide spraying, mowing, liming etc. However, these practices can exclude some species from the total species spectrum or from the individual ponds, on the other hand, they have positive influence for development of other species. For example herbicides and mowing reduce total cover and competition of some perennial species which support surviving of annuals in the vegetation. The diversity of the storage ponds environment is considerably higher than in the fishponds and this is reflected in the species richness. In 17 relevĂŠs from fishponds total 24 plant species were found, in 17 comparable relevĂŠs from storage ponds there were recorded 64 species. |
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