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© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

The contribution discusses macrophyte communities in natural and man-made waterbodies located on the active floodplain along the Drava river (Slovenia). We presumed that these different types of wetlands host a great number of macrophyte species, but this diversity may be affected by the presence of alien invasive species Elodea canadensis and E. nuttallii. Presence, relative abundance, and growth forms of plant species along with selected environmental parameters were monitored. Correlation analyses and direct gradient analyses were performed to reveal the possible relations between the structure of macrophyte community and environmental parameters. Number of macrophytes in surveyed water bodies varied from 1 to 23. Besides numerous native species we also recorded Elodea canadensis and E. nuttallii, which were present in 19 out of 32 sample sites, with E. nuttallii prevailing. The less invasive E. canadensis was absent from ponds and oxbow lakes but relatively abundant in side-channels, while E. nuttallii was present in all types but dominant in ponds. The most abundant native species were Myriophyllum spicatum and M. verticillatum, Ceratophyllum demersum and Potamogeton natans. Correlation analyses showed no negative effect of the invasive alien Elodea species to the species richness and diversity of native flora. Positive correlation between the abundance of E. nuttallii and temperature of the water was obtained.

Details

Title
Waterbodies in the Floodplain of the Drava River Host Species-Rich Macrophyte Communities despite Elodea Invasions
Author
Zelnik, Igor  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Germ, Mateja; Kuhar, Urška; Gaberščik, Alenka
First page
870
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
14242818
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2728453878
Copyright
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.