scholarly journals The zone of temporary flooding of small rivers as an area of increased floristic diversity

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. G. Krylova ◽  
A. V. Tikhonov ◽  
E. S. Ivanova

During fluctuating water levels in the lower reaches of rivers, large areas of shallow water are exposed, forming a zone of temporary flooding (TFZ). The level regime of the water body determines the conditions for the growth of plants, the period available for vegetation of species and the path of seed migration. The seed bank is an integral part of a riparian biocenosis, experiencing the characteristics of environmental factors which influence its structure. Our study of the vegetation cover was carried out by the method of route survey of ecotopes in the estuaries of the Korozhechna and Ild rivers, tributaries of the Rybinsk Reservoir. Species composition of the flora is given in accordance with APG IV. The cenotic structure is characterized in terms of the Brown-Blanke school. To assess the species composition of the seed bank, a transect was placed along the width of the TFZ, on which cores were selected. Flora of the Korozhechny river is represented by 59 species from 24 families and 45 genera. Most numerous families: Poaceae (12%), Cyperaceae (10%), Polygonaceae (10%), Asteraceae, Ranunculaceae and Brassicaceae (by 7%). Flora of the Ild river is represented by 42 species from 18 families and 29 genera. Most numerous families: Cyperaceae (21%), Ranunculaceae (14%), Poaceae (12%), Plantaginaceae (7%). We found two rare species: Carex bohemica – on the Ild river and Ranunculus reptans – on both rivers. The difference in the species composition is explained by the greater riparian area of the TFZ on the Korozhechna river, characterized by a wide low floodplain. Phytocenosis form multicomponent complexes and are represented by associations Scirpetum lacustris, Phalaroidetum arundinaceae, Caricetum gracilis, Phragmitetum communis – on both rivers, Hippuridetum vulgaris и Batrachietum circinati – in terrestrial form on the Korozhechna river, and Eleocharitetum palustris and Oenantho-Rorippetum on the Ild river. In the seed bank composition of the TFZ of the transition zone of the Korozhechna river receiver 25 species were found, Ild river – 30 species. The ecological structure of the flora of both rivers and the seed bank is dominated by species of waterlogged and humid habitats. Their share (hygrophyte and hygromeso-and mesophyte) accounts for about 50%. With prolonged drying, they can normally develop in the TFZ. In the biomorphological structure, the main part of the flora and seed bank species are perennial grasses, characterized by great environmental plasticity, adapted to extreme conditions of habitat, having wide ecological amplitude with respect to the ground and which can withstand considerable fluctuations in the water level. As a result, our work has confirmed that the seed bank is a hidden component of plant communities and reflects the floristic potential of ecologically unstable territories.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e4479108555
Author(s):  
Josué Ribeiro da Silva Nunes ◽  
Carolina Joana da Silva ◽  
Solange Kimie Ikeda-Castrillon ◽  
Nilo Leal Sander

The Pantanal wetland Mato Grosso, Brazil is among the largest floodplains in the world, with a mosaic of different habitats and rich aquatic and terrestrial biota. The habitat mosaics are found in the Chacororé and Sinhá Mariana lake System. These parental lakes of the Cuiabá River, a left tributary of the Upper Paraguay River, are known for their aquatic productivity and scenic beauty. The characteristics of these lakes and their floodplains are showed through the difference between their waters, the diversity of the aquatic macrophytes communities, fish communities and aquatic birds. Our study looked at changes in limnological variables as well as diversity of aquatic birds, during high water or flooded phase; medium water or receding phase; and the low water or dry phase. We used a temporary small lagoon in the floodplain of this system as our study area. The flood pulse is the main ecological factor affecting the Pantanal; it modifies ecological process and species composition. The water depth decreases during the season, decreasing electrical conductivity, dissolved phosphate and nitrate, water transparency, dissolved oxygen and biomass of aquatic macrophyte; and increasing calcium, total phosphorus and total nitrogen. We also observed increase in species richness and abundance of aquatic birds during the receding phase. Results show that the number of species (density) of aquatic birds increased from 10 to 30 species and the numbers of individuals from 40 to 936. The maximum richness and abundance of aquatic birds was registered during the receding phase.



Author(s):  
Vl. N. Shkura ◽  
◽  
A. V. Shevchenko ◽  

Purpose: development and description of the layout and design solution for a two-pond feeding nursery fish-breeding complex, which characterizes by compact placement of its constituent structures and their adaptation to the topographic conditions of the territory. Materials and methods. The theoretical and empirical basis for the development was made up of well-known recommendations on design and construction of pond complexes and survey data of operating fish-breeding facilities and their structures. During the development, the technologies of search design of engineering projects in compliance with fish breeding requirements and restrictions were used. Results. The fish-breeding complex includes: two fish-breeding ponds with a common dividing dam and a water supply system including a pumping station; water supply pipe system; a system of devices and structures that ensure the release of fish grown in ponds into a fish trap; spillway devices for discharging water from ponds and a fish trap with a set of regulating elements. Fish ponds are located on the floodplain lands of the river Don and are formed by protecting dikes. The bed of the reservoirs is planned with sections with longitudinal and transverse slopes to the water-fish collecting and-transporting ditches arranged in their bottom, allowing them to be emptied and the fish grown in the ponds to be directed to the outlet structures. The release of fish from the ponds is carried out by two tower water outlets. The design of the fish trap provides for the accumulation and seine fishing, it is equipped with means for regulating water discharge and maintaining conditions for fish. Conclusions. The developed layout and design solution for a two-pond fish-breeding complex with one fish trap is adapted to the local relief and the difference in water levels in ponds and in water intake. The implemented layout and design solutions can be used in the development of similar objects



Author(s):  
Ya-Fei Shi ◽  
Zengru Wang ◽  
Bing-Xin Xu ◽  
Jian-Qiang Huo ◽  
Rui Hu ◽  
...  

Soil seed banks may offer great potential for restoring and maintaining desert ecosystems that have been degraded by climate change and anthropogenic disturbance. However, few studies have explored the annual dynamics in the composition and relative abundance of these soil seed banks. We conducted a long-term observational study to assess the effects of environmental factors (meteorology and microtopography) and aboveground vegetation on the soil seed bank of the Tengger Desert, China. The desert seed bank was dominated by annual herbs. We found that more rainfall in the growing season increased the number of seeds in the soil seed bank, and that quadrats at relatively higher elevations had fewer seeds. The species composition had more similarity in the seed bank than in the aboveground vegetation, though the seed bank and aboveground vegetation did change synchronously due to the rapid propagation of annuals. Together, our findings suggest that the combined effects of environmental factors and plant life forms determine the species composition and size of soil seed banks in deserts. Thus, if degraded desert ecosystems are left to regenerate naturally, the lack of shrub and perennial herb seeds could crucially limit their restoration. Human intervention and management may have to be applied to enhance the seed abundance of longer-lived lifeforms in degraded deserts.



Author(s):  
V. Olifirovich

The article investigated the species composition and dynamics of changes in the contamination of agrophytocenoses of perennial grasses, depending on the composition of the grass mixture and the mode of use of the grass stand. In the crops of perennial grasses, 34 weed species belonging to 12 botanical kind were found in the first three years of use of the grass stand. In the structure of weed infestation of perennial grasses, the species of the Astra kind of weeds dominated, which were represented by stanktis annual, dandelion, yarrow, field thistle.



1993 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan J. Warr ◽  
Ken Thompson ◽  
Martin Kent

The article highlights a comparatively neglected area of biogeographical research - seed banks and the distribution of seeds in the soil. The article reviews some of the relevant literature on seed banks and the methods for their study. Attention is focused on aspects of seed banks of particular relevance to biogeographers, with detailed examples drawn from seed bank studies in both temperate and tropical environments. In the review of the seed bank literature, the topics covered include the seed banks of successional communities and the size of seed banks in different vegetation types. The species composition of seed banks in different plant communities is discussed, particularly the degree of correlation between the species composition of seed banks and associated ground flora. The relationships between seed persistence, depth of burial in the soil and soil properties, such as moisture and pH, are explored. Seed bank heterogeneity is examined and a number of studies which have attempted to describe and measure the spatial variability of seed banks are summarized. Ways of classifying seed banks in terms of seed bank strategies are explained. The role of seed banks in conservation is discussed, for example in restoration projects, where preferred species have been lost from the vegetation but survive in the seed bank. The relevance of seed banks for the conservation of rare species and in landscape management is considered. Lastly, the contribution of seed banks to the recovery of vegetation following disturbance in various plant communities is discussed. In the review of seed bank sampling techniques, the subjects considered include methods of sample collection, the sampling intensity required for reliable estimates of seed density, a consideration of the relative merits of random and systematic sample distribution, as well as the importance of the timing of sampling. Various methods for the estimation of seed numbers in samples are appraised; these either involve extraction of seeds from the soil, followed by seed identification or enumeration by germination and seedling identification. Problems of analysing seed bank data are considered and several useful techniques for data analysis are suggested. Finally, the article draws attention to areas of future seed bank research for biogeographers and plant ecologists.



2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Lewis ◽  
Peter J. Clarke ◽  
Ralph D. B. Whalley ◽  
Nick Reid

An assessment of the relative influences of management and environment on the composition of floodplain grasslands of north-western New South Wales was made using a regional vegetation survey sampling a range of land tenures (e.g. private property, travelling stock routes and nature reserves). A total of 364 taxa belonging to 55 different plant families was recorded. Partitioning of variance with redundancy analysis determined that environmental variables accounted for a greater proportion (61.3%) of the explained variance in species composition than disturbance-related variables (37.6%). Soil type (and fertility), sampling time and rainfall had a strong influence on species composition and there were also east–west variations in composition across the region. Of the disturbance-related variables, cultivation, stocking rate and flooding frequency were all influential. Total, native, forb, shrub and subshrub richness were positively correlated with increasing time since cultivation. Flood frequency was positively correlated with graminoid species richness and was negatively correlated with total and forb species richness. Site species richness was also influenced by environmental variables (e.g. soil type and rainfall). Despite the resilience of these grasslands, some forms of severe disturbance (e.g. several years of cultivation) can result in removal of some dominant perennial grasses (e.g. Astrebla spp.) and an increase in disturbance specialists. A simple heuristic transitional model is proposed that has conceptual thresholds for plant biodiversity status. This knowledge representation may be used to assist in the management of these grasslands by defining four broad levels of community richness and the drivers that change this status.



Bothalia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. S. Kellerman ◽  
M. W. Van Rooyen

Seasonal variation in seed bank size and species composition of five selected habitat types within the Tembe Elephant Park. South Africa, was investigated. At three-month intervals, soil samples were randomly collected from five different habitat types: a, Licuati forest; b, Licuati thicket; c, a bare or sparsely vegetated zone surrounding the forest edge, referred to as the forest/grassland ecotone; d, grassland; and e, open woodland. Most species in the seed bank flora were either grasses, sedges, or forbs, with hardly any evidence of woody species. The Licuati forest and thicket soils produced the lowest seed densities in all seasons.  Licuati forest and grassland seed banks showed a two-fold seasonal variation in size, those of the Licuati thicket and woodland a three-fold variation in size, whereas the forest/grassland ecotone maintained a relatively large seed bank all year round. The woodland seed bank had the highest species richness, whereas the Licuati forest and thicket soils were poor in species. Generally, it was found that the greatest correspondence in species composition was between the Licuati forest and thicket, as well as the forest/grassland ecotone and grassland seed bank floras.



2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-141
Author(s):  
Sana Islam ◽  
Irfan Ahmed Shaikh ◽  
Nabeela Firdous ◽  
Azhar Ali ◽  
Yumna Sadef

Abstract The use of fresh water in the textile wash-off process is becoming more expensive day by day due to declining water levels in the region. In this study, the potential of using Fenton oxidation in wash-off cotton reactive dyeing was investigated. The spent wash-off wastewater from one dyeing was first treated with Fenton oxidation, and then reused in several washing-offs employing widely used reactive dyes, C.I. Reactive Yellow 145, C.I. Reactive Blue 21, and C.I. Reactive Red 195. Experimental results showed that at acidic pH (3) using optimized quantities of FeSO4 and H2O2, Fenton process yielded a significant reduction (90–95%) of color in 30 minutes of treatment time. New washing-offs were then carried out in Fenton decolorized wash-off wastewater, and dyed cotton fabric samples were subjected to quality evaluations in terms of color difference properties (ΔL*, Δc*,Δb*, Δa*, ΔE*cmc) and wash fastness properties. This study concluded that after Fenton oxidation, treated liquor can be effectively reused subsequent washing-offs without compromising fabric quality parameters as ΔE*cmc was less than 1, and washing and crocking was also in the range of 4.5–5 which is commercially acceptable. Moreover, the difference in color strength in terms of k/s was also negligible.



2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Saul ◽  
Gavin Kearney ◽  
Dion Borg

Two pasture systems were compared at five on-farm sites across south-western Victoria between 1990 and 1996. The ‘typical’ pasture treatment mimicked the pasture and grazing management common in the region, with volunteer annual-based pastures fertilised with around 5 kg/ha phosphorus (P) each year. The ‘upgraded’ pasture treatments were resown to phalaris, perennial ryegrass and subterranean clover, and higher rates of fertiliser (13–25 kg P/ha.year) plus other nutrients were applied. Both pastures were set stocked with the participating farmers breeding ewes. Stocking rate was an emergent variable on each plot. The stocking rate on the typical treatments was based on normal farm practise. Initially, the stocking rate of the upgraded pastures was 15% higher than for the typical pastures and increased over time depending if the ewes in the upgraded pastures were heavier than those in the typical pastures. Measurements included soil fertility, pasture production, nutritive value and composition, and animal production. Net annual pasture production of the upgraded pastures was 10 500 kg/ha compared with 8700 kg/ha for the typical pastures. This average difference (18%) between the treatments was greatly influenced by the large advantage (40%) of the upgraded pasture in the wet year of 1992. Upgraded pastures had higher pasture production than typical pastures in spring but the reverse occurred in autumn. In a separate small plot experiment, the response of each pasture to higher P fertiliser applications was tested. In autumn and winter, there was a significant interaction between pasture type and P rate, with higher responses on the upgraded pastures. In spring, both pastures responded to increased P applications but the upgraded pastures were more responsive at all P rates. The upgraded pastures contained significantly higher legume content (30–50%) than the typical pastures (10–20%). The proportion of sown perennial grasses in the upgraded pasture declined from around 30 to 10% after 6 years displaced by annual grasses and broad-leaf weeds. Herbage from upgraded pastures had significantly higher crude protein content (2–7 units) and digestibility (1–10 units) than the typical pastures with the difference between the treatments increasing over time. The set stocking policy used in this experiment is likely to have exacerbated the decline in sown perennial grasses and implementation of some form of strategic or rotational grazing may have improved persistence. The experiment also highlights the importance of selecting perennial grasses able to cope with the local environment and grazing conditions. Despite the decline in perennials, these results show significant potential to improve pasture productivity and quality in south-western Victoria.



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