Exploring environmental predictors of aquatic macrophytes in water‐dependent Natura 2000 sites of high conservation value: Results from a long‐term study of macrophytes in Greek lakes

Stefanidis, Konstantinos; Sarika, Maria; Papastegiadou, Eva

doi:10.1002/aqc.3036

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 71 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Biodiversity conservation that is linked to livelihoods of local communities is explored in large provinces such as the Andes (Tognelli et al, ), the Amazon (Reis et al, ) and Lake Victoria (van Soesbergen, Sassen, Kimsey & Hill, ). Water planning that includes life‐history needs of specific species is described in the Columbia River Basin of the USA (coho salmon; Flitcroft et al, ) and in discrete systems such as the Hunter Valley in Australia (Linke, Turak, Gulbrandsen Asmyhr, & Hose, ), Greek lakes (Stefanidis, Sarika, & Papastergiadou, ) and Lake Ontario (North America) (Zolderdo et al, ). Taken together, these manuscripts are intended to convey the scope and complexity of freshwater conservation in this time of global transformation, as systems from the atmosphere to the Earth's crust adjust to vast human‐derived change.…”

Section: Invigorating Freshwater Conservation Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prioritization of sites for restoration is a persistent challenge for the development of freshwater protected areas. Stefanidis et al () explore lake biochemistry to identify co‐variates of macrophyte cover and diversity in mainland Greek lakes. They identify specific environmental gradients that support macrophyte assemblages that are indicative of changes in abiotic environmental changes.…”

Section: Protecting Species and Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 12 articles presented here cover a varied range of geographies and contexts from North America to South America crossing the ocean to Africa and Europe and further west to Asia and Australia. Biodiversity conservation that is linked to livelihoods of local communities is explored in large provinces such as the Andes (Tognelli et al, 2019), the Amazon (Reis et al, 2019) (Stefanidis, Sarika, & Papastergiadou, 2019) and Lake Ontario (North America) (Zolderdo et al, 2019). Taken together, these manuscripts are intended to convey the scope and complexity of freshwater conservation in this time of global transformation, as systems from the atmosphere to the Earth's crust adjust to vast human-derived change.…”

Section: Invigorating Freshwater Conservation Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Theory and practice to conserve freshwater biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Flitcroft

Cooperman

Harrison

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The unprecedented impact of human activities on nature has led scientists to propose we might now be in a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. Significant human alterations of freshwater systems include massive changes to soil erosion–deposition dynamics, hydrological regimes via impoundment and diversion, land‐use conversion, chemical and nutrient pollution, and human‐assisted range expansion of invasive species. In this human‐dominated epoch, biodiversity, which includes all life on Earth, is at risk, and freshwater biodiversity shows the strongest examples of the extent of this threat. We live in a world where it is necessary to find optimal ways to balance the growing human need for fresh water with ensuring that freshwater ecosystems remain functional in support of the biodiversity that inhabits them and the services these systems provide. Within the broader context of freshwater management in the Anthropocene, this special issue targets freshwater biodiversity and habitat conservation through a variety of lenses. Four main areas of emphasis include: conservation approaches; advances in model and tool development; enhancing water planning; and management and protection of species and habitats. For manuscripts included in this special issue, all authors were instructed to demonstrate how the material presented, be it commentary, conservation prioritization, new methodology or other subject matter, is broadly applicable and transferable.

show abstract

Section: Invigorating Freshwater Conservation Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Protecting Species and Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Invigorating Freshwater Conservation Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Theory and practice to conserve freshwater biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Flitcroft

Cooperman

Harrison

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Table 1 lists basic information about the morphology and the location of the lakes. All the studied lakes are included in the Pan-European network of Protected Areas ''Natura 2000" as Sites of Community Importance (SCI), Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), and Special Protected Areas (SPA) [28]. In addition, the Prespa lakes and the artificial lake Kerkini are characterized as "Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention".…”

Section: Description Of Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Linkages between Macrophyte Functional Traits and Water Quality: Insights from a Study in Freshwater Lakes of Greece

Stefanidis

Papastergiadou

2019

Water

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Freshwater ecologists have shown increased interest in assessing biotic responses to environmental change using functional community characteristics. With this article, we investigate the potential of using functional traits of the aquatic plants to assess eutrophication in freshwater lakes. To this end we collected macrophyte and physicochemical data from thirteen lakes in Greece and we applied a trait-based analysis to first identify discrete groups of macrophytes that share common functional traits and then to assess preliminary responses of these groups to water quality gradients. We allocated 11 traits that cover mostly growth form and morphological characteristics to a total of 33 macrophyte species. RLQ and fourth corner analysis were employed to explore potential relationships between species, trait composition and environmental gradients. In addition, a hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to discriminate groups of plants that share common trait characteristics and then the position of the groups along the environmental gradients was assessed. The results showed total phosphorus, chlorophyll-a, conductivity, pH and Secchi disk depth as main drivers of the environmental gradients. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed a clear separation of macrophyte assemblages with discrete functional characteristics that appeared to associate with different environmental drivers. Thus, rooted submerged plants were related with higher Secchi disk depth, conductivity and alkalinity whereas rooted floating-leaved plants showed a preference for enriched waters with phosphorus and nitrogen. In addition, free-floating plants were related positively with nitrogen and increased pH. Although we did not identify specific trait patterns with environmental drivers, our findings indicate a differentiation of macrophytes based on their functional characteristics along water quality gradients. Overall, the presented results are encouraging for conducting future monitoring studies in lakes focused on the functional plant trait composition, as expanding the current approach to additional lakes and using quantifiable functional characteristics will provide more insight about the potential of trait-based approaches as ecological assessment systems.

show abstract

“…In Stefanidis, Sarika, and Papastergiadou (), the authors would like to inform readers of the following error:…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%