The ephemeral vegetation of seasonal and semi-permanent ponds in tropical West Africa

Müller, Jonas V.; Deil, Ulrich

doi:10.1127/0340-269x/2005/0035-0327

Cited by 23 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…Species turnover, as well as the results from the Sørensen similarity analysis, suggests a high inter-annual variability, particularly between the summer seasons. Climatic variations in temperature and precipitation have often been reported as responsible for inter-annual variations in composition and abundance of ephemeral habitats (see Müller & Deil, 2005). This variability is more accentuated in the summer ecophases (Deil, 2005), as also visible in our study.…”

Section: Modern Vegetation Surveysupporting

confidence: 85%

Ecological changes in the highest temporary pond of western Crete (Greece): past, present and future

et al. 2010

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This study explores the past, present and future ecological changes in the highest Mediterranean temporary pond (Omalos pond) in western Crete, Greece. Data from downcore pollen analysis (including pollen and spores from both aquatic vegetation, and terrestrial herbaceous, arboreal and shrub vegetation), modern vegetation monitoring and existing climate scenarios have been combined to provide a picture of the ecological changes in the pond over the last 13,600 years. Downcore pollen analysis throughout the last 13,600 years indicated the presence of species typical of Mediterranean Temporary Pond (MTP) habitats and suggested relatively drier conditions towards the present. The low number of non-native, cultivated species (such as herbaceous Trifolium and Plantago species) observed over this period suggested relatively low impact from crop agriculture, despite the increasing grazing pressure in the area. In the absence of independent proxies, we cannot reliably distinguish between natural and human-induced changes. The presence of aquatic Isoetes in the palaeo-record indicates the existence of an ephemeral pond in the area as early as the beginning of the Holocene suggesting resilience of the ecosystem over time. However, the degraded state of pollen in depths over 55 cm (i.e. 3600 year BP) increases the uncertainty of the interpretation. Currently, the pond holds 76 plant species belonging to 25 families. Therophytes and chamaephytes were the most frequent, suggesting a typical ephemeral habitat life form spectrum. Species richness was found to increase during spring surveys whereas the highest turnover was observed between summer surveys of consecutive years. Cluster analysis demonstrated a distinct zonation in four vegetation belts from the periphery to the centre of the pond which is typical of these environments. Modelling, based on two IPPC scenarios (A2 and B2), predicted relatively low climate change impacts on the pond's hydroperiod for the next 100 years (i.e. a decrease of 16 and 24 days, respectively). This reduction in the hydroperiod of the pond will have an effect on the physiognomy and spatial extent of vegetation,

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Section: Modern Vegetation Surveysupporting

confidence: 85%

Ecological changes in the highest temporary pond of western Crete (Greece): past, present and future

et al. 2010

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“…Water bodies in arid and semi-arid regions are often characterised by very large fluctuations of the water level, sometimes up to complete desiccation in the dry season because water loss is not compensated for by inflow or precipitation [12][13][14]. Water loss may occur by several phenomena including surface drainage, seepage or evaporation, the most likely scenario being a combination of the three processes.…”

Section: Model Application To Fluctuating Water Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rainfall in arid and semi-arid regions is limited overall but it is often concentrated in a few major events. Therefore, a typical consequence of water scarcity is the considerable seasonal fluctuation of the level of surface water bodies, sometimes up to complete desiccation during the dry season [12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling photochemical transformation of emerging organic pollutants in surface waters: effect of water level fluctuations following outflow or evaporation, relevant to arid and semi-arid environments

Minella

Maurino

Minero

et al. 2013

International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry

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“…For example, in the middle Amazon it occupies approximately 0.5% of the basin but contributes 5% of the total organic matter to the downstream transport (Hedges et al, 1986). Plant communities in tropical seasonally flooded wetlands and floodplain lakes have been thoroughly studied for Northern Australia (Casanova & Brock, 2000;Finlayson, 2005;Warfe et al, 2011), india (Unni, 1971;Middleton, 1999;van der Valk, Middleton, Williams, Mason, & Davis, 1993), and Africa (Rees, 1978;Müller & Deil, 2005). in tropical and subtropical South America studies on the different aspects of the flooding cycles and their effect on aquatic vegetation were carried out in the Orinoco floodplains of Venezuelan (Castroviejo & López, 1985;Rial, 2000;2006), the Amazon (Junk, 1970;1986;Junk & Piedade, 1993;Ferreira, Piedade, Wittmann, & Franco, 2010;Piedade et al, 2010), the Pantanal (Do Prado, Heckman, & Martins, 1994;Frey, 1995;Fortney et al, 2004;Pott & Pott, 2004;Kufner, Scremin-Dias, & GuglieriCaporal, 2011;Pott, Pott, Lima, Moreira, & Oliveira, 2011), coastal Brazil (Rolon, Lacerda, Maltchik, & Guadagnin, 2008), and particularly the Paraná due to increasing river impoundments (e.g., Franceschi, Torres, Prado, & Lewis, 2000;Murphy et al, 2003;Thomaz, Souza, & Bini, 2003;Santos & Thomaz, 2007;Sabattini & Lallana, 2008;Santos & Thomaz, 2008;Padial et al, 2009;…”

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confidence: 99%

Dinámica estacional de la vegetación litoral en el complejo lagunar inundable Zapatosa, Colombia

Schmidt-Mumm

Janauer

2014

RBT

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Floodplain lakes and associated wetlands in tropical dry climates are controlled by pronounced and severe seasonal hydrologic fluctuations. We examined the plant community response to a bimodal flooding pattern in the Zapatosa Floodplain Lake Complex (ZFLC), Northern Colombia. We measured floristic and quantitative change in four sampling periods emphasizing seasonal differences in plant abundance and life-form structure. Of 79 species identified in the lake complex, 52 were used to characterize eight community types via classification and ordination procedures. Results showed that community structure does not change significantly during the flooding/receding stages. But maximum drawdown phase significantly disrupts the aquatic community structure and the exposed shorelines become colonized by ruderal terrestrial plants. Early rainfalls at the beginning of the wet season are emphasized as an important feature of plant regeneration and community development. The general strategy of the ZFLC vegetation can be framed into the flood pulse concept of river-floodplain systems. Thus, plant communities are mainly responding to disturbances and destruction events imposed by extreme water level fluctuations. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (3): 1073-1097. Epub 2014 September 01.Key words: Cesar River, flood pulse, littoral, macrophytes, Magdalena River, shallow lakes, bimodal seasonality.Floodplains play an important role regarding the biogeochemistry and ecology of tropical river systems. Plant and animal life of this particular system are adapted to the seasonal variations in space and time caused by extreme water level fluctuations. This seasonality also represents an important factor in the speciation of several aquatic and wetland plants (Haynes & Holm-Nielsen, 1989). The dynamic character of these systems gives rise to complex primary and secondary production processes that are difficult to predict in detail, but nutrient input from rivers and streams are important in general, as a significant contribution can be expected following rainfall from the surrounding watershed. Nutrient cycling proceeds mainly through heterotrophic processes via bacteria, fungi, micro-zooplankton and shreddinginvertebrates (Melack & Fisher, 1990;Wantzen, Yule, Mathooko, & Pringle, 2008;Warfe et al., 2011). The interactions between rivers and their surrounding floodplain motivated Junk, Bayley, and Sparks (1989) to propose the 'flood pulse concept' as a main force controlling the biota of tropical floodplains. They considered the floodplain as the area periodically inundated by the waters of rivers, lakes, lagoons, and/or underground water, or by direct precipitation. The concept aims to explain the physical and chemical conditions that obligate the biota to respond through different phenological, morphological, anatomical and/or physiological adaptations to predictable hydrological cycles. Given its alternation between aquatic and terrestrial phases, the flooded area of the shoreline is defined as 'aquatic-terrestrial transitional zone' (AT...

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The ephemeral vegetation of seasonal and semi-permanent ponds in tropical West Africa

Cited by 23 publications

References 0 publications

Ecological changes in the highest temporary pond of western Crete (Greece): past, present and future

Ecological changes in the highest temporary pond of western Crete (Greece): past, present and future

Modelling photochemical transformation of emerging organic pollutants in surface waters: effect of water level fluctuations following outflow or evaporation, relevant to arid and semi-arid environments

Dinámica estacional de la vegetación litoral en el complejo lagunar inundable Zapatosa, Colombia

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