Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

River Dikes in Agricultural Landscapes: The Importance of Secondary Habitats in Maintaining Landscape-Scale Diversity

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Wetlands Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Lowland rivers and their floodplains have changed markedly over the last centuries. River dikes have become among the most extensive secondary habitats of former floodplains. Our main question was, what role do secondary habitats on river dikes play in harbouring plant species and maintaining plant diversity of lowland landscapes dominated by agricultural areas? We compared historical maps and current habitat maps to understand the effects of landscape changes on the vegetation pattern of the study region, in southern Hungary. Dikes and primary vegetation of the landscape were selected for intensive vegetation sampling. We compared the floristic similarity and the Shannon diversity of the vegetation types. We used ordinations to visualize relationships among the vegetation types and among dike vegetation and environmental variables. Our results indicated that profound changes have been brought about in the vegetation during the last 150 years, resulting in a transition from marshland to agricultural land. The species composition and pattern of dike vegetation strongly depended on their relative position to the river and their aspect. We conclude that dikes can harbour many vascular plants that are absent or rare in the surrounding habitats and therefore play a decisive role in maintaining plant diversity in agricultural landscapes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acebey A, Gradstein SR, Krömer T (2003) Species richness and habitat diversification of bryophytes in submontane rain forest and fallows of Bolivia. Journal of Tropical Ecology 19:9–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baessler C, Klotz S (2006) Effects of changes in agricultural land-use on landscape structure and arable weed vegetation over the last 50 years. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 115:43–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barthlott W, Schmit-Neuerburg V, Nieder J, Engwald S (2001) Diversity and abundance of vascular epiphytes: a comparison of secondary vegetation and primary montane rain forest in the Venezuelan Andes. Plant Ecology 152:145–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bastian O, Bernhardt A (1993) Anthropogenic landscape changes in Central Europe and the role of bioindication. Landscape Ecology 8:139–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bátori Z, Csiky J, Farkas T, Vojtkó AE, Erdős L, Kovács D, Wirth T, Körmöczi L, Vojtkó A (2014) The conservation value of karst dolines for vascular plants in woodland habitats of Hungary: refugia and climate change. International Journal of Speleology 43:15–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baur B, Zschokke S, Coray A, Schläpfer M, Erhardt A (2002) Habitat characteristics of the endangered flightless beetle Dorcadion fuliginator (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae): implications for conservation. Biological Conservation 105:133–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellamy PE, Shore RF, Ardeshir D, Treweek JR, Sparks TH (2000) Road verges as habitat for small mammals in Britain. Mammal Review 30:131–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biró M, Révész A, Molnár Z, Horváth F, Czúcz B (2008) Regional habitat pattern of the Danube-Tisza Interfluve in Hungary II. Acta Botanica Hungarica 50:19–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biró M, Czúcz B, Horváth F, Révész A, Csatári B, Molnár Z (2013) Drivers of grassland loss in Hungary during the post-socialist transformation (1987–1999). Landscape Ecology 28:789–803

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogya S, Szinetár C, Markó V (1999) Species composition of spider (Araneae) assemblages in apple and pear orchards in the Carpathian Basin. Acta Phytopathologica et Entomologica Hungarica 34:99–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Bölöni J, Molnár Z, Kun A (eds) (2011) Magyarország élőhelyei. Vegetációtípusok leírása és határozója. MTA Ökológiai és Botanikai Kutatóintézete, Vácrátót

    Google Scholar 

  • Borhidi A (1993) Social behaviour types of the Hungarian flora, its naturalness and relative ecological indicator values. Pécs

  • Chazdon RL, Peres CA, Dent D, Sheil D, Lugo AE, Lamb D, Stork NE, Miller S (2009) The potential for species conservation in tropical secondary forests. Conservation Biology 23:1406–1417

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chytrý M, Tichý L, Holt J, Botta-Dukát Z (2002) Determination of diagnostic species with statistical fidelity measures. Journal of Vegetation Science 13:79–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins SL, Knapp AK, Briggs JM, Blair JM, Steinauer EM (1998) Modulation of diversity by grazing and mowing in native tallgrass prairie. Science 280:745–747

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Corbit M, Marks PL, Gardescu S (1999) Hedgerows as habitat corridors for forest herbs in central New York, USA. Journal of Ecology 87:220–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniel H, Lecamp E (2004) Distribution of three indigenous fern species along a rural–urban gradient in the city of Angers, France. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 3:19–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dankers R, Feyen L (2008) Climate change impact on flood hazard in Europe: An assessment based on high-resolution climate simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research 113. doi:10.1029/2007JD009719

  • Dengler J, Janisová M, Török P, Wellstein C (2014) Biodiversity of Palaearctic grasslands: a synthesis. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 182:1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dövényi Z (ed) (2010) Magyarország kistájainak katasztere. MTA Földrajztudományi Kutatóintézet, Budapest

    Google Scholar 

  • Erdős L, Méri Á, Bátori Z, Gallé R, Körmöczi L (2012) North–south facing vegetation gradients in the Villány Mountains: a case study on the population and the community level. Pakistan Journal of Botany 44:927–932

  • Erhardt A (1985) Diurnal Lepidoptera: sensitive indicators of cultivated and abandoned grassland. Journal of Applied Ecology 22:849–861

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Felkai BO (2006) Gyepborítású árvízvédelmi földgátak ökonómiai kérdései. Dissertation, Szent István University

  • Feranec J, Hazeu G, Christensen S, Jaffrain G (2007) Corine land cover change detection in Europe (case studies of the Netherlands and Slovakia). Land Use Policy 24:234–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fried G, Petit S, Dessaint F, Reboud X (2009) Arable weed decline in Northern France: crop edges as refugia for weed conservation? Biological Conservation 142:238–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallé L, Margóczi K, Kovács É, Györffy G, Körmöczi L, Németh L (1995) River valleys: Are they ecological corridors? Tiscia 29:53–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallé R, Vesztergom N, Somogyi T (2011) Environmental conditions affecting spiders in grasslands at the lower reach of the River Tisza in Hungary. Entomologica Fennica 22:29–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg R, Bichier P, Sterling J (1997) Bird populations in rustic and planted shade coffee plantations of Eastern Chiapas, México. Biotropica 29:501–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton MB (1994) Ex situ conservation of wild plant species: time to reassess the genetic assumptions and implications of seed banks. Conservation Biology 8:39–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hersperger AM, Bürgi M (2009) Going beyond landscape change description: quantifying the importance of driving forces of landscape change in a Central Europe case study. Land Use Policy 26:640–648

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmans G, Akkerman GJ, Verheij H, van Hoven A, van der Meer J (2008) The erodibility of grassed inner dike slopes against wave overtopping. ASCE, Proc. ICCE 2008, Hamburg:3224–3236

  • Holz I, Gradstein RS (2005) Cryptogamic epiphytes in primary and recovering upper montane oak forests of Costa Rica – species richness, community composition and ecology. Plant Ecology 178:89–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jakab S (1995) Soils of the flood plain of the Mures (Maros) River. Tiscia Monograph Series 1:25–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Jansson R, Nilsson C, Renofalt B (2000) Fragmentation of riparian floras in rivers with multiple dams. Ecology 81:899–903

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jansson R, Zinko U, Merritt DM, Nilsson C (2005) Hydrochory increases riparian plant species richness: a comparison between a free-flowing and a regulated river. Journal of Ecology 93:1094–1103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson ME, Nilsson C, Nilsson E (1996) Do rivers function as corridors for plant dispersal? Journal of Vegetation Science 7:593–598

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kamp J, Urazaliev R, Donald PF, Hölzel N (2011) Post-Soviet agricultural change predicts future declines after recent recovery in Eurasian steppe bird populations. Biological Conservation 144:2607–2614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kingsford RT (2000) Ecological impacts of dams, water diversions and river management on floodplain wetlands in Australia. Austral Ecology 25:109–127

  • Király G (ed) (2009) Új magyar füvészkönyv. Aggteleki Nemzeti Park Igazgatóság, Jósvafő

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirmer A, Tischew S, Ozinga WA, von Lampe M, Baasch A, Groenendael JM (2008) Importance of regional species pools and functional traits in colonization processes: predicting re-colonization after large-scale destruction of ecosystems. Journal of Applied Ecology 45:1523–1530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiss T, Sipos G (2007) Braid-scale channel geometry changes in a sand-bedded river: significance of low stages. Geomorphology 84:209–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kovács-Hostyánszki A, Batáry P, Báldi A, Harnos A (2011) Interaction of local and landscape features in the conservation of Hungarian arable weed diversity. Applied Vegetation Science 14:40–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuemmerle T, Müller D, Griffiths P, Rusu M (2009) Land use change in Southern Romania after the collapse of socialism. Regional Environmental Change 9:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kundzewicz ZW, Ulbrich U, Brücher T, Graczyk D, Krüger A, Leckebusch GC, Menzel L, Pińskwar I, Radziejewski M, Szwed M (2005) Summer floods in Central Europe – Climate change track? Natural Hazards 36:165–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Láníková D, Lososová Z (2009) Rocks and walls: natural versus secondary habitats. Folia Geobotanica 44:263–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Le Viol I, Mocq J, Julliard R, Kerbiriou C (2009) The contribution of motorway stormwater retention ponds to the biodiversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Biological Conservation 142:3163–3171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lencová K, Prach K (2011) Restoration of hay meadows on ex-arable land: commercial seed mixtures vs spontaneous succession. Grass and Forage Science 66:265–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leyer I (2004) Effects of dykes on plant species composition in a large lowland river floodplain. River Research and Applications 20:813–827

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liebrand CIJM, Sykora KV (1996) Restoration of semi-natural, species-rich grasslands on river dikes after reconstruction. Ecological Engineering 7:315–326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Löki V, Tökölyi J, Süveges K, Lovas-Kiss Á, Hürkan K, Sramkó G, Molnár VA (2015) The orchid flora of Turkish graveyards: a comprehensive field survey. Willdenowia 45:231–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lőrinczi G (2011) Density and spatial pattern of nests in sub-Mediterranean ground-dwelling ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Community Ecology 12:51–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lukács BA, Sramkó G, Molnár VA (2013) Plant diversity and conservation value of continental temporary pools. Biological Conservation 158:393–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maltby E, Blackwell MSA (2005) Managing riverine environments in the context of new water policy in Europe. International Journal of River Basin Management 3:133–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margóczi K, Drăgulescu C, Macalik K, Makra O (2002) Vegetation description of representative habitat complexes along the Maros (Mures) river. Tiscia Monograph Series 6:45–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Mudelsee M, Börngen M, Tetzlaff G, Grünewald U (2003) No upward trends in the occurrence of extreme floods in central Europe. Nature 425:166–169

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oksanen J, Blanchet FG, Kindt R, Legendre P, Minchin PR, O’Hara RB, Simpson GL, Solymos P, Stevens MHH, Wagner H (2015). vegan: community ecology package. R package version 2.2-1. http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan

  • Oláh J, Oláh M (1996) Improving landscape nitrogen metabolism in the Hungarian lowlands. Ambio 25:331–335

    Google Scholar 

  • Polus E, Vandewoestijne S, Choutt J, Baguette M (2007) Tracking the effects of one century of habitat loss and fragmentation on calcareous grassland butterfly communities. Biodiversity and Conservation 16:3423–3436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2015) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. http://www.R-projectorg

  • Reinecke MK, Brown CA, Esler KJ, King JM, Kleynhans MT, Kidd M (2015) Links between lateral vegetation zones and river flow. Wetlands 35:473–486

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renner SC, Waltert M, Mühlenberg M (2006) Comparison of bird communities in primary vs. young secondary tropical montane cloud forest in Guatemala. Biodiversity and Conservation 15:1545–1575

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rooney RC, Carli C, Bayley SE (2013) River connectivity affects submerged and floating aquatic vegetation in floodplain wetlands. Wetlands 33:1165–1177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sudnik-Wójcikowska B, Moysiyenko II, Zachwatowicz M, Jabłońska E (2011) The value and need for protection of kurgan flora in the anthropogenic landscape of steppe zone in Ukraine. Plant Biosystems 145:638–653

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Takács A, Schmotzer A, Jakab G, Deli T, Mesterházy A, Király G, Lukács BA, Balázs B, Perić R, Eliáš P, Sramkó G, Tökölyi J, Molnár VA (2013) Key environmental variables affecting the distribution of Elatine hungarica in the Pannonian Basin. Preslia 85:193–207

  • Tichý L (2002) JUICE, software for vegetation classification. Journal of Vegetation Science 13:451–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Timmermann T, Margóczi K, Takács G, Vegelin K (2006) Restoration of peat-forming vegetation by rewetting species-poor fen grasslands. Applied Vegetation Science 9:241–250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tockner K, Stanford JA (2002) Riverine flood plains: present state and future trends. Environmental Conservation 29:308–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torma A, Császár P (2013) Species richness and composition patterns across trophic levels of true bugs (Heteroptera) in the agricultural landscape of the lower reach of the Tisza River Basin. Journal of Insect Conservation 17:35–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Török P, Kelemen A, Valkó O, Deák B, Lukács B, Tóthmérész B (2011a) Lucerne-dominated fields recover native grass diversity without intensive management actions. Journal of Applied Ecology 48:257–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Török P, Vida E, Deák B, Lengyel S, Tóthmérész B (2011b) Grassland restoration on former croplands in Europe: an assessment of applicability of techniques and costs. Biodiversity and Conservation 20:2311–2332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valkó O, Török P, Matus G, Tóthmérész B (2012) Is regular mowing the most appropriate and cost-effective management maintaining diversity and biomass of target forbs in mountain hay meadows? Flora 207:303–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Andel T (2001) Floristic composition and diversity of mixed primary and secondary forests in northwest Guyana. Biodiversity and Conservation 10:1645–1682

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Looy K, Honnay O, Bossuyt B, Hermy M (2003) The effects of river embankment and forest fragmentation on the plant species richness and composition of floodplain forests in the Meuse valley, Belgium. Belgian Journal of Botany 136:97–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Varga K, Dévai G, Tóthmérész B (2013) Land use history of a floodplain area during the last 200 years in the Upper-Tisza region (Hungary). Regional Environmental Change 13:1109–1118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward JV, Mallard F, Tockner K (2002) Landscape ecology: a framework for integrating pattern and process in river corridors. Landscape Ecology 17:35–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zomeni M, Tzanopoulos J, Pantis JD (2008) Historical analysis of landscape change using remote sensing techniques: an explanatory tool for agricultural transformation in Greek rural areas. Landscape and Urban Planning 86:38–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The research was supported by the HURO/0901/205/2.2.2 project and the TÁMOP-4.2.2/08/1/2008-0008 program of the Hungarian National Development Agency. Péter Ódor was supported by the János Bolyai Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, H-6726, Szeged, Közép fasor 52, Hungary

    Zoltán Bátori, László Körmöczi, Márta Zalatnai, Csaba Tölgyesi, Katalin Margóczi, Attila Torma, Róbert Gallé & Viktória Cseh

  2. Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Graz, Holteigasse 6, A-8010, Graz, Austria

    László Erdős

  3. Institute of Ecology and Botany, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, H-2163, Vácrátót, Alkotmány u. 2-4, Hungary

    Péter Ódor

  4. MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group, H-4032, Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Hungary

    Péter Török

Authors
  1. Zoltán Bátori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. László Körmöczi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Márta Zalatnai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. László Erdős
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Péter Ódor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Csaba Tölgyesi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Katalin Margóczi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Attila Torma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Róbert Gallé
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Viktória Cseh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Péter Török
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zoltán Bátori.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bátori, Z., Körmöczi, L., Zalatnai, M. et al. River Dikes in Agricultural Landscapes: The Importance of Secondary Habitats in Maintaining Landscape-Scale Diversity. Wetlands 36, 251–264 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0734-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0734-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation