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Long-term changes in freshwater aquatic plant communities following extreme drought

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Abstract

Prolonged periods of floodplain drying are becoming increasingly common due to severe drought events and the effects of river regulation. Using long-term monitoring, we assessed changes in freshwater plant community structure and composition before (2000–2002) and after (2010–2013) an extended drying period that resulted in two formerly persistent and three seasonally inundated wetlands in south-eastern Australia remaining continuously dry for durations ranging from 4.7 to 9.4 years. Plant community composition and structure changed significantly between pre- and post-dry stages in all wetlands. These changes were characterised by significant reductions in the percentage cover of aquatic species and the loss of formerly dominant aquatic species—in particular, the herbaceous perennial species, Eleocharis acuta R.Br. and E. sphacelata R.Br., and the aquatic grass, Pseudoraphis spinescens (R.Br.) Vickery. Small areas of E. acuta began to re-establish in the second and third years of wetland refilling, whereas E. sphacelata and P. spinescens did not re-establish and the percentage cover of aquatic species overall remained significantly below 2000–2002 levels throughout the 2010–2013 period. These results lend empirical support to our understanding of floodplain dynamics and resilience, and in particular, the loss of dominant perennial aquatic species and establishment of opportunistic annual species following extended wetland drying.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the insightful comments and advice on the draft manuscript provided by Dr Bruce Chessman. Carmen Amos, Vanessa Cain and Rebecca Gibson were responsible for field surveys between 2010 and 2013. The authors respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners, their Elders past and present, their Nations of the Murray-Darling Basin and their cultural, social, environmental, spiritual and economic connection to their lands and waters. In particular, we respectfully acknowledge the Wiradjuri peoples—the traditional owners of the land on which this study is focused. Funding for this program was provided by NSW OEH (2010–2011) and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (2011–2013). Original survey design and pre-drought data collection were funded by the New South Wales Integrated Monitoring of Environmental Flows Program (IMEF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Land, Water and Society, School of Environmental Sciences, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, NSW, 2640, Australia

    Skye Wassens & Nathan Ning

  2. NSW Department of Primary Industries — Water, Natural Resources Centre, Olympic Way, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia

    Lorraine Hardwick

  3. Macquarie University, Balaclava Rd, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia

    Lorraine Hardwick

  4. Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Gilad Bino

  5. NSW Office of Environment and Heritage — Regional Operations Group (South Branch), PO Box 544, Albury, NSW, 2640, Australia

    James Maguire

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  1. Skye Wassens
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Wassens, S., Ning, N., Hardwick, L. et al. Long-term changes in freshwater aquatic plant communities following extreme drought. Hydrobiologia 799, 233–247 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3219-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3219-y

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