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Hydrological Instability of Ponds Reduces Functional Diversity of Freshwater Molluscs in Protected Wetlands

  • Wetland Biodiversity
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Abstract

Different facets of biodiversity of freshwater molluscs were compared in 21 small ponds located in the wetland area around Lake Łuknajno (Nature Reserve protected by Ramsar Convention, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve). The ponds examined between 2010 and 2019 differed in their susceptibility to periodical drying out. In addition, the hydrological stability of many of them was significantly reduced in 2015-19 as a result of climatic changes (decrease in precipitation, shortening of the snow cover period, increase in the average temperature during the growing season, increase in the frequency of heat waves). The functional diversity of molluscs decreased linearly and monotonically with the increase in the frequency and intensity of drying up of ponds, so it can be treated as a good indicator of their hydrological instability. Other facets of biological diversity - taxonomic and phylogenetic - were unimodally related to differences in stability. Along time, species resistant to desiccation being specialized inhabitants of temporary water bodies clearly increase their percentage, and the share of species less resistant decreases.

Streszczenie

Porównano różne miary oceny różnorodności biologicznej słodkowodnych mięczaków w 21 drobnych zbiornikach położonych wokół Jeziora Łuknajno (Rezerwat Przyrody chroniony przez Konwencję Ramsarską, Rezerwat Biosfery UNESCO). Badane środowiska w latach 2010–2019 różniły się podatnością na okresowe wysychanie. Ponadto stopień stabilności hydrologicznej wielu z nich uległ znacznemu obniżeniu w latach 2015-19 w wyniku zmian klimatycznych (spadek ilości opadów, skrócenie okresu zalegania pokrywy śnieżnej, wzrost średniej temperatury w okresie wegetacji, wzrost częstości występowania fal upałów). Różnorodność funkcjonalna mięczaków zmniejszała się liniowo i monotonicznie wraz ze wzrostem częstotliwości i intensywności wysychania badanych zbiorników, dlatego można ją traktować jako dobry wskaźnik ich niestabilności hydrologicznej. Inne aspekty różnorodności biologicznej — taksonomiczne i filogenetyczne — były powiązane z różnicami w stabilności w sposób unimodalny. W trakcie trwania obserwacji gatunki odporne na wysychanie, będące wyspecjalizowanymi mieszkańcami tymczasowych zbiorników wodnych, wyraźnie zwiększały swój udział, a zmniejszał się udział gatunków mniej odpornych.

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Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Tomasz Karasek, Anna Zaborowska, Grzegorz Górecki, Ewa Narożniak, Jan Jedlikowski, Marcin Brzeziński and the students of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Warsaw participating in the field course “Flora i Fauna” between 2017 and 2019 for their help in obtaining the material. The author expresses his gratitude to the reviewers, in particular to One of Them, who has a deeply critical opinion about the methods used.

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  1. Department of Hydrobiology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Biological and Chemical Research Center, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089, Warszawa, Poland

    Paweł Koperski

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  1. Paweł Koperski
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I am the sole author of a concept and research project. I have prepared, collected and analyzed all data except for the activities mentioned in the acknowledgments. I am the sole author of all versions of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Paweł Koperski.

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Koperski, P. Hydrological Instability of Ponds Reduces Functional Diversity of Freshwater Molluscs in Protected Wetlands. Wetlands 42, 42 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-022-01552-8

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