Abstract
During River Habitat Surveys on the physical structure of watercourses in Britain between 1995 and 98, detailed assessments of the floristic associations, physical habitat and water chemistry were made at 165 sites over a wide range of vegetation types. Botanical data from a total of 340 relevés from within these RHS were recorded. The vegetation was classified phyto-sociologically on the basis of the abundance of characteristic species, resulting in 45 aquatic, swamp and mire associations being identified together with nine other communities which could not be completely classified phyto-sociologically. The associations were assigned to 22 alliances, 13 orders and 11 classes excluding communities dominated by filamentous algae. Water enrichment (as soluble and total phosphorus) was the most significant factor for the differentiation of the communities but pH, conductivity and alkalinity were also important.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Best, E. P. H., 1988. The phyto-sociological approach to the description and classification of aquatic macrophytic vegetation. In Symoens, J. J. (ed.), Vegetation of Inland Waters. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordecht: 155–181.
Dierschke, H., 1994. Pflanzensoziologie. Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart: 683 pp.
Ellenberg, H., H. E. Weber, R. Düll, V. Wirth, W. Werner & D. Paulissen, 1992. Zeigerwerte von Pflanzen in Mitteleuropa. Scripta Geobot. 18: 258 pp.
Haeupler, H., 1982. Enenness als Ausdruck der Vielfalt in der Vegetation. Diss. Bot. 65: 1–269.
Lira, J., 1999. The application of some chosen statistical methods based on a median in agricultural experiments. [Zastosowanie wybranych metod statystycznych opartych na medianie w do wiadczalnictwie rolniczym]. PhD dissertation, Agricultural University, Poznan: 196 pp.
Matuszkiewicz, W., 1984. Przewodnik do oznaczania zbiorowisk roslinnych Polski. PWN, Warszawa: 298 pp.
Raven, P. J., P. Fox, M. Everard, N. T. H. Holmes & F. H. Dawson, 1997. River Habitat Survey: a new system to classify rivers according to their habitat quality. In Boon, P. J. (ed.), Freshwater Quality: Defining the Indefinable. HMSO, London: 215–234.
Rieley, J. O. & S. Page, 1990. Ecology of plant communities. Longman Scientific & Technical., Burnt Mill: 163 pp.
Rodwell, J. S. (ed.), C. D. Pigott, D. A. Ratcliffe, A. J. C. Malloch, H. J. B. Birks, M. C. F. Proctor, D. W. Shimwell, J. P. Huntley, E. Radford, M. J. Wiggington & P. Wilkins, 1991. British Plant Communities. Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 628 pp.
Rodwell, J. S. (ed.), C. D. Pigott, D. A. Ratcliffe, A. J. C. Malloch, H. J. B. Birks, M. C. F. Proctor, D. W. Shimwell, J. P. Huntley, E. Radford, M. J. Wiggington & P. Wilkins, 1991. British Plant Communities. Vol. 4. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 295 pp.
Stace, C., 1997. New Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1130 pp.
Van der Maarel, E., 1971. Plant species diversity in relation to management. In Duffey, E. & A. S. Watt (eds), The Scientific Management of Animal and Plant Communities for Conservation. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford: 45–63
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dawson, F.H., Szoszkiewicz, K. Relationships of some ecological factors with the associations of vegetation in British rivers . Hydrobiologia 415, 117–122 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003820308436
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003820308436