Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Patterns in vegetation, hydrology, and nutrient availability in an undisturbed river floodplain in Poland

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the undisturbed floodplain of the Biebrza river (N.E. Poland) wecompared vegetation composition, standing crop and the nutrients in standingcrop to site factors such as flood duration and inundation depth during springfloods, summer water levels and concentrations of chemical constituents inwaterand nutrient release rates from peat. Our analysis shows a number of clearspatial patterns of biotic and abiotic variables in the ca. 1 kmwide river marginal wetland. The distribution of vegetation types follows acertain pattern: Glycerietum maximae close to the river,followed by respectively Caricetum gracilis andCaricetum elatae and finally Calamagrostietumstrictae at the margin of the river plain. Species richnessincreasesand standing crop decreases from the river towards the margin. The elevation ofthe ground surface gently rises with increasing distance from the river; floodduration and flooding depths in spring decrease in the same direction.Groundwater tables in summer are less correlated to the elevation gradient buttend to be closer to the ground surface at the valley margin. These differencesalso lead to a higher amplitude close to the river and a fairly stable watertable far away from the river. Concentrations of major ions and ammoniumincrease towards the river. Nutrient release rates are also higher closer totheriver. Absence and presence of species and the variation in species compositionof the vegetation was explained best by flood variables; variables fromgroundwater explained much less of the variance. Variations in standing cropandnutrients in standing crop corresponded better to the rates of nutrient releasefrom the organic soil than to nutrient concentrations in the soil water. Weconcluded that river hydrology and nutrient release from the soil are clearlyrelated to vegetation composition, species richness and productivity of thevegetation.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

References

  • Allen S.E. 1989. Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. 2nd edn. Blackwell, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin M.P., Nicholls A.O. and Margules C.R. 1990. Measurement of the realized qualitative niche: environmental niches of five Eucalyptus species. Ecological Monographs 60: 161–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakker J.P. and Berendse F. 1999. Constraints in the restoration of ecological diversity in grassland and heathland communities. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 14: 63–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bedford B.L., Waldbridge M.R. and Aldous A. 1999. Patterns of nutrient availability and plant diversity of temperate North American Wetlands. Ecology 80: 2151–2169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birks H.J.B. 1996. Statistical approaches to interpreting diversity patterns in the Norwegian mountain flora. Ecography 19: 332–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bootsma M.C. and Wassen M.J. 1996. Water quality of fen vegetation types in three European lowland mires. Vegetatio 127: 173–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bootsma M.C. 2000. Stress and recovery in wetland ecosystems. PhD Dissertation, Utrecht University, Utrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bridgham S.D., Updegraff K. and Pastor J. 1998. Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization in northern wetlands. Ecology 79: 1545–1561.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinson M.M. and Rheinhardt R. 1996. The role of reference wetlands in functional assessment and mitigation. Ecological Applications 6: 69–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byczkowski A. and Kicinski T. 1984. Surface waters in the Biebrza drainage basin. Polish Ecological Studies 10: 271–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cellot B., Dole-Olivier M.J., Bornette G. and Patou G. 1984. Temporal and spatial environmental variability in the Upper Rhone river and its floodplain. Freshwater Biology 31: 311–325.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapin F.S. III 1980. The mineral nutrition of wild plants. Annual Reviews of Ecology and Systematics 11: 233–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cirujano S., Casado C., Bernues M. and Camargo J.A. 1996. Ecological study of Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park (Ciudad Real, Central Spain): Differences in water physico-chemistry and vegetation between 1974 and 1989. Biological Conservation 75: 211–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole C.A. and Brooks R.P. 2000. A comparison of the hydrological characteristics of natural and created mainstem floodplain wetlands in Pennsylvania. Ecological Engineering 14: 221–231.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Mars H., Wassen M.J. and Olde Venterink H. 1997. Flooding and groundwater dynamics in fens in eastern Poland. Journal of Vegetation Science 8: 319–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erisman J.W. and Draaijers G.P.J. 1995. Atmospheric Deposition in Relation to Acidification and Eutrophication. Elsevier, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Girel J. 1994. Old distribution procedure of both open water and matter fluxes in floodplains of Western Europe: impact on present vegetation. Environmental Management 18: 203–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gosselink J.G. and Turner R.E. 1978. The Role of Hydrology in Freshwater Wetlands. Freshwater Wetlands – Ecological Processes and Management Potential. Academic Press, New York, pp. 63–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grime J.P. 1973. Control of species density in herbaceous vegetation. Journal of Environmental Management 1: 51–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer D.W. and Lemeshow S. 1989. Applied Logistic Regression. Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes R.M., Larsen D.P. and Omernik J.M. 1986. Regional reference sites: a method for assessing stream potentials. Environmental Management 10: 629–635.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssen A. 2000. Modelling groundwater flow in a floodplain in the lower Biebrza catchment with the MODFLOW three dimensional finite differences code. MSc Dissertation, Utrecht University, Utrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jongman R.G.H. 1998. Rivers: key elements in European ecological networks. In: Nienhuis P.H., Leuven R.S.E.W. and Ragas A.M.J. (eds), New concepts for sustainable management of river basins. Backhuys Publ., Leiden, pp. 53–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jørgensen S.E., Nielsen L.K., Ipsen L.G.S. and Nicolaisen P. 1995. Lake restoration using a reed swamp to remove nutrients from non-point sources. Wetlands Ecology and Management 3: 87–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemmers R.H. 1996. Using humus forms to monitor processes. Landschap 13: 157–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambers H. and Poorter H. 1992. Inherent variation in growth rate between higher plants: a search for physiological causes and ecological consequences. Advanced Ecological Research 23: 187–261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Large A.R.G., Prach K., Bickerton M.A. and Wade P.M. 1994. Alteration of patch boundaries on the floodplain of the regulated river Trent. U.K. Regulated Rivers 9: 71–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenders H.J.R., Aarts B.G.W., Strijbosch H. and Van der Velde G. 1998. The role of reference and target images in ecological recovery of river systems: lines of thought in the Netherlands. In: Nienhuis P.H., Leuven R.S.E.W. and Ragas A.M.J. (eds), New Concepts for Sustainable Management of River Basins. Backhuys Publ., Leiden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leonardson L., Bengtsson L., Davidsson T., Persson T. and Emanuelsson U. 1994. Nutrient retention in artificially flooded meadows. Ambio 23: 332–341.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCollin D., Moore L. and Sparks T. 2000. The flora of a cultural landscape: environmental determinants of change revealed using archival sources. Biological Conservation 92: 249–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meuleman A.F.M. 1999. Performance of treatment wetlands. PhD Dissertation, Utrecht University, Utrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitsch W.J., Cronk J.K., Wu X. and Nairn R.W. 1995. Phosporus retention in constructed freshwater riparian marshes. Ecological Applications 5: 830–845.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelder J.A. and Wetherburn R.W.M. 1974. Generalized linear models. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society of London.

  • Okruszko H. 1990. Wetlands of the Biebrza valley. Their value and Future Management. Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw.

    Google Scholar 

  • Okruszko H. 1991. Bagna Biebrzanski. Zeszyty Problemowe Postepow Nauk Rolniczych. In: Issue Papers of Progress in Agricultural Sciences. Polish Scientific Publishers, Warsaw, pp. 163–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Okruszko H. 1993. Zeszyty Problemowe Postepow Nauk Rolniczych. In: Issue Papers of Progress in Agricultural Sciences. Polish Scientific Publishers, Warsaw, pp. 3–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olde Venterink H. 2000. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium flows controlling plant productivity and species richness. PhD Dissertation, Utrecht University, Utrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oswit J. 1973. Rocziki Nauk Rolniczych, Wydzia l Nauk Rolniczych i Lesnych. The development of the Lower Biebrza Valley peatlands against the background of the water conditions. Vol. 143. Polish Scientific Publishers, Warsaw, Polish Agricultural Annual, Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences. 80 pp. (in Polish with English summary).

    Google Scholar 

  • Palczynski A. 1975. Rocziki Nauk Rolniczych, Wydzia l Nauk Rolniczych i Lesnych. Das Urtal der Biebrza, Die geobotanischen, palaeophytosociologischen und wirtschaftlichen Prob-leme. Vol. 145. Polish Scientific Publishers, Warsaw, Polish Agricultural Annual, Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences. 232 pp. (in Polish with German summary).

    Google Scholar 

  • Palczynski A. 1984. Natural differentiation of plant communities in relation to hydrological conditions of the Biebrza valley. Polish Ecological Studies 10: 347–385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rheinhardt R., Brinson M.M. and Farley P.M. 1997. Applying wetland reference data to functional assessment, mitigation and restoration. Wetlands 17: 195–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rich T.C.G. and Woodruff E.R. 1996. Changes in vascular plant floras of England and Scotland between 1930-1960 and 1987-1988: The BSBI Monitoring Scheme. Biological Conservation 75: 217–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sjörs H. 1952. On the relation between vegetation and electrolytes in North Swedish mire waters. Oikos 2: 241–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stromberg J.C. 1993. Instream flow models for mixed deciduous riparian vegetation within a semiarid region. Regulated Rivers-Research & Management 8: 225–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stromberg J.C. 2001. Biotic integrity of Platanus wrightii riparian forests in Arizona: first approximation. Forest Ecology and Management 142: 251–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stromberg J.C., Tiller R. and Richter B. 1996. Effects of groundwater decline on riparian vegetation of semiarid regions: The San Pedro, Arizona. Ecological Applications 6: 113–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Succow M. 1988. Landschaftsökologische Moorkunde. Gebr. Borntraeger, Berlin-Stuttgart.

  • Succow M. and Jeschke L. 1986. Moore in der Landschaft. Urania Verlag, Leipzig.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ter Braak C.J.F. 1986. Canonical Correspondence Analysis: a new eigenvector method for multivariate direct gradient analysis. Ecology 64: 454–462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thormann M.N. and Bayley S.E. 1997a. Decomposition along a moderate-rich fen – marsh peatland gradient in boreal Alberta, Canada. Wetlands 17: 123–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thormann M.N. and Bayley S.E. 1997b. Aboveground plant production and nutrient content of the vegetation in six peatlands in Alberta, Canada. Plant Ecology 131: 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toner M. and Keddy P. 1997. River hydrology and riparian wetlands: a predictive model for the ecological assembly. Ecological Applications 7: 236–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trémolières M., Roeck U., Klein J.P. and Carbiener R. 1994. The exchange processes between river and groundwater on the central Alsace floodplain (eastern France): the case of a river with functional floodplain. Hydrobiologia 273: 19–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Brink F.W.B., Van der Velde G. and Cazemier W. 1990. The faunistic composition of the freshwater section of the River Rhine in the Netherlands: present state and changes since 1990. In: Friedrich G. and Kinzelbach R. (eds), Biologie Des Rheins. Limnologie Actuell 1. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, pp. 191–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Brink F.W.B., De Leeuw J.P.H.M., Van der Velde G. and Verheggen G.M. 1993. Impact of hydrology on the chemistry and phytoplankton development in floodplain lakes along the lower Rhine and Meuse. Biogeochemistry 19: 103–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Brink F.W.B. 1994. Impact of hydrology on floodplain lake ecosystems along the lower Rhine and Meuse. PhD Dissertation, Catholic University of Nijmegen.

  • Van der Meyden R., Weeda E.J., Holverda W.J. and Hovenkamp P.H. 1990. Flora van Nederland. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijk G.M., Marteijn E.C.L. and Schutte-Wulwer-Leidig A. 1995. Ecological rehabilitation of the River Rhine: plans, progress and perspectives. Regulated Rivers 11: 377–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Oorschot M., Robbemont E., Boerstal M., Van Strien I. and Van Kerkhoven-Schmitz M. 1997. Effects of enhanced nutrient availability on plant and soil nutrient dynamics in two English riverine ecosystems. Journal of Ecology 85: 167–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Tongeren O. 1986. FLEXCLUS, an interactive program for classification and tabulation of ecological data. Acta Botanica Neerlandica 35: 137–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Urk G. 1984. Lower Rhine-Meuse. In: Whitton B.A. (ed.), Ecology of European Rivers. Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 437–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Venables W.N. and Ripley B.D. 1994. Modern Applied Statistics with S-Plus. Springer Verlag, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verhoeven J.T.A. and Arts H.H.M. 1987. Nutrient dynamics in small mesotrophic fens surrounded by cultivated land. II. N and P accumulation in plant biomass in relation to the release of inorganic N and P in the peat soil. Oecologia (Berlin) 72: 557– 561.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verhoeven J.T.A., Kemmers R.H. and Koerselman W. 1993. Nutrient enrichment of freshwater wetlands. In: Vos C.C. and Opdam P. (eds), Landscape Ecology of a Stressed Environment. Chapman & Hall, London, pp. 33–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verhoeven J.T.A., Keuter A., Van Logtestijn R., Van Kerkhoven M.B. and Wassen M.J. 1996. Control of local nutrient dynamics in mires by regional and climatic factors: a comparison of Dutch and Polish sites. Journal of Ecology 84: 647–656.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitt D.H. and Chee W.L. 1990. The relationships of vegetation to surface water chemistry and peat chemistry in fens of Alberta, Canada. Vegetatio 89: 87–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wassen M.J. and Barendegt A. 1992. Topographic position and water chemistry of fens in a Dutch river plain. Journal of Vegetation Science 3: 447–456.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wassen M.J., Barendregt A., Palczynski A., De Smidt J.T. and De Mars H. 1990. The relationship between fen vegetation gradients, groundwater flow and flooding in an undrained valley mire at Biebrza, Poland. Journal of Ecology 78: 1106–1122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wassen M.J., Barendregt A., Palczynski A., De Smidt J.T. and De Mars H. 1992. Hydro-ecological analysis of the Biebrza mire (Poland). Wetlands Ecology and Management 2: 119–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wassen M.J., Olde Venterink H.G.M. and de Swart E.O.A.M. 1995. Nutrient concentrations in mire vegetation as a measure of nutrient limitation in mire ecosystems. Journal of Vegetation Science 6: 5–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wassen M.J., van Diggelen R., Wolejko L. and Verhoeven J.T.A. 1996. A comparison of fens in natural and artificial landscapes. Vegetatio 126:5–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wassen M.J., Van der Vliet R.E. and Verhoeven J.T.A. 1998. Nutrient limitation in the Biebrza fens and floodplain (Poland). Acta Botanica Neerlandica 47: 241–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waughman G.J. 1980. Chemical aspects of the ecology of some South German peatlands. Journal of Ecology 68: 1025–1046.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zurek S. 1984. Relief, geologic structure and hydrography of the Biebrza ice-marginal valley. Polish Ecological Studies 10: 239–251.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Ecohydrology, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands Centre for Geo-ecological Research (ICG), 3508 TC, Utrecht, the Netherlands

    Martin J. Wassen, Martin J. Wassen & Wilma H.M. Peeters

  2. Wetlands Ecology, IHE Delft, 2601 DA, Delft, the Netherlands

    Harry Olde Venterink

Authors
  1. Martin J. Wassen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wilma H.M. Peeters
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Harry Olde Venterink
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin J. Wassen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wassen, M.J., Peeters, W.H. & Olde Venterink, H. Patterns in vegetation, hydrology, and nutrient availability in an undisturbed river floodplain in Poland. Plant Ecology 165, 27–43 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021493327180

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021493327180

Search

Navigation