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The Importance of Local and Regional Factors on the Vegetation of Created Wetlands in Central Europe

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Abstract

We assessed the relative importance of regional and local processes to wetland plant diversity in created depressional wetlands in Central Europe (Košské mokrade wetlands, central Slovakia). Twelve wetlands were sampled for vegetation, water chemistry, morphological, and hydrological data in 2008. A total of 39 plant species were found in the wetlands, dominated by Typha latifolia L. The results support the hypothesis that local environmental variables affect both species diversity and composition. Wetland plant diversity was negatively related to electrical conductivity, with a model significantly explaining 34.4 and 31.9% of the variance in species richness and Shannon diversity, respectively. Similarly, species composition was significantly related to local characteristics. A model relating species abundance data to local conditions explained 47.6% of the variation by age (“pure” effect = 18.2%), water depth (15.1%), and conductivity (12.2%). Using measures of connectivity among wetlands, we did not find any significant relationships between plant communities and regional variables. Nevertheless, floristic data revealed significant small-scale (0–500 m) positive autocorrelation, indicating that wetlands in near proximity are more similar in species composition than more distant wetlands. This may suggest that the composition of nearby wetlands plays a role in shaping local communities.

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Acknowledgment

We are grateful for critical reviews and language correction of an early version of the manuscript by M. Novikmec and D. W. Hardekopf. This study was supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education and the Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA grant numbers 2/0013/08 and 1/0529/09).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and General Ecology, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, Zvolen, SK 960 53, Slovakia

    Marek Svitok

  2. Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, SK 845 23, Slovakia

    Richard Hrivnák, Helena Oťaheľová & Daniela Dúbravková

  3. Homeland Museum in Považská Bystrica, Odborov 244/8, Považská Bystrica, SK 017 01, Slovakia

    Daniela Dúbravková

  4. Institute of Biological and Ecological Sciences, University of P. J. Šafárik, Mánesova 23, Košice, SK 040 01, Slovakia

    Peter Paľove-Balang

  5. State Nature Conservancy, Ponitrie Protected Landscape Area, Samova 3, Nitra, SK 949 01, Slovakia

    Vladimír Slobodník

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  1. Marek Svitok
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  2. Richard Hrivnák
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Svitok, M., Hrivnák, R., Oťaheľová, H. et al. The Importance of Local and Regional Factors on the Vegetation of Created Wetlands in Central Europe. Wetlands 31, 663–674 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-011-0182-7

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