Search

The effects of habitat fragmentation and isolation on plant species richness have been verified for a wide range of anthropogenically fragmented habitats, but there is currently little information about their effects in naturally small and isolated habitats. We tested whether habitat area, heterogeneity, and isolation affect the richness of wetland vascular plant species in kettle holes, i.e., small glacially created wetlands, in an agricultural landscape of 1 km2 in NE Germany. We compared fragmentation effects with those of forest fragments in the same landscape window. Since wetland and forest species might differ in their tolerance to isolation, and because isolation effects on plant species may be trait dependent, we asked which key life history traits might foster differences in isolation tolerance between wetland and forest plants. We recorded the flora and vegetation types in 83 isolated sites that contained 81 kettle holes and 25 forest fragments. Overall, the number of wetland species increased with increasing area and heterogeneity, i.e., the number of vegetation types, while area was not a surrogate for heterogeneity in these naturally fragmented systems. Isolation did not influence the number of wetland species but decreased the number of forest species. We also found that seeds of wetland species were on average lighter, more persistent and better adapted to epizoochory, e.g., by waterfowl, than seeds of forest species. Therefore, we suggest that wetland species are more tolerant to isolation than forest species due to their higher dispersal potential in space and time, which may counterbalance the negative effects of isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Kettle holes are small, pond-like, depressional wetlands in young moraine landscapes. They mostly undergo a wet-dry cycle and have a high potential for biological species diversity. However, their biodiversity and habitat function is often greatly impacted by surrounding intensive agricultural land use practices. In this study, we used statistical analysis of a large data set from the federal state of Brandenburg (Northeast Germany) to characterise the macrophyte species richness of kettle holes in an interregional context and to determine the factors that influence macrophyte occurrence. We proposed that (1) specific environmental factors, (2) hydrogeomorphic kettle hole types and (3) the regional topography have a major impact on macrophyte species richness. The evaluation of the data was performed using the General Linear Model (GLM) and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Each of the analysed factors addresses different parts of the macrophyte species richness, including the target variables overall species richness, plant life and growth forms as well as Red List species. None of the analysis showed effects of the tested environmental factors on overall macrophytes species richness, but on the richness of plant life and growth forms as well as on Red List species. We identified hydroperiod, depth, shore width, kettle hole area, pH, electric conductivity, carbonate hardness and oxygen as key factors for the prediction of species richness of plant life and growth forms. Furthermore, we demonstrate that hydrogeomorphic kettle hole types account for relevant parts of variation in species richness and are useful interregional and integrative indicators to identify kettle holes with protection priority for macrophytes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Allometric relationships for four macrophyte species typical for kettle holes. • Comparison of biomass regressions based on several in-situ measured plant traits. • Field plant height measurements vs. UAS based height calculation. • UAS-based workflow for biomass estimation. Quantifying plant biomass in ecosystems is an essential basis for many ecological questions. A direct estimation of macrophyte biomass proves to be difficult for the large number of kettle holes in Pleistocene landscapes, due to their strong heterogeneities. This study compared a classical non-destructive method for biomass estimation based on allometric relationships built from a larger selection of plant trait variables with regressions only based on plant height and cover of four macrophyte species typical for kettle holes in northeast Germany (i.e. Carex riparia , Phalaris arundinacea , Persicaria amphibia , Rorippa amphibia). Their predictive power and potential applicability for remotely sensed biomass estimation using unmanned aerial systems (UAS) was evaluated. The usage of several in-situ measured plant traits of individual plants revealed best macrophyte biomass predictions (R² = 0.84 to 0.95). Yet, using only plant height and cover to predict biomass still showed a moderate to good correlation (R² = 0.52 to 0.81). Using P. arundinacea as an example, we demonstrated for one kettle hole the potential of calculating plant patch height from digital surface models (DSM) derived from UAS RGB images processed with structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry. After applying a site-specific correction factor for discrepancies between reference field measurements of plant heights and DSM derived plant heights, we were able to calculate P. arundinacea biomass of the entire kettle hole based on allometric relationships using plant height and cover. Finally, we briefly discuss how further methodological development can improve UAS-derived plant height as predictor variable for biomass estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]