Spatial trends of Potamogetonaceae along an altitudinal gradient
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Spatial trends of Potamogetonaceae along an altitudinal gradient Nursel İkinci 1
&
Necati Bayındır 1
Received: 1 July 2020 / Accepted: 3 September 2020 # Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences 2020
Abstract Studying the effect of altitude on species distribution may help us to predict the response of species to future climate changes, which will likely cause upward migration of vegetation zones. In this study, we aimed to analyze distribution and abundance patterns of Potamogetonaceae along an altitudinal gradient and to determine the species characterizing a priori defined five altitudinal groups. We included 294 sampling for 19 species from 141 wetlands across Turkey with an elevation gradient of 2700 m. Analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) found significant differences in species assemblages only between some altitudinal groups. Seven species were found in either high or low altitudes. Stuckenia pectinata had the highest contribution to all groups except one in analysis of similarity percentages. Detrended correspondence analysis revealed a clear altitudinal gradient by placing species under six clusters. Even widespread species occurring in all altitudes showed a tendency of altitudinal preference. The results were inferred from our physicochemical measurements for the species and relevant literature. Exclusively highland species were found in waters with similar physical and chemical properties (i.e. low electrical conductivity, salinity, and ammonium concentrations). However, lowland species were sampled from very diverse aquatic habitats. Among the lowland species Potamogeton acutifolius was found under low values for the above-mentioned physicochemical water parameters but Althenia orientalis showed extremely high values, as well as Potamogeton coloratus and Potamogeton nodosus. Understanding elevational distribution of macrophytes is especially important due to difficulties in their upward migration and availability of suitable aquatic habitats. Keywords Aquatic plants . DCA . Macrophytes . Pondweeds, SIMPER . Turkey
Introduction Increasing altitude may act as a strong abiotic filtering of species pool. Several environmental parameters change with increasing altitude, like climate, geology, water chemistry, and basin morphology (Hinden et al. 2005). Temperature and atmospheric pressure decrease by increasing altitude. On the other hand, solar radiation increases with increasing altitude. Precipitation and wind speed also rise with altitude but their effect is limited on submerged species. Low temperatures are the most characteristic feature of high altitude water bodies (Shimono et al. 2010). Jones et al. (2003) indicated that
* Nursel İkinci [email protected] Necati Bayındır [email protected] 1
Department of Biology, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14280 Bolu, Turkey
altitude is a better predictor of species richness than chemical composition of wetlands. As a general trend species diversity decreases by increasing altitude. Jones et al. (
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