Biologia 64/1: 88—96, 2009 Section Botany DOI: 10.2478/s11756-009-0006-x The epiphytic communities of various ecological types of aquatic vegetation of five pastoral ponds Beata Messyasz1, Natalia Kuczynska-Kippen´ 2 &BarbaraNagengast2 1Department of Hydrobiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89,PL-61-614 Pozna´n, Poland; e-mail: [email protected] 2Department of Water Protection, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89,PL- 61-614 Pozna´n, Poland; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Five small water bodies located within the agricultural region of Wielkopolska (west Poland) underwent inves- tigation. Periphyton samples were collected from various macrophyte habitats representing rush vegetation (in five water bodies), submerged aquatic plants (in three) and nymphaeids (in one): Pal˛edzie – Ceratophyllum demersum, Potamogeton crispus, Typha latifolia; Batorowo – Phragmites australis;Piotrowo–Potamogeton natans, Ceratophyllum submersum, Ty- pha latifolia; Tarnowo Podgórne – Typha latifolia;D˛abrówka – Zannichellia palustris, Potamogeton pectinatus, Phragmites australis. The main goal of the study was to determine the composition and abundance of the periphytic communities inhabiting various types of rush and water vegetation of five water bodies located within a mid-field landscape area. Diatoms such as Achnanthidium minutissimum, Amphora ovalis, Cocconeis placentula orNavicula cincta revealed signifi- cantly higher densities in the zone of elodeids, while green algae prevailed among nymphaeids. As a result of this study it was found that the epiphytic algae were characterised by much lower diversity in respect to a specific water body, though much greater diversity was observed in its relation to the type of substratum. Two types of habitats were distinguished – the first of simple build (helophytes and nympheids) and the second containing the complicated architecture of plant stems (elodeids). Key words: aquatic vegetation; diatoms; green algae; periphyton; pastoral pond Introduction community within a water body. Among these are: the hydromacrophyte habitat which constitutes a vast sub- Small water bodies play an important role in the agri- strate for the growth of periphytic communities, espe- cultural landscape. They support biological diversity cially epiphytic algae (Gons 1979), and which may differ and the local bank of plant and animal genes. They in stand density (stated as the stem length per 1 L of maintain hydrological functioning which influences the water), biomass (dry mass L−1) and volume (infested retention of surface waters, and they serve as a reservoir volume L−1), the percentage of macrophyte cover or the of water for the surrounding areas as well as biogeo- morphological build of particular plant species. The ex- chemical barriers. Ponds are unstable habitats of dif- panding macrophyte density, through the enlargement ferentiated physical-chemical parameters. This is due of the possible substrata surface, may increase the total to their small depth, ecotonal character (the impact of periphyton biomass (Pieczy´nska 1976). water and terrestrial environments) and the patchiness On the other hand, epiphytic communities colonis- of the macrophytes inhabiting them. This habitat vari- ing the submerged parts of macrophytes may negatively ation within a single pond influences the differentiation affect the growth of aquatic vegetation since this can re- of its inhabiting organisms, including periphyton. Thus strict the degree of the light that reaches the plant sur- the aim of the study was to determine the structure and face (Ondok 1978) and may also limit the diffusion of abundance of the periphytic communities of the differ- some nutrients, including carbon (Scheffer 2001). More- entiated kinds of rush and water vegetation of five pas- over, periphyton may be an essential part of the source toral water bodies. The analysis concerned the variation of food for a variety of freshwater organisms inhabiting in the density and biomass of particular groups of phy- the littoral zone of lakes or ponds. The main compo- toplankton as well as of particular species. Macrophytes nent of this layer of organisms, overgrowing underwater also constitute a base for the growth of periphytic com- parts of the substratum, is usually epiphytic (i.e. ses- munities, both plant-associated invertebrates and algae sile, attached) algae, which are often accompanied by (Duggan 2001; Wetzel 2001). There are a number of a number of bacteria and protozoans (Crowder et al. factors that may affect the structure of a periphytic 1998; Degans & De Meester 2002). However, periphy- c 2009 Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences Epiphytes of various types of hydromacrophytes of ponds 89 Table 1. Location, morphometric features and physical-chemical parameters of each examined station in the investigated water bodies. Pond area depth location station % of macro- overshading Mineral N Total P Chl a (ha) max (m) phyte coverage [µgL−1][µgL−1] Piotrowo 0.25 0.5 12 km east of Wronki C.s. 40 A few trees 2083 75 33.57 P.n. 20 2599 56 19.25 T.l. 30 2293 63 4.49 Batorowo 0.30 1.0 20 km west of Pozna´n P.a. 40 Single trees 3071 258 363.60 D˛abrówka 0.40 9 km west of Pozna´n P.a. 40 Surrounded by trees 260 170 3.42 P.p. 30 270 150 3.85 Z.p. 20 250 130 1.92 Pal˛edzie 0.50 1.5 12 km south of Pozna´n P.c. 30 Several trees 1274 203 6.95 C.d. 50 1274 236 35.71 T.l. 10 774 265 32.72 Tarnowo Podgórne 0.65 1.7 20 km west of Pozna´n T.l. 40 Single trees 1520 810 187.42 C.s. – Ceratophyllum submersum,C.d.–Ceratophyllum demersum,P.n.–Potamogeton natans,P.c.–Potamogeton crispus,P.p.– Potamogeton pectinatus, T.l. – Typha latifolia,P.a.–Phragmites australis,Z.p.–Zannichellia palustris ton may also contain great amounts of detritus which collecting periphyton from the underwater stems of vege- is built up in the periphyton coverage (Van Dijk 1993). tated substratum comprising the known volume unit of lake 3 The main aim of this investigation was to conduct water (0.0125 m ) was applied in order to compare the struc- an analysis of the relationship between different types ture of periphytic communities overgrowing different types of substratum (various types of rush and aquatic veg- of macrophyte habitats that differed in their architecture etation) with the composition and abundance of the both morphologically and spatially. A detailed description of the method for obtaining periphyton from underwater phytoperiphyton communities in five water bodies lo- plant stems can be found in Messyasz & Kuczy´nska-Kippen cated within the mid-field landscape area. A question (2006). was asked as to whether a specific type of microhab- Physical-chemical analyses were made in each habitat itat will affect the epiphytic assemblages or whether and the obtained results were subjected to statistical analy- the specificity of a particular water body will have a ses. The chemical analyses (total nitrogen – N, phosphorus stronger effect. – P and organic carbon – C) of water filling macrophyte stems were conducted according to Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater (1992). Chlorophyll Material and methods a concentration (corrected for pheopigments) from the wa- Five pastoral ponds located within the agricultural region ter of a particular plant station was determined fluoromet- of Wielkopolska underwent examination. They were of sim- rically according to the procedures described by Strickland ilar size and depth, but differed in trophy and vegeta- & Parsons (1972) (Table 1). tion cover. Periphyton samples were collected from vari- Detailed taxonomical diatom investigations were per- ous macrophyte habitats representing rush vegetation, sub- formed according to the Krammer & Lange–Bertalot merged aquatic plants and nymphaeids: Pal˛edzie – Cerato- (1986, 1988, 1991, 1991a), Lange–Bertalot (1993, 2001) phyllum demersum, Potamogeton crispus, Typha latifolia; and H˘akansson (2002) systems. Periphyton algae in sam- Batorowo – Phragmites australis;Piotrowo–Potamogeton ples were counted using the Uterm¨ohl (1958) sedimentation natans, Ceratophyllum submersum, Typha latifolia;Tarnowo method. Cells were the main counted units. For filamentous Podgórne – Typha latifolia;D˛abrówka – Zannichellia palus- blue-greens and greens, a length unit of 100 µmwastaken tris, Potamogeton pectinatus, Phragmites australis. Field ex- for one individual. The dimensions of thirty individuals from amination was made during the summer period (the end of each species were measured according to the shape of a stan- June) of 2004 and periphytic samples were collected once dard geometrical figure. Biovolumes were calculated using from eleven stations in total (Table 1). the formula for the appropriate geometric shape according Even though it is known that epiphytic communities to Rott (1981). The abundance and biomass of periphyton overgrowing submerged parts of macrophytes differ verti- species were related to the volume of water and expressed cally (Albay & Akcaalan 2003), they were not collected as per water volume unit (mg L−1). separate vertical sections from the plant stems, but as one For analysis of the diatom growth-forms, including section (ca. 0.2 m; macrophyte stems were cut out from a slowly moving, moving, and stalked diatoms, particular depth of 0.1–0.3 m) due to the very shallow depths of some species in the examined material were selected according of the examined water bodies. After cutting the plant stems × Kuhn et al. (1981). to a length of 0.2 m each from an area of 0.25 0.25 m, the periphyton was firstly rinsed in distilled water and then The diversity index H was expressed with the Shan- removed manually using a knife and a small brush. The non-Weaver formula (Margalef 1957). periphyton was collected from the known average biomass The similarity of epiphytic communities between the of plant material growing per unit lake area. The obtained Chara and Typha stands was calculated using two differ- results of periphyton biomass adequate to 12.5 L of lake ent methods (Jaccard index; Ward method and Euclidean water were later recalculated into one litre.