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Ecology of the Floating Water-Plantain Luronium Natans

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Ecology of the Floating Water-Plantain Luronium Natans Ecology of the Floating Water-plantain Luronium natans Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers Ecology Series No. 9 Ecology of the Floating Water-plantain Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers Ecology Series No. 9 RV Lansdown & PM Wade For more information on this document, contact: English Nature Northminster House Peterborough PE1 1UA Tel:+44 (0) 1733 455100 Fax: +44 (0) 1733 455103 This document was produced with the support of the European Commission’s LIFE Nature programme. It was published by Life in UK Rivers, a joint venture involving English Nature (EN), the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), the Environment Agency (EA), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), and the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER). © (Text only) EN, CCW, EA, SEPA, SNH & SNIFFER 2003 ISBN 1 85716 715 5 A full range of Life in UK Rivers publications can be ordered from: The Enquiry Service English Nature Northminster House Peterborough PE1 1UA Email: [email protected] Tel:+44 (0) 1733 455100 Fax: +44 (0) 1733 455103 This document should be cited as: Lansdown RV & Wade PM (2003). Ecology of the Floating Water-plantain, Luronium natans. Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers Ecology Series No. 9. English Nature, Peterborough. Technical Editor: Lynn Parr Series Ecological Coordinator: Ann Skinner Cover design: Coral Design Management, Peterborough. Printed by Astron Document Services, Norwich, on Revive, 75% recycled post-consumer waste paper, Elemental Chlorine Free. 1M. Cover photo: Richard Lansdown Ecology of the Floating Water-plantain Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers This account of the ecological requirements of the floating water-plantain (Luronium natans) has been produced as part of Life in UK Rivers – a project to develop methods for conserving the wildlife and habitats of rivers within the Natura 2000 network of protected European sites.The project’s focus has been the conservation of rivers identified as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and of relevant habitats and species listed in annexes I and II of the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (92/43/EEC) (the Habitats Directive). One of the main products is a set of reports collating the best available information on the ecological requirements of each species and habitat, while a complementary series contains advice on monitoring and assessment techniques. Each report has been compiled by ecologists who are studying these species and habitats in the UK, and has been subject to peer review, including scrutiny by a Technical Advisory Group established by the project partners. In the case of the monitoring techniques, further refinement has been accomplished by field-testing and by workshops involving experts and conservation practitioners. Life in UK Rivers is very much a demonstration project, and although the reports have no official status in the implementation of the directive, they are intended as a helpful source of information for organisations trying to set ‘conservation objectives’ and to monitor for ‘favourable conservation status’ for these habitats and species.They can also be used to help assess plans and projects affecting Natura 2000 sites, as required by Article 6.3 of the directive. As part of the project, conservation strategies have been produced for seven different SAC rivers in the UK. In these, you can see how the statutory conservation and environment agencies have developed objectives for the conservation of the habitats and species, and drawn up action plans with their local partners for achieving ‘favourable conservation status’. Understanding the ecological requirements of river plants and animals is a prerequisite for setting conservation objectives, and for generating conservation strategies for SAC rivers under Article 6.1 of the European Habitats Directive.Thus, the questions these ecology reports try to answer include: z What water quality does the species need to survive and reproduce successfully? z Are there other physical conditions, such as substrate or flow, that favour these species or cause them to decline? z What is the extent of interdependence with other species for food or breeding success? For each of the 13 riverine species and for the Ranunculus habitat, the project has also published tables setting out what can be considered as ‘favourable condition’ for attributes such as water quality and nutrient levels, flow conditions, river channel and riparian habitat, substrate, access for migratory fish, and level of disturbance. ‘Favourable condition’ is taken to be the status required of Annex I habitats and Annex II species on each Natura 2000 site to contribute adequately to ‘favourable conservation status’ across their natural range. Titles in the Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers ecology and monitoring series are listed inside the back cover of this report, and copies of these, together with other project publications, are available via the project website: www.riverlife.org.uk. 1 Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers 2 Ecology of the Floating Water-plantain Summary The floating water-plantain (Luronium natans L Rafinesque) is an aquatic plant endemic to Europe. It has a complex life history and ecology and is notoriously difficult to identify. Consequently, it has been the subject of past misconceptions, notably regarding its distribution, ecological requirements and population dynamics.This report presents a review of all data available to the authors and clarifies many aspects of the plant’s distribution, ecology and life history. Each topic is supported by informed discussion of data to support the conclusions reached, because some of these are in direct disagreement with accepted views. The single most important conclusion is that the floating water-plantain has a number of apparently discrete reproductive strategies, defined here as: annual flowering, perennial flowering, and perennial vegetative.The second most important conclusion is that it occurs as dynamic metapopulations that contain different populations with different reproductive strategies. Any monitoring or conservation programme that does not take account of the dynamics of metapopulations and the requirements of the different reproductive strategies will not Richard Lansdown adequately represent the The floating water-plantain has several reproductive strategies, each of which must be taken into consideration when monitoring or requirements of the species. conservation programmes are initiated. Monitoring will provide a means by which data can be fed back into the system to refine conservation action. Further research is needed to explain the ecological requirements of some populations. This review has shown that, based only on confirmed records, the range of the floating water-plantain extends from southern Norway and Sweden in the north, through the Republic of Ireland and France to northern Spain, east to Poland. Historically, it was found in the Czech Republic, but is now extinct. This is a much narrower range than has generally been accepted. Further survey work and a review of herbarium specimens are needed to confirm and enhance understanding of this range. Conservation of the floating water-plantain must either ensure self-sustaining populations in wetlands or involve a long-term commitment to intrusive management.This report presents a guide to the setting of objectives for the conservation of the species in rivers and associated wetlands. However, the habitat in which a population occurs appears to be less important than other aspects of the ecology of the species. An appropriate research programme is suggested to provide further information necessary for the long-term conservation of the species. Introduction The floating water-plantain is an aquatic monocotyledon of the family Alismataceae. It is considered to be declining throughout its range.There have been several reviews of the ecology and/or conservation of the species, but none has provided information in a form that can be directly translated into conservation management or monitoring.This report presents a synthesis of data on the distribution, status and ecology of the floating water-plantain to serve as a baseline for further research and monitoring. 3 Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers In most British reviews of the ecological requirements of the species there has been strong emphasis on data from the UK (Willby & Eaton 1993, English Nature in prep.). However, most remaining populations in the UK occur in upland lakes and canals, the majority of those in lowland habitats having been lost by the middle of the 20th Century.This may have led to an exaggerated emphasis on only a few aspects of the species’ ecology. Similarly, limited compilation of data from disparate sources outside the UK has led to a perception that populations of the floating water-plantain in Wales or in the canal systems of Britain are among its remaining strongholds (Willby & Eaton 1993; Kay et al. 1999; English Nature in prep.).This perception may not be accurate. Priority in this review was therefore given to a thorough collection of information from sources outside the UK to ensure that the conclusions reached could be applied to all facets of the species’ ecology, distribution and population dynamics. The aim of this review is to provide information on the ecological requirements of the floating water- plantain to inform the production of conservation objectives and monitoring protocols.The data reviewed include
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