Biotic and abiotic drivers of aquatic plant communities in shallow pools and wallows on the sub-Antarctic Iles Kerguelen

Abstract

In the sub-Antarctic region, climate change is particularly rapid, while their freshwater ecosystems, such as ponds, host plant species with limited spatial distributions. These particular systems and their plant communities remain however poorly known and the context of their changing habitat calls for deeper insights into these systems. We performed an extensive survey of 45 ponds over three locations of the Iles Kerguelen during the winter and summer seasons of two years, which included the measurement of 12 abiotic parameters and the assessment of the plant community composition. Overall, our results showed that Iles Kerguelen ponds are shallow freshwater ecosystems harbouring species-poor plant communities with high evenness, of which structure did not vary among the sampled locations. Three different habitats were identified among ponds in relation with nutrient supply by marine animals, which ultimately influenced plant community structure and cover. We highlight that these habitats are mostly determined by water depth, nutrients, and temperature (mean and variance). Present plant community composition was more strongly correlated with plant community composition in the previous year than with abiotic conditions. Overall, this study provides new knowledge on the aquatic plant communities and the functioning of Iles Kerguelen freshwater ecosystems, which can serve as a basis for future studies dealing with the impact of climate change in the sub-Antarctic region.