Abstract
Headwater springs in the German Low Mountain Ranges are local ecotone habitats and biogeographical islands embedded in and interlinked with their adjacent landscape. The structure of forests reflects the eco-hydrological conditions in substrate type occurrence, microhabitat richness and biodiversity in forest springs. This study considers effects from different forest land cover by comparing spring habitats in deciduous beech forests and coniferous spruce forests on eco-hydrological structures and biodiversity. Study areas include six different forest landscapes in the Low Mountain Ranges in Central Germany in Hesse and Thuringia. Hydro-morphological structure mapping and invertebrate sampling was executed within a multi-habitat sampling regime, which involves sampling plots being allocated according to the cover ratio of the occurring substrata. Aquatic and terrestrial spring zones are considered with respect to an ecotone approach. Some in situ measurements were implemented, such as pH values, to assess the acidity of the spring water. Results show obvious differences in acidity, substrate type cover ratios and biodiversity in deciduous and coniferous forest springs. Conifer forest springs were found tending to acidification while deciduous forest springs were slightly alkaline. Deciduous forest springs had higher cover ratios of organic microhabitats as well as a higher biodiversity in species richness and total number of individuals. Although it was not possible to clearly distinguish one direct key factor of fauna assemblages, negative effects from forest management practices (e.g. monoculture plantations of conifer forest) on spring habitats can be concluded.
Highlights
Mountainous headwater springs are mostly small water bodies where dominant groundwater occurs at the surface to form an intermittent or permanent discharge influenced by subsurface interflow and overland flow (Frisbee et al 2013)
This study considers effects from different forest land cover by comparing spring habitats in deciduous beech forests and coniferous spruce forests on eco-hydrological structures and biodiversity
13 substrate types are present in deciduous forest and coniferous forest springs
Summary
Mountainous headwater springs are mostly small water bodies where dominant groundwater occurs at the surface to form an intermittent or permanent discharge influenced by subsurface interflow and overland flow (Frisbee et al 2013). Spring habitats are ecotones in two spatial dimensions. Springs are vertical aquatic below-above-groundinterfaces between groundwater and surface water. The springhead can be built of different substrate types that build heterogeneous mosaic-like structures called patches, springs which can be termed patchy ecosystems on the micro scale (Pickett and White 1985). The first quantitative approach for analysing the microhabitat-fauna-relationship in springheads and for calculating ratios of invertebrate substrate preferences regarding the ecotone characteristics was completed by Reiss (2011) and considered mountainous headwater springs in Central Germany
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