Abstract
Beyond the importance of ponds for aquatic and terrestrial life, pond networks seem to be crucial to providing a vital spatial resource in response to global climate change for all migrating and spreading taxa. Additionally, ponds offer sustainable solutions to issues of concern in water management, such as nutrient retention, rainfall interception, or carbon sequestration. Although the ecological role of shallow waters seems clear, significant work must be performed to set future guidelines and actions towards their conservation. The main aims of the present study are to (i) georeference all small temporary wetlands within the Tyrrhenian central Italy coastal area, (ii) evaluate their hydroperiod, and (iii) calculate their surface size variability. We found 137 wetlands, 53 of which were temporary and contained listed habitats. Each wetland’s status was assessed in relation to land use and proximity to stressors (e.g., urban centres, railways, roads) while observing the relationship between pond occurrence, lithology, and permeability. Amongst the detected wetlands, we selected and monitored 21 temporary ponds (homogeneously distributed within the study area) for 12 months using images collected by the non-professional drone Parrot Bebop 2. All images were then acquired in ArcGIS to georeference all temporary ponds. The analysis confirmed that the majority of the surveyed ponds are in close proximity to roads and tracks, which might have significant impacts on the preservation of such fragile habitats. Moreover, despite the wide variability of hydroperiod duration, the greater part of the pools fill with water in autumn and dry in summer, in alignment with the Mediterranean climate. This preliminary study allowed for the creation of the first temporary ponds’ database, which is useful for monitoring their status in central Italy and planning further studies to assess eventual detrimental effects caused by human-mediated activities.
Highlights
Wetlands include several shallow aquatic habitats [1], which are considered amongst the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth [2] and provide diverse services to humankind [3,4].Intermittently flooded wetlands are part of the hydrological landscape worldwide and, even if generally small and shallow, these temporary habitats occur in endorheic depressions located in a diversity of landscapes in which they are isolated from permanent water sources [5]
Temporary wetlands are the main water sources inarid regions and often provide habitats for unique biodiversity, monitoring programmes such as those required by the Water Framework Directive are missing to date
This is surprising since temporary ponds may be considered suitable indicators of environmental modifications related to detrimental effects caused by actual progressive climate changes
Summary
Flooded wetlands are part of the hydrological landscape worldwide and, even if generally small (less than 10 ha) and shallow (no more than six m), these temporary habitats occur in endorheic depressions located in a diversity of landscapes in which they are isolated from permanent water sources [5] Their key feature is the cyclical alternation of dry and wet phases, the latter being sufficiently long to drive the establishment of peculiar biocenosis, [6] thereby contributing strongly to regional biodiversity [7], sometimes even more than large permanent water bodies [8]. Temporary wetlands ensure lag, sink, and source functions [13] that have effects on the physical, chemical, and biological status of downstream waters These habitats take part in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon sequestration [14], denitrification, sediment retention, pesticide transformation, and absorption of phosphorus and other aquatic pollutants [15]. Such functions are enhanced on wetland edges [16] because temporary ponds have disproportionately large perimeters and are more reactive per unit area than other wetlands or adjacent soils and forests [17]
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