Invasion increasing risk of Al Jawahir Wadi lentic habitats by 'Pistia stratiotes' L. (North-Central Morocco)

Abdelmajid Khabbach,Abdeslam Ennabili,Mohamed Libiad

doi:10.5209/bocm.64280

Abdelmajid Khabbach, Abdeslam Ennabili + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.5209/bocm.64280

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Journal: Botanica Complutensis	Publication Date: Oct 28, 2019
Citations: 3	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University

Abstract

Draining of wetlands and their inadequate planning contribute greatly to the decline of hygrophilous vegetation. The arrival of invasive hygrophilous species, as noted recently for Pistia stratiotes L. in Al Jawahir Wadi (North Central Morocco) could also aggravate this situation. Surveys carried out in the watershed of this river show that P. stratiotes form spontaneous communities over a river-length of 10 km, twice of that reported in 2012, in spite of measures taken to limit its spread. Plants description on the basis of vegetative and reproductive criteria ascertains the permanent presence of this species upstream of the wadi, and reveals a succession of factors causing its intermittent suffocation downstream, including hydrological and planning hazards, and water pollution. The decontamination endeavors of Al Jawahir River and the exceptional propagating power of this species would represent a real threat to local water bodies for long.

Highlights

Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L., Araceae) is the only surviving species of the Pistia genus (Evans 2013)
P. stratiotes is a pantropical species with uncertain geographical origin, and it could come from the Gondwana origin (E.P.P.O. 2017; Rodríguez-Merino et al 2017; I.U.C.N. 2019)
Pistia is apparently grazed by livestock and is only present in scattered individuals, sometimes rooted in mud as a result of intermittent flooding (Fig. 6)

Summary

Introduction

Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L., Araceae) is the only surviving species of the Pistia genus (Evans 2013). P. stratiotes is a pantropical species with uncertain geographical origin (probably native to South America or Africa), and it could come from the Gondwana origin (E.P.P.O. 2017; Rodríguez-Merino et al 2017; I.U.C.N. 2019). The distribution of this species currently includes about 100 countries between latitudes 40°S-40°N, or beyond latitude 60°N for the North America.

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