Littoral Plant Research Articles

Vegetation Succession for 12 Years in a Pond Created Restoratively.

The Najeoer Pond was created in a rice paddy as a part of a plan to build the National Institute of Ecology. To induce the establishment of various plants, the maximum depth of the pond was 2.0 m, and diverse depths were created with a gentle slope on the pond bed. When introducing vegetation, littoral and emergent vegetation were first introduced to stabilize the space secured for the creation of the pond, whereas the introduction of other vegetation was allowed to develop naturally. In this pond, floating, emergent, wetland, and littoral plants have been established to various degrees, reflecting the water depth and water table. As a result of stand ordination, based on vegetation data obtained from the created Najeoer Pond and a natural lagoon selected as the reference site, the species' composition resembled that of the reference site. Diversity, based on vegetation type, community, and species, tended to be higher than that of the reference site. The proportion of exotic species increased due to the disturbance that occurred during the pond creation process but continued to decrease as the vegetation introduced during the creation of the pond became established. Considering these results comprehensively, the restorative treatment served to increase both the biological integrity and ecological stability of the pond and, thus, achieved the creation goal from the viewpoint of the pond structure.

Limno-geographical characteristics of Sarua Lake, Gorakhpur, India

Lakes have immense ecological, social, cultural and economic value, but eutrophication and siltation in the lake, reduction in area, and depleted water quality have led to a significant deterioration of the lake. This study found the cause-effect relationship between the increasing anthropogenic actions on lake beds to know about the status of lake ecology through limno-geogarphical studies. This study analyzed the spatio-temporal distribution of fifty years, ten types of utility, limno-geographical characteristics (area, average depth, circumference, volume, maximum length, and width), physical quality (EC, pH, TDS, water colour) of lake water lake ecology (TSI), causes and consequences of the deterioration of lake, and stewardship of Sarua Lake in the Gorakhpur district. The ecology of Sarua lake is eutrophic based on Secchi depth due to enter of surface runoff, agricultural runoff which came with a huge amount of nitrate and phosphate and increase the productivity in bottom deposits materials and flourished the immense coverage of littoral plants. The extent of Sarua lake is reduced by 1.65 kilometres squares within 50 years and the average depth decreased by 33 percent within 30 years due to the entry of natural surface runoff and the impact of anthropogenic activities (expansion of human habitat, entering of sewage, expansion of agricultural runoff, reduction of lake extent). These anthropogenic activities generated some opportunities and threats to local livelihoods and altered the social action which was dependent on lake beds from a very primitive time.

Natural Products from Littoral Plants of Ficus septica

Natural Products from Littoral Plants of Ficus septica

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Cultivation Using Vermicompost-Amended Soil as an Aspect of Sustainable Plant Production

To achieve higher yields and maximum plant growth, excessive amounts of inorganic fertilisers are often applied to soils, affecting human and animal health and leading to the degradation of environmental resources. The use of organic fertilisers is proposed as an alternative to mineral fertilisation. One of the more frequently used organic fertilisers is vermicompost, which contains nutrients for plants in readily available forms and is characterised by the slow release of macronutrients and microelements into the soil environment. In a two-year field study, an attempt was made to use vermicompost produced from the waste mass of littoral plants as a soil amendment in the cultivation of garlic (Allium sativum). The experiment was conducted on raised beds with three treatments which were substitution of 10%, 25% and 50% vermicompost (V10, V25 and V50, respectively) to a heavy clay soil (SL), that with no addition acted as a control. Results showed that the 50% vermicompost addition had the most beneficial effect on selected (from a practical point of view) plant traits (e.g., diameter and mean bulb weight, mean number of cloves per bulb and mean clove weight, and mean yield), as well as on the content of macronutrients and microelements in garlic cloves. Lowest values of the analysed traits for A. sativum were found in the SL control group. No significant differences were found for the analysed parameters in the aboveground parts of plants in all the applied substrates.

Sea dispersal potential and colonization of the Galápagos littoral flora

AbstractAimSeed dispersal by oceanic currents (thalassochory) is considered one of the main long‐distance dispersal (LDD) mechanisms for the colonization of oceanic islands by plants. Diaspores of littoral species are often hypothesized to be physiologically adapted to seawater dispersal, favouring interisland colonization. In this study, we experimentally tested the sea dispersal potential of a large proportion of Galápagos littoral flora and explored its correlation with plant distribution across the archipelago. We propose a simple Sea Dispersal Potential index (SDPi) to quantify the thalassochorous potential of any species.LocationGalápagos archipelago.TaxonLittoral angiosperms.MethodsWe combined information on seed floatability (flotation time) and viability experiments (tetrazolium test) into an SDPi for 19 native littoral plants and tested whether increasing dispersal potential is associated with broader interisland distributions. We then tested if the presence of morphological structures related to thalassochory is associated with the functional SDPi.ResultsA relatively low, albeit highly variable, SDPi across Galápagos littoral plant species was found. No correlation was found between SDPi and species distributions. Morphological traits hypothesized to favour sea dispersal are not related to thalassorous potentials to reach closest islands, but they are positively associated with SDPi to reach the farthest islands.Main conclusionsSDPi is shown to be a useful tool to compare the thalassochorous potentials of entire floras in a given geographical context. The low performance of most of the species questions the general assumption that most littoral plants are highly adapted to long‐distance sea dispersal. Our results support the view that island colonization is a multifactorial process and that the use of dispersal syndromes is insufficient to make biogeographical predictions in macroecology studies. Further research should integrate functional indices (e.g., SDPi) with complementary tools (genetics, remote diaspore tracking) to determine the actual drivers of species dispersal and establishment.

Distribution of Ipomoea violacea (Convolvulaceae): patterns, gaps and reports for its occurrence in Brazil and West Tropical Africa

Abstract In 2015 a chance discovery of the beach moon flower in coastal Brazil led to an investigation of the global occurrence, distribution, and abundance of this pantropical littoral plant species. We here document new distribution records for coastal Brazil and West Tropical Africa; postulate a human-mediated long-distance dispersal for this species from the Indo-Pacific to the Atlantic, followed by local distribution via ocean currents; and provide historical context on the name confusion with other species. We also point out the risks inherent in using specimen information available on the internet without adequate verification for the identity of the specimens as a necessary first step.

Using Earthworms Eisenia fetida (Sav.) for Utilization of Expansive Littoral Plants Biomass

This paper presents the results of the process of vermicomposting waste biomass of littoral plants Typha latifolia, Iris pseudacorus, Ceratophyllum demersum in vermireactors, with the use of earthworms Eisenia fetida. It was observed that E. fetida may be used for rapid utilization of pure I. pseudacorus and C. demersum waste, but using the technology presented in this paper and the assumed observation time, it was not possible to recycle T. latifolia waste. Vermicomposts obtained were characterized by higher N, P, K, Ca, and Mg content compared to the initial plant biomass. The content of Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd, and Pb in vermicomposts did not exclude their application as a fertilizer. During vermicomposting of all littoral plants, the earthworm population was maintained up to day 70 of the experiment, with a slight decrease in their number (on average by 6%, p > 0.05), and since day 35, a significant loss in earthworm biomass was observed. The greatest loss of mean sum of biomass (49%, p < 0.05) was noted in a group of earthworms utilizing T. latifolia. The earthworms reproduced, with the greatest mean number (and the sum of biomass) of cocoons observed in a group of earthworms processing C. demersum. These values were greater by 32% and 38% respectively (p < 0.05), for the aforementioned characteristics of cocoons produced in the remaining experimental groups.

Martyno Liudviko Rėzos susirašinėjimas su lietuvių dainų rinkėjais provincijoje

The personal archive of Martin Ludwig Rhesa (1776–1840), who had gathered and prepared the first known collection of Lithuanian songs, contains the letters of two of Rhesa’s respondents from the country – of Enrikas Budrius (1783–1852), teacher of the Brėdausių estate school, and of Wilhelm Ernst Beerbohm (1786–1865), chief inspector of littoral fishing. The archive itself was taken to Königsberg after the Second World War and is today stored in the Manuscript Department of the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. Budrius wrote his letters during 1818–1827 and contained in them songs that he had heard in the Pilupėnų area. He was one of the contributors who had captured the melodies of the songs, which he would hear performed during Lithuanian feasts or other types of gatherings. Budrius has sent more than 20 songs, yet only one – Žvirblytis – was eventually included in the printed collection; Rhesa himself gave a copy to Budrius. The letters contain discussions on Lithuanian songs and their melodies; we see some talks regarding a project to write the Lithuanian history using the Lithuanian language, and there are some personal motives present in the letter as well. Beerbohm, the other respondent, corresponded with Rhesa during the former’s last years, during 1835–1839; these two men were from the same region and had met several times in Königsberg. Beerbohm’s letters contain ample supplementary content – songs and regional vocabularies, fishermen phraseology, Lithuanian names of littoral plants and sea fish, etc. The drawings and schemes of vytinė trading boats and ice fishing, complemented with Lithuanian terms, are the first Lithuanian visual and explanatory dictionaries. Some of these words are not included in any of the Lithuanian dictionaries – not now, and not even then. Each of the respondents have authored a poem dedicated to Rhesa. Budrius wrote his poem in Lithuanian. Four Beerbohm’s letters and three written by Budrius are extant. Judging by the circumstances referred to in the letters, it is possible to state that Rhesa wrote at least four or five letters to these individuals.

Littoral vegetation improves the productivity of drainable fish ponds: Interactive effects of refuge for Daphnia individuals and resting eggs

Management of fish pond farming involves diverse practises aimed at increasing fish productivity, such as polyculture stocks, supplementary artificial feeding, adding nutrients, or drying ponds during winter or summer. Since aquatic vegetation has a positive influence on fish richness and biomass, aquatic plants could also have a positive effect on the fish productivity; however, its role has received little attention. Here, we conducted a study in which the productivity of carp was recorded in two ponds, one vegetated and the other with scarce coverage of aquatic plants. During winter, the ponds are dried, and are filled up with water in the spring. Then two-year-old carps are introduced to allow their growth until autumn when the ponds are drained and the fish harvested. The water used to fill the ponds contains no zooplankton organisms, so crustacean populations appear in the water column through the growth of hatchlings from resting stages deposited in the pond sediment during previous seasons. In order to explain patterns in fish productivity, crustaceans, which constitute an important element in the fish diet, were investigated. Particularly, the dynamics of the crustacean species were estimated during the spring and summer and, since cladoceran species are one of the main preferred preys of carp, body and clutch sizes of Daphnia were measured. Moreover, the density of cladoceran resting eggs in the sediment was estimated after the dry pond was filled, and just before the next pond filling. We found differences between vegetated and non-vegetated ponds. In the pond with aquatic vegetation (1) fish productivity was higher, (2) Daphnia species started to grow significantly earlier, had higher relative abundances, and delayed the population decline, (3) large sized European Daphnia galeata dominated over small sized American Daphnia parvula and Daphnia ambigua, and (4) the cladoceran resting egg bank was less eroded during winter when the ponds were dried. The results of this study indicate that macrophytes are likely to operate as a protection mechanism, not only for individual Daphnia, which keeps higher population densities and larger body sizes despite fish predation, but also protects the resting egg bank. This, in turn, was positively related to carp biomass. Accordingly, we consider that increasing macrophyte coverage should be considered in the management strategies for carp pond farming since littoral plant vegetation may act as a refuge for cladocerans as well as a productive ecotone improving the productivity of fish ponds.

The role of seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, salt marshes and reed beds as nursery areas and food sources for fishes in estuaries

Each year millions of larval and 0+ juvenile fishes are recruited into estuarine fish populations around the world. For several decades the roles of littoral aquatic and emergent macrophyte habitats as nursery areas for many of these species have been studied and debated at length. This review attempts to collate the published literature and provide a synopsis of the varying, and sometimes conflicting, views on this topic. A large number of studies have shown that a range of species and an abundance of juvenile fishes are associated with littoral macrophytes in estuaries, some of which are found almost exclusively within particular plant habitats. Other studies have shown the movement of certain juvenile fishes from one type of littoral plant habitat to another as they grow and develop new feeding strategies and dietary requirements. Overall, it would appear that seagrass beds and mangrove forests are particularly favoured by fishes as nursery areas in both estuaries and the nearshore marine environment, and that the loss of these habitats leads to a decline in juvenile fish diversity and abundance. Salt marshes and reed beds generally have a lower diversity of fishes than seagrass and mangrove habitats, possibly due to the more temperate location of salt marshes and the dense structure of some reed beds. Stable isotope studies in particular are providing increasing evidence that carbon assimilated by juvenile fishes in mangrove, marsh and reed habitats is not primarily derived from these macrophytes but comprises a mixture of these sources and a diverse range of macro- and microalgae, particularly epiphytic, epipsammic, epipelic and epilithic diatoms and algae found in these areas. The closest trophic link between the macrophyte food chain and associated fishes occurs in seagrass habitats where a significant portion of the overall macrophyte leaf biomass often consists of epiphytic algae and diatoms. Structurally, mangrove forests, salt marshes and reed beds provide more substantial and complex habitats for juvenile fish refuge, but some of these habitats are constrained with regard to nursery provision by being fully exposed at low tide. Under such circumstances the small fish are sometimes forced into creeks and channels where larger piscivorous fishes are often present. Overall, in terms of a broad ranking of the four habitats as potential fish nursery areas, seagrass meadows are ranked first, followed by mangrove forests, salt marshes and then reed beds. This ranking does not imply that the lower ranked habitats are unimportant, since these plants perform a myriad of ecosystem services that are not related to the provision of fish nursery areas, e.g. bank stabilization. It is also emphasized that the protection of specific plant species should not be encouraged because it is important to have an ecosystem approach to conservation so that the diversity of habitats and their connectivity for fishes is maintained.

Accumulation of Cd and Pb in water, sediment and two littoral plants (Phragmites australis, Typha angustifolia) of freshwater ecosystem

Abstract Cd and Pb concentrations were measured in water, sediment and plant organs collected from selective sites located along the Bogdanka river (Poznań, Poland) in the 2012 growing season. The aim of the investigations was to monitor changes in heavy metal (HM) concentrations in different media over the periods, as well as to evaluate potential of two littoral plants, Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia, for phytoremediation under natural conditions. Investigations revealed differences in HM concentrations in water and sediments. Higher values were observed in sediments than in water. The decrease in concentrations of both HMs in sediments was noted in two of the three selected water reservoirs during growing seasons, which suggests the possibility of their adsorption and accumulation by aquatic plants. Both investigated plant species accumulated ample amount of Cd and Pb in underground and aboveground plant tissues, however T. angustifolia revealed higher Cd translocation potential than P. australis. The latter revealed higher Pb accumulation in two lakes. Moreover, the translocation ratio was usually higher in spring, especially for Pb, in both plant species. Increasing level of pollution load index in sediment along the Bogdanka watercourse indicates accumulation of measured HMs.

English

Bathymetric survey and mapping are important procedures for monitoring temporal changes in hydrogeomorphic characteristics of lakes. This study is the first ever carried out on the lakes, and as such provides relevant baseline information for current use and future studies. The studied lakes (Gwakra, Geriyo, Pariya-Ribadu and Pariya) were purposively selected for the study on the basis of size and relevance. The bathymetric survey was conducted by sounding rod method. Preparation of the Bathymetric Maps involved the application of GIS procedures. Morphometric parameters of the lakes were determined from prepared maps by direct measurements and mathematical computations using appropriate formulae. Information derived from the prepared maps revealed that the lakes are characterized by gentle Basin Slope and almost uniform bottom morphologies with slight ruggedness. Maximum Lengths of the lakes ranged from 0.89 (Pariya) to 3.14 m (Geriyo), while Maximum Widths ranged from 0.34 (Pariya) to 1.52 m (Gwakra). The lakes were also found to be generally shallow with mean dry season depths ranging from 0.40 to 1.33 m and volumes ranging from 0.17 to 1.12 mcm. The lakes were characterized by low Indices of Basin Permanence (0.04 to 0.27), indicating senescence and dominance by littoral plants. Relative depths were also very low (0.07 to 0.42), indicating high propensity of water mixing and circulation of dissolved Oxygen adequate enough to support biological productivity. Thus, the lakes are recommended for substantial fish farming and livestock production in the area.  Proper management involving temporal morphological assessment of the lakes based on this study is also recommended for sustainable use.   Key words: Fluviatile lakes, hydrographic survey, bathymetric mapping, lake morphometric characteristics.

Pollen, biomarker and stable isotope evidence of late Quaternary environmental change at Lake McKenzie, southeast Queensland

Unravelling links between climate change and vegetation response during the Quaternary is important if the climate–environment interactions of modern systems are to be fully understood. Using a sediment core from Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island, we reconstruct changes in the lake ecosystem and surrounding vegetation over the last ca. 36.9 cal kyr. Evidence is drawn from multiple sources, including pollen, micro-charcoal, biomarker and stable isotope (C and N) analyses, and is used to gain a better understanding of the nature and timing of past ecological changes that have occurred at the site. The glacial period of the record, from ca. 36.9 to 18.3 cal kyr BP, is characterised by an increased abundance of plants of the aquatic and littoral zone, indicating lower lake water levels. High abundance of biomarkers and microfossils of the colonial green alga Botryococcus occurred at this time and included large variation in individual botryococcene δ13C values. A slowing or ceasing of sediment accumulation occurred during the time period from ca. 18.3 to 14.0 cal kyr BP. By around 14.0 cal kyr BP fire activity in the area was reduced, as was abundance of littoral plants and terrestrial herbs, suggesting wetter conditions from that time. The Lake McKenzie pollen record conforms to existing records from Fraser Island by containing evidence of a period of reduced effective precipitation that commenced in the mid-Holocene.

Interim Responses of Littoral River Channel Vegetation to Reestablished Flow after Phase I of the Kissimmee River Restoration Project

AbstractMeasurements of littoral vegetation stands and species‐level surveys of associated plant communities were made in channels of the Kissimmee River from 1998 through 2008, a period that spanned channelized, non‐flowing conditions through 7 years of near‐continuous reestablished flow. Dissected by flood control canal C‐38 in 1971, the river was virtually without flow until early 2001, when Phase I of the Kissimmee River Restoration Project (KRRP) reestablished flow to a central section of river channel. This study evaluated the effects of reestablished flow on littoral vegetation in river channels as an indicator of system status and progress toward the project goal of ecological integrity. Predictions of vegetation response to reestablished flow included reduction in the width of vegetation stands, and changes in the growth‐form composition of littoral stands from near‐equal dominance by floating and emergent species to overwhelming dominance by emergent growth forms. Variables included plant cover by species and growth‐form, width of vegetation stands, and vegetated percentage of channel. Under the currently incomplete (interim) status of the KRRP, results for littoral vegetation stands indicate trends in the predicted directions of change, and three of four predicted changes have occurred. Vegetation stand widths decreased substantially and littoral plant communities became heavily dominated by emergent species; BACIPS (before‐after‐control‐impact‐paired series) analyses indicated significant restoration effects for most littoral stand metrics.

Ostracod Assemblages in Relation to Littoral Plant Communities of a Shallow Lake (Lake Świdwie, Poland)

AbstractThe aims of this study included: specifying values of ecological parameters and Ostracoda species characteristic for different types of plant habitats occurring in lake systems, determining the impact of mud presence on the taxonomic structure and density of the ostracods, tracing seasonal changes in the structures of Ostracoda assemblages identifying the species typical of particular seasons. Various types of rushes and underwater meadows were taken into consideration as lake microhabitats. The research was conducted in the shallow Lake Œwidwie (NW Poland). Multivariate (constrained) ordination methods were used to analyse the relationships between species composition and environmental variables. In the lake and its margins 31 species of the Ostracoda were identified. The development of water vegetation during the vegetation season was conducive to growth in ostracod density. The accessibility of mud in plant habitats had a favourable effect on the general density of ostracods. Species which preferred a high mud content in their habitats included: Cypria ophtalmica, C. exsculpta and Physocypria kraepelini. Species typically encountered in underwater meadow habitats were: Cyclocypris ovum and Cypridopsis vidua. Underwater meadows of charophyte were characterized by the highest ostracod density in the whole lake system, with the average of 7860 ind. m–2 and the maximum of 17 470 ind. m–2. Species typically encountered in rush habitats included Notodromas monacha, Dolerocypris fasciata and Metacypris cordata. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Changes in abiotic characteristics of water in the Paranapanema River and three lateral lagoons at mouth zone of the Jurumirim Reservoir during the flood period, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Floods increase the similarity of the abiotic water characteristics of the rivers with those of the surrounding floodplains and are the main factors that influence the ecosystem dynamics. The aim of this paper was to examine the alterations in abiotic characteristics of the Paranapanema River and three lateral lagoons with different degrees of connectivity to the river during the flood period. Samplings were performed twice a week during a three-month period. Water quality in the Camargo and Coqueiral lagoons, connected to the Paranapanema River, presented patterns of variation similar to those of the lotic ecosystem, evidenced by the principal component analysis. In Cavalos Lagoon, changes in water quality were observed in all the environments, such as a function of dilution after the water level increased and greater nutrients resulting from littoral plant decomposition after submersion. In conclusion, the marginal lagoons and river were influenced by two anthropogenic actions: water storage in a dam reservoir, which acted like a buffer against hydrological pulses, and the widening of the channel uniting Camargo Lagoon with the river, changing the connectivity level and causing an ever-greater similarity of the lagoon with the lotic system.

Macrofossils in Raraku Lake (Easter Island) integrated with sedimentary and geochemical records: towards a palaeoecological synthesis for the last 34,000 years

Macrofossil analysis of a composite 19 m long sediment core from Rano Raraku Lake (Easter Island) was related to litho-sedimentary and geochemical features of the sediment. Strong stratigraphical patterns are shown by indirect gradient analyses of the data. The good correspondence between the stratigraphical patterns derived from macrofossil (Correspondence Analysis) and sedimentary and geochemical data (Principal Component Analysis) shows that macrofossil associations provide sound palaeolimnological information in conjunction with sedimentary data. The main taphonomic factors influencing the macrofossil assemblages are run-off from the catchment, the littoral plant belt, and the depositional environment within the basin. Five main stages during the last 34,000 calibrated years BP (cal yr BP) are characterised from the lithological, geochemical, and macrofossil data. From 34 to 14.6 cal kyr BP (last glacial period) the sediments were largely derived from the catchment, indicating a high energy lake environment with much erosion and run-off bringing abundant plant trichomes, lichens, and mosses into the centre of Raraku Lake. During the early Holocene the infilling of the lake basin and warmer conditions favoured the growth of a littoral plant belt that obstructed terrigenous input. Cladoceran remains and Solanaceae seeds are indicative of reduced run-off and higher values of N and organic C indicate increased aquatic and catchment productivity. From 8.7 to 4.5 cal kyr BP a swamp occupied the entire basin. The increase of Cyperaceae seeds reflects this swamp development and, with oribatid mites and coleopteran remains, indicates a peaty environment and more anoxic conditions in Raraku. At around 4.5 cal kyr BP dry conditions prevented peat growth and there is a sedimentary hiatus. About 800 cal yr BP, peat deposition resumed. Finally, in the last few centuries, a small lake formed within the surrounding swamp. Evidence of human activity is recorded in these uppermost sediments.

A Ramsar wetland in crisis - the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth, Australia

The state of global freshwater ecosystems is increasingly parlous with water resource development degrading high-conservation wetlands. Rehabilitation is challenging because necessary increases in environmental flows have concomitant social impacts, complicated because many rivers flow between jurisdictions or countries. Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin is a large river basin with such problems encapsulated in the crisis of its Ramsar-listed terminal wetland, the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth. Prolonged drought and upstream diversion of water dropped water levels in the Lakes below sea level (2009–2010), exposing hazardous acid sulfate soils. Salinities increased dramatically (e.g. South Lagoon of Coorong >200 g L–1, cf. modelled natural 80 g L–1), reducing populations of waterbirds, fish, macroinvertebrates and littoral plants. Calcareous masses of estuarine tubeworms (Ficopomatus enigmaticus) killed freshwater turtles (Chelidae) and other fauna. Management primarily focussed on treating symptoms (e.g. acidification), rather than reduced flows, at considerable expense (>AU$2 billion). We modelled a scenario that increased annual flows during low-flow periods from current levels up to one-third of what the natural flow would have been, potentially delivering substantial environmental benefits and avoiding future crises. Realisation of this outcome depends on increasing environmental flows and implementing sophisticated river management during dry periods, both highly contentious options.

Littoral and sub-littoral habitats of Jervis Bay.

Jervis Bay is a large deep open embayment with a shoreline consisting predominantly of long sandy beaches and intervening rocky outcrops. Although at least ten creeks enter the Bay, only six are of any significance. The total catchment is very small (400 km²) when compared to the large water area (102 km²). Fluvial sediments are confined to the upper portions of the creeks, while marine sands dominate in the majority of habitats including the creek entrances, beaches and Subtidal areas. Littoral and sub-littoral plant communities are found on the rim of shallowly sandy beaches and rocky foreshores, as well as in the shallow estuarine environment of the creeks. This paper deals with these plant communities, which are important as fish nursery and feeding areas. The principal plant communities to be considered here are the shallow rocky reef algae, seagrasses, mangroves and saltmarshes.

Cadmium and Lead Accumulation in Two Littoral Plants of Five Lakes in Poznan, Poland

Cadmium and Lead Accumulation in Two Littoral Plants of Five Lakes in Poznan, Poland