Svitok Marek, Zelnik Igor, Bubíková Kateřina, Germ Mateja, Gaberščik Alenka, Kochjarová Judita, Oťaheľová Helena, Paľove-Balang Peter, Hrivnák Richard
Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia.
Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Center of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Mar 6;16:1536731. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1536731. eCollection 2025.
Freshwaters are among the most threatened ecosystems globally, with biodiversity declining at far greater rates than the biodiversity of the most affected terrestrial ecosystems. There is an urgent need for accurate information on spatial patterns of freshwater biodiversity, a first step in effective conservation planning and management of these ecosystems. We explored patterns of aquatic macrophyte diversity in four waterbody types, rivers, streams, ponds and ditches, across three Central European regions. By analyzing local (α), among-site (β) and regional (γ) diversity, we assessed the roles of these ecosystems as biodiversity hotspots, particularly for red-listed species. Sampling 220 sites across Slovakia and Slovenia, we recorded 113 macrophyte taxa (31% of which were red-listed), with ponds and ditches consistently supporting higher α and γ diversity than running waters. β diversity was primarily driven by species turnover, with ponds displaying high heterogeneity linked to environmental variability. Our findings highlight the conservation value of artificial habitats like ditches and ponds, harbouring significant macrophyte diversity, including unique and threatened species. These results underscore the need to prioritize small waterbodies in biodiversity conservation strategies within agricultural landscapes.
淡水是全球受威胁最严重的生态系统之一，其生物多样性下降速度远远超过受影响最严重的陆地生态系统。迫切需要有关淡水生物多样性空间格局的准确信息，这是对这些生态系统进行有效保护规划和管理的第一步。我们探索了中欧三个地区四种水体类型（河流、溪流、池塘和沟渠）中水生植物的多样性模式。通过分析局部（α）、站点间（β）和区域（γ）多样性，我们评估了这些生态系统作为生物多样性热点地区的作用，特别是对于列入红色名录的物种。我们在斯洛伐克和斯洛文尼亚的220个地点进行采样，记录了113种大型植物分类群（其中31%被列入红色名录），池塘和沟渠始终比流水支持更高的α和γ多样性。β多样性主要由物种更替驱动，池塘表现出与环境变异性相关的高度异质性。我们的研究结果突出了沟渠和池塘等人工栖息地的保护价值，这些栖息地拥有丰富的大型植物多样性，包括独特和受威胁的物种。这些结果强调了在农业景观的生物多样性保护策略中优先考虑小型水体的必要性。
