Google
 

Back to Contents

 

Pak. J. Bot., 44(3): 949-954, 2012.

FREE FULL TEXT PDF

  Back to Contents
   

 

  Updated: 05-05-12

 

 

THE EFFECTS OF DISTURBANCE EVENTS ON THE SUBMERGED BRYOPHYTE VEGETATION IN THE STREAMS OF THE TATRA MOUNTAINS SLOVAKIA

 

ŠOLTÉS RUDOLF*, ČERVINKOVÁ DANA, GURA ONDREJ AND CIRIAKOVÁ ANNA

 

Abstract: Submerged bryophytes are often important constituents of stream vegetation. Almost the whole area of the Tatra mountains (The West Carpathians, 28 streams) has been surveyed by a large number of sampling sites (78) at altitudes between 639 - 2002 m a.s.l. The lower parts of the streams are mostly the areas with disturbance events - roads, clearings, built up areas, avalanche sites, bark beetles infection, wind-thrown trees and ski resorts. Conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, redox potential, chemical oxygen demand, calcium carbonate, nitrates, ammonia and  chlorides were plotted as ordination axes, for their ecological interpretation, disturbance events were plotted onto CCA ordination diagram. Only bryophytes recorded ≥3 times in the streams have been submitted to ordination analyses: Scapania undulata (L.) Dumort., Brachythecium rivulare B. S. G., Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw., Hygrohypnum luridum (Hedw.) Jenn., Hygrohypnum ochraceum (Wilson) Loeske, Palustriella commutata (Hedw.) Ochyra and Platyhypnidium riparioides (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. Correlation between disturbance events and bryophytes was seen, shown by Canonical Correspondence Analysis CCA. In the term of heavy metal accumulation, the aquatic bryoflora is relatively well investigated, this is not true in terms of nutrient preferences or tolerances. This is why we have decided to fill this knowledge gap. We have found, that natural and anthropogenic disturbance events result in extra input of nutrients.

 


University of Žilina, Institute of High Mountain Biology, 059 56 Tatranská Javorina, Slovakia

*Corresponding author‘s e-mail: rudolf.soltes@uniza.sk;, tel. fax +421 52 449 9108


   
   

 

   
Back to Contents  

 

  Back to Contents