Abstract

Understanding landscape correlates of local habitat integrity and community structure and the identification of spatial scales at which these associations operate are relevant for management and conservation of unique but globally threatened temporary ponds. We use a multivariate variance decomposition approach to determine taxon-specific associations of zooplankton communities banked in dry pond soils (rotifers, cladocerans, copepods) with local habitat features and landscape characteristics across four spatial scales (100 buffer strip, 1, 5, and 10 km scales). Results show similar degrees of correlation between rotifer and cladoceran communities with local habitat conditions (chiefly water quality). This is interpreted according to life-history traits of component species of wetland propagule banks. Associations with landscape features varied between communities with rotifers correlating with landscape structural features only at the buffer scale while cladocerans showed no significant correlations with landscape characteristics across all scales. Copepods were neither significantly associated with local nor landscape characteristics. The results of this study contrast strikingly with our previous population-based study, where populations of Triops cancriformis and Branchinecta orientales were significantly correlated with landuse features at the broadest scale. The combined results suggest that a three-way management scheme could be useful for conservation of zooplankton resting egg banks in this remnant wetland complex. These schemes could focus on the restoration of wetland water quality, the establishment of vegetated buffer strips around the ponds to counteract degradation resulting from runoff, and reforestation and/or the creation of hedgerows in agricultural catchments to avoid impacts resulting from broad-scale diffuse pollution fluxes.

Keywords

Landscape ecology; Agricultural catchments; Propagule banks; Invertebrates; Community structure; Environmental management

Published in

Biodiversity and Conservation
2009, Volume: 18, number: 9, pages: 2373–2386

SLU Authors

• Angeler, David

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • University of Castilla-La Mancha

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss


UKÄ Subject classification

Fish and Aquacultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-009-9594-6

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/27789