The Role of Vegetation in Freshwater Ecology

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2024 | Viewed by 726

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Department of Hydraulics and Hydrology, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, CZ-166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
Interests: applied hydrology; small catchment studies; water resources control; forest and water relationships; acid rain consequences
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MIGAL-Scientific Research Institute, Tel-Hai Academic College, P.O. Box 831, Kiryat Shmone 11016, Israel
Interests: Kinneret; Hula Valley; limnology; wetlands ecology; freshwater plankton and fish ecology; lake and watershed management
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Faculty of Land & Food Systems, Land-Water Systems Program (MLWS), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6L1Y2, Canada
Interests: watershed analysis; land/water interactions; non-point sources of pollution and cumulative effects; water and soil quality; land degradation processes and watershed rehabilitation; adaptation processes; climate variability and water conservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Both terrestrial and aquatic vegetation play important roles in the ecology of surface waters. In modern societies, the decline of traditional beliefs has increased the role of legislature in controlling natural capital. However, incorrect land use and the related deterioration of freshwater systems has led to a wide range of recent ecological and human crises. This Special Issue puts forward a multidisciplinary approach to address the relationships between changes in the soil–vegetation complex and water phenomena at the catchment scale, in catchments and lakes, and in environmental services. Research and review papers dealing with these problems, especially those related to ecology, hydrology, and biogeochemistry, are of interest. In particular, the results of long-term catchment field studies, the assessment of the ecological status of stream and lake water bodies, and examples of effective environmental services in catchments, with special concern paid to downstream impacts, are welcome. The prognosis of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies are also of interest. This Special Issue will serve also to promote innovative observation techniques (automatic systems, remote sensing, etc.) and methodologies (environmental indicators, climate change mitigation, etc.), and their applications in stakeholder conversations, the decision making process, and catchment planning.

Dr. Josef Křeček
Prof. Dr. Moshe Gophen
Prof. Dr. Hans Schreier
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • vegetation
  • freshwater
  • ecology
  • catchment
  • climate change

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4013 KiB  
Article
Water Composition, Biomass, and Species Distribution of Vascular Plants in Lake Agmon-Hula (LAH) (1993–2023) and Nearby Surroundings: A Review
by Moshe Gophen
Water 2024, 16(10), 1450; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16101450 - 19 May 2024
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Abstract
A significant change to the land cover in the Hula Valley was carried out during the 1950s: A swampy area densely covered by aquatic vegetation and the old shallow lake Hula were drained. The natural shallow lake and swamps land cover were converted [...] Read more.
A significant change to the land cover in the Hula Valley was carried out during the 1950s: A swampy area densely covered by aquatic vegetation and the old shallow lake Hula were drained. The natural shallow lake and swamps land cover were converted into agricultural development land use in two stages: (1) Drainage that was accomplished in 1957; (2) Implementation of the renovated hydrological system structure, including the newly created shallow Lake Agmon-Hula (LAH), was completed in 2007. The long-term data record of the restored diversity of the submerged and emerged aquatic plant community, and its relation to water quality in the newly created shallow Lake Agmon-Hula LAH, was statistically evaluated. Internal interactions within the LAH ecosystem between aquatic plants and water quality, including nitrification, de-nitrification, sedimentation, photosynthetic intensity, and plant biomass and nutrient composition, were statistically evaluated. The plant community in LAH maintains a seasonal growth cycle of onset during late spring–summer and dieback accompanied by decomposed degradation during fall–early winter. The summer peak of aquatic plant biomass and consequent enhancement of photosynthetic intensity induces a pH increase during daytime and carbonate precipitation. Nevertheless, the ecosystem is aerobic and sulfate reduction and H2S concentration are negligible. The Hula reclamation project (HP) is aimed at the improvement of eco-tourism’s integration into management design. The vegetation research confirms habitat enrichment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Vegetation in Freshwater Ecology)
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13 pages, 8052 KiB  
Article
Research on Multi-Factor Effects of Nitrogen Loss in Slope Runoff
by Lei Wang, Na Wang, Qing Zhang, Jiajun Wu, Shilei Wang, Min Pang, Jifeng Wang, Chao Zhou, Yehui Han, Zhixin Yang and Liang Jin
Water 2024, 16(10), 1431; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16101431 - 17 May 2024
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Abstract
To study the characteristics of nitrogen (N) loss on slopes, different vegetation (bare soil, alfalfa), slopes (5°, 10°, 15°), and rainfall intensities (40, 60, 80 mm/h) were set as variable factors in simulated rainfall experiments. Surface runoff accounts for 60.38–96.16% of total runoff [...] Read more.
To study the characteristics of nitrogen (N) loss on slopes, different vegetation (bare soil, alfalfa), slopes (5°, 10°, 15°), and rainfall intensities (40, 60, 80 mm/h) were set as variable factors in simulated rainfall experiments. Surface runoff accounts for 60.38–96.16% of total runoff and most N loss (57.69–88.67% of NO3-N). Alfalfa can reduce average concentrations of N loss in runoff and reduce N loss in surface runoff by more than 48.29%, as well as subsurface runoff by 3.8%. Average N loss in subsurface runoff exceeds that of surface runoff. Rainfall intensity most affects N loss from surface runoff in bare soil conditions, and slope most affects N loss in subsurface runoff. Rainfall intensity in alfalfa treatments most influences runoff volume and N loss. The comprehensive effects of rainfall intensity, slope, and vegetation cover on the total loss of various forms of nitrogen in surface runoff can be described using a linear correlation equation, with a correlation coefficient between 0.84 and 0.91. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Vegetation in Freshwater Ecology)
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