Publication details
Distribution and diversity of littoral macroinvertebrates within extensive reed beds of a lowland pond
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2010 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Ecology |
| Keywords | reed beds; aquatic macroinvertebrates; horizontal gradient; pond littoral |
| Description | Reed beds (Phragmites australis) form a frequent vegetation type in littoral zones of stagnant waters in central Europe and create an important living space for many aquatic macroinvertebrates. In this study, the spatial distribution of macroinvertebrates was studied within a large reed bed at the Nesyt fishpond (South Moravia, Czech Republic). The macroinvertebrate community has changed gradually along the investigated horizontal gradient, whereas in the reed bed parts near the open water, there were more abundant water bugs, larvae of mayflies, dragonflies and caddisflies, leeches and water mites. On the other side, gastropods, some oligochaetes, water slaters, aquatic beetles, larvae of Tanypodinae and other dipteran larvae preferred shallow dense interior of reed beds nearer to the shore. Most of the captured animals belonged to detritovores or periphyton grazers and predators, which were more abundant in the interior of dense reed beds, while less abundant ectoparasites were more common in the marginal part of reed beds. |
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