Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1007/s10750-008-9632-5
Volltext Shareable Link
Titel (primär) Extreme flood events favour floodplain mollusc diversity
Autor Ilg, C.; Foeckler, F.; Deichner, O.; Henle, K.
Quelle Hydrobiologia
Erscheinungsjahr 2009
Department NSF
Band/Volume 321
Heft 1
Seite von 63
Seite bis 73
Sprache englisch
Keywords Extreme flood; River Elbe; Grassland; Mollusca; Community dynamics
Abstract Floods are fundamental for the maintenance of floodplain biodiversity. As a result, well-functioning floodplains are characterized by a high spatio-temporal heterogeneity. Most floodplain-organisms need this shifting landscape mosaic to fulfil their environmental requirements and display a range of adaptations to survive floods. However, in temperate areas, where winter floods are common, extraordinary floods occurring in summer, a period of high physiological activity, may seriously impact the floodplain fauna. This is especially true for guilds characterized by low mobility, such as molluscs. Here we examined the immediate and longer-term response of Elbe grassland molluscs to the extreme 2002 Elbe summer flood in terms of abundance, diversity, and community composition by comparing pre- and post-flood data collected with identical methods. The flood favoured the colonization of aquatic species and led to a shift of the community towards a more hydrophilic composition. Both diversity and abundance increased significantly in the first year following the flood but decreased later gradually to the pre-flood levels. The high spatio-temporal habitat heterogeneity played an important part in the maintenance of mollusc diversity by increasing refuge opportunities and favouring the maintenance of various mollusc communities with different environmental requirements within the floodplain.
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=285
Ilg, C., Foeckler, F., Deichner, O., Henle, K. (2009):
Extreme flood events favour floodplain mollusc diversity
Hydrobiologia 321 (1), 63 - 73 10.1007/s10750-008-9632-5