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Dryad

Area, connectivity and plant life strategy diversity and abundance in temporary ponds of Southeastern Carpathians (Romania, Europe)

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Feb 04, 2023 version files 80.96 KB

Abstract

We used this dataset to determine whether area and connectivity of temporary ponds can predict plant species diversity, and the diversity and abundance of different plant life histories within the ponds. The studied system is located in the Ciuc Basin of the Southeastern Carpathian Mountains, Romania.  We collected data on the macrophyte species diversity of 28 temporary ponds between 2006-2009. Plant species identified in the ponds were assigned into one of the social behaviour types proposed by Borhidi (1995), which describe plant-habitat interactions within a framework extended from Grime’s evolutionary life strategies (Grime 1988), as follows: competitors, stress tolerants (generalists or specialists) and ruderals (natural pioneers i.e., plants of habitats disturbed by natural factors, and plants of habitats disturbed by human factors, classified as either: disturbance tolerants, native weeds, naturalised crops, adventitious weeds, ruderal competitors, alien competitors). We expressed species diversity as observed species richness (total number of species) and Shannon diversity index, and abundance as cumulative vegetation cover, calculated for each pond and for each social behaviour type separately. We calculated pond area using the short and long axis of the ellipse that best approximated the pond shape. Pond connectivity with the Olt river was defined as the pond present and respectively past (preceding river regulation) geographic distance from the Olt river, measured between the pond GPS coordinate and the nearest point of the river.