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Title: | A preliminary appraisal of phylogenetic patterns as a tool for long-term monitoring of plant communities in temporary freshwater rockpools |
Authors: | Lanfranco, Sandro Grima, Claire Galea, Lara |
Keywords: | Freshwater ecology -- Mediterranean Region Plant communities -- Mediterranean Region Phylogeny Evolution (Biology) Environmental management -- Mediterranean Region Aquatic herbicides -- Environmental aspects Freshwater plants -- Mediterranean Region Aquatic weeds -- Control |
Issue Date: | 2016 |
Publisher: | Springer International Publishing Switzerland |
Citation: | Lanfranco, S., Grima, C., & Galea, L. (2016). A preliminary appraisal of phylogenetic patterns as a tool for long-term monitoring of plant communities in temporary freshwater rockpools. Hydrobiologia, 782(1), 201-209. |
Abstract: | We propose the use of phylogenetic patterns as a tool for monitoring long-term change in plant community structure in small temporary pools, as an alternative to the compilation of species lists across years. This was tested using forty temporary pools from four pool landscapes in Malta. These were followed between November 2014 and April 2015. Each pool was sectored into ‘Aquatic’, ‘Ecotone’ and ‘Terrestrial zones’ and the species present in each zone were recorded. All species data from a landscape were collated by zone, and the net relatedness index (NRI) for the species assemblages in each zone calculated using PHYLOCOM software. The NRI was positive in the ‘Terrestrial’ zones, and negative in the ‘Aquatic’ zones. The ‘Ecotone’ zones followed no discernible pattern. The results suggest that calculating the NRI of plant assemblages in different hydrological zones, and using these phylogenetic ‘signatures’ as a comparative baseline, would be a feasible addition to long-term monitoring programmes for the early detection of long-term environmental changes such as those arising from climatic changes. |
URI: | https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/42043 |
Appears in Collections: | Scholarly Works - FacSciBio |
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13 Hydrobiologia 2016 A preliminary appraisal of phylogenetic patterns as a tool.pdf Restricted Access | 499.61 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open Request a copy |
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