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Macro‐floral assemblages in upland Welsh streams in relation to acidity, and their importance to invertebrates
Author(s) -
ORMEROD S. J.,
WADE K. R.,
GEE A. S.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
freshwater biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2427
pISSN - 0046-5070
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1987.tb01339.x
Subject(s) - streams , invertebrate , moss , ecology , algae , biology , flora (microbiology) , botany , fauna , computer network , genetics , bacteria , computer science
SUMMARY 1. Macro‐flora (angiosperms. bryophytes and macroscopic algae) and macroinvertebrates were sampled in 1984 at eighty‐eight sites on soft‐water streams in upland Wales. Assemblage patterns were related to stream chemistry using TWINSPAN, DECORANA and multiple discriminant analysis. 2. Floral assemblages could be related most strongly to pH and aluminium concentration, with Scapania undulata, Nardia compressa and filamentous chlorophytes characterizing streams of mean pH5.2–5.8, whilst Fontinalis squamosa occurred mostly at pH 5.6–6.2 and Lemanea at pH 5.8–7.0. We propose an indicator system based on thesetaxa. 3. Assemblages of invertebrates and flora concorded highly significantly, sites with Scapania and Nardia holding impoverished faunas. Because some acid sensitive invertebrates (e.g. Ecdyonurus and Ancylus ) can feed from acid tolerant plants (e.g. Scapania ), we hypothesize that they are restricted physiologically from acid streams.