Assessing the conservation value of waterbodies: the example of the Loire floodplain (France)

In recent decades, two of the main management tools used to stem biodiversity erosion have been biodiversity monitoring and the conservation of natural areas. However, socio-economic pressure means that it is not usually possible to preserve the entire landscape, and so the rational prioritisation of sites has become a crucial issue. In this context, and because floodplains are one of the most threatened ecosystems, we propose a statistical strategy for evaluating conservation value, and used it to prioritise 46 waterbodies in the Loire floodplain (France). We began by determining a synthetic conservation index of fish communities (Q) for each waterbody. This synthetic index includes a conservation status index, an origin index, a rarity index and a richness index. We divided the waterbodies into 6 clusters with distinct structures of the basic indices. One of these clusters, with high Q median value, indicated that 4 waterbodies are important for fish biodiversity conservation. Conversely, two clusters with low Q median values included 11 waterbodies where restoration is called for. The results picked out high connectivity levels and low abundance of aquatic vegetation as the two main environmental characteristics of waterbodies with high conservation value. In addition, assessing the biodiversity and conservation value of territories using our multi-index approach plus an a posteriori hierarchical classification methodology reveals two major interests: (i) a possible geographical extension and (ii) a multi-taxa adaptation

Macrophytes: Ecology of aquatic plants

Aquatic plants contribute to maintaining key functions and related biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems, and to provide the needs of human societies. The way the ecological niches of macrophytes are determined by abiotic filters and biotic ones is considered. A simple, broadly applicable model of the distribution of growth forms according to abiotic filters is proposed. The consequence for the dynamics of plant communities and the main threats to macrophyte occurrence and diversity are discussed. Key concepts: Macrophytes contribute to maintaining key functions and related biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems, and to provide the needs of human societies. Most aquatic species are phylogenetically descended from terrestrial plants that have later adapted to aquatic life. Water plants are usually poorly lignified, as water preserves plants from gravitational stress, and are characterized by the presence of aerenchyma, which increases oxygen flux from shoots to roots, and by a large leaf surface, together with a thin cuticle, which increase contact with water and carbon uptake. Macrophyte dispersal relies partly on water drift, and thus on seed buoyancy and on the ability of plants to break themselves up and regrow from broken dispersed fragments, and partly on endozoochory by animals (mainly birds). In freshwater ecosystems, the production, community composition and life-history traits of macrophytes are governed by the availability of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous. Water movements (waves, flow velocity) tend to select streamlined or prostrate growth forms, and contribute to the dispersal of seeds and vegetative propagules. Moderate disturbances (by floods or drawdowns) decrease biotic interactions in aquatic plant communities and as a consequence favour biodiversity and decrease successional rate. Free-floating and tall species with floating leaves are the most competitive for light, and usually dominate macrophyte communities when nutrient levels in the water are sufficiently high. In the framework of global change, eutrophication of freshwaters, together with decreases in natural disturbance regimes in river floodplains, increases in groundwater abstraction and the increase of temperature may all contribute in decreasing macrophyte biodiversity by favouring competitive and invasive species, to the detriment of ruderal, stress-tolerant poorly competitive ones.