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Ten-year dynamics of vegetation in a Mediterranean temporary pool in western Morocco

  • POND CONSERVATION
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Abstract

The aim of this work was to test the hypotheses that the species composition of the vegetation of one pool in Morocco change continuously along with rainfall fluctuations, that among the vegetation can be recognized Pool species and Opportunistic species with distinct dynamics in time. We expected the Pool species to show lower inter-annual variation than the Opportunistic species. This hypothesis was tested in a 10-year study of the species composition of the vegetation along two permanent transects. The results showed high cumulative species richness (95 species) with large differences between years and a predominance of annual species (77). The proportion of Pool species during these 10 years was low (39%) when compared to opportunists (61%). In dry years the Opportunistic species were dominant and declined during wet years. The number of Pool species was correlated with the amount of rainfall. A large number of these species revealed a preference for wet years. No negative interaction between annuals/perennials and pools/non-pools species was found, suggesting that competition was not a major process during the survey. The intensity of the drought and flood stress, related to climate fluctuations, seems to be the main factors controlling the species composition of the vegetation of this unstable habitat. However, beyond the inter-annual fluctuation of the species composition of the vegetation a directional change was noticed. This directional change could result from a recovery process of the vegetation during the first years of the study after a severe flood which extirpated most of the Opportunistic species of the pool. In the last years this directional change of the species composition of the vegetation is less clear and random recruitment of the Opportunistic species from the surrounding forested habitats could contribute to explain inter-annual changes. The data collected over these 10 years led to the speculation of hypotheses on the consequences of climate change. The expected reduction of humid years and of rainfall regionally may lead to important changes in the species composition of the vegetation of the temporary pools in Morocco.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Deirdre Flanagan for correcting the English, Serge D. Muller (University of Montpellier 2) for providing material through the Egide Volubilis program (AI.-MA/07-172), and Florence Daubigney for her logistical and technical support and the three anonymous referees for their suggestions and critiques that helped improving this work. This project has been achieved with the financial support of the EGIDE-CMIFM program (PHC Volubilis AI- No. MA/07/172) and was partly funded by the Fondation Sansouire and Fondation MAVA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology and Environment, Hassan II University, BP 5366, Maarif, Casablanca, Morocco

    Laïla Rhazi

  2. Tour du Valat, Research Centre for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands, Le Sambuc, 13200, Arles, France

    Patrick Grillas

  3. Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Errachidia, Mouslay Ismail University, BP 509, Boutalamine, Errachidia, Morocco

    Mouhssine Rhazi

  4. Direction of the Forest Research, Québec, 2700, Einstein, Sainte-Foy, QC, G1P 3W8, Canada

    Jean-Christophe Aznar

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  1. Laïla Rhazi
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  2. Patrick Grillas
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  3. Mouhssine Rhazi
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  4. Jean-Christophe Aznar
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Correspondence to Patrick Grillas.

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Guest editors: B. Oertli, R. Cereghino, A. Hull & R. Miracle

Pond Conservation: From Science to Practice. 3rd Conference of the European Pond Conservation Network, Valencia, Spain, 14–16 May 2008

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10750_2009_9893_MOESM1_ESM.docx

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 17 kb) Annex 1: List of the species found in the pool with their classification for the analysis as Annuals or Perennials, Pool or non-Pool species, the number of quadrats occupied during the 10 years (N_quadrats), the number of years when the species was present (N_year), and the frequency (F) defined as the ratio of number of occupied quadrats/total number of quadrats; the species in bold character are considered as rare in Morocco (Fennane & Ibn Tattou, 1998)

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Rhazi, L., Grillas, P., Rhazi, M. et al. Ten-year dynamics of vegetation in a Mediterranean temporary pool in western Morocco. Hydrobiologia 634, 185–194 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-9893-7

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