Zonation of aquatic plant communities along the flooding gradient in subtropical  wetlands

Zonation of aquatic plant communities along the flooding gradient in subtropical wetlands | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Zonation of aquatic plant communities along the flooding gradient in subtropical wetlands Francieli Peter da Silveira, Filipe Ferreira da Silveira, Ana Boeira Porto, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4868819/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 12 Mar, 2025 Read the published version in Folia Geobotanica → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Aquatic plants play a crucial role in wetlands, and understanding distribution patterns and species composition can be valuable for several purposes. Here, we assessed aquatic plant distribution along a flooding gradient in the transition region between terrestrial and aquatic environments within a wetland complex. We investigated the presence of distinct zones in terms of species richness, composition (beta diversity), and life forms. We established transects along the shoreline, and defined three zones along each transect: floodable zone (zone 1), water-land interface zone (zone 2), and water body zone (zone 3). Clear zonation patterns were identified, due to occurrences restricted to portions of the gradient and significant variations in the coverage of species and life forms. The gradient displayed high beta diversity, with zones 1 and 3 differing significantly in species composition. Turnover explained the observed variation, associated with environmental filtering and interspecific interactions. There was no significant decrease in richness with increasing water depth. Amphibious plants dominated along the gradient. Our study highlights that the life forms inhabiting wetlands represent an adaptive continuum, ranging from plants that tolerate transitory submergence to those entirely limited to the aquatic environment. Understanding species distribution patterns is crucial for delineating wetland boundaries and gaining valuable insights into wetland conservation and restoration, particularly in light of escalating threats and the impacts of climate change. amphibious community assembly environmental gradient hydrophytes lagoon shoreline zone Full Text Supplementary Files SilveiraFPfigS1.pdf SilveiraFPfigS2.pdf SilveiraFPfigS3.pdf SilveiraFPfigS4.pdf SilveiraFPtableS1.pdf SilveiraFPtableS2.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 12 Mar, 2025 Read the published version in Folia Geobotanica → Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 05 Sep, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 02 Sep, 2024 Editor invited by journal 22 Aug, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 09 Aug, 2024 First submitted to journal 08 Aug, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4868819","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":348356581,"identity":"71d56e1a-0f50-4017-8f10-4533ec542284","order_by":0,"name":"Francieli Peter da 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