Special Collection on Macrophytes in Italy Open access

Exploring habitat complexity in Mediterranean ponds: physicochemical heterogeneity and macrophyte community variation in inland Sicily

Authors

Published
21 September 2026
Section
Special Collection on Macrophytes in Italy
DOI
10.4081/jlimnol.2026.2280

Abstract

Mediterranean ponds are small but valuable habitats, yet the relationships between environmental heterogeneity and vegetation remain poorly explored. We surveyed 10 sites in central Sicily, including permanent, semi-permanent and temporary ponds, recording 42 taxa and macrophyte communities in 31 vegetation units (i.e., plots) and measuring water and sediment variables for each plot. Environmental clustering and PCA distinguished three vegetation typologies mainly defined by nutrients and sediment organic matter with significant differences in species turnover, whereas alpha diversity varied only marginally across clusters. The presence of differentiated plant communities sustains a relatively high baseline richness, while environmental heterogeneity is associated with macrophyte turnover rather than changes in cluster-level diversity.

Keywords

Supporting Agencies

This work has benefited from the equipment and framework of the COMP-R Initiative, funded by the ‘Departments of Excellence’ program of the Italian Ministry for University and Research (MUR, 2023-2027)

Data Availability Statement

all the analyzed data are reported in the paper

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