Earlier research on aquatic vegetation in lakes within the Yangtze River Basin focused mainly on long-term degraded lakes such as Chaohu Lake and Taihu Lake, while studies on Liangzi Lake, which has only begun showing notable degradation over the past two decades, remain lacking. Therefore, this study combined remote sensing, field surveys, and indoor germination experiments to investigate the characteristics and driving factors of the aquatic vegetation and its seed bank in Liangzi Lake, reveal the degradation mechanisms of aquatic vegetation, and establish a system for assessment of the restoration potential of the aquatic vegetation seed bank. Results indicate that the aquatic vegetation coverage declined from 62.33
Seasonal flooding is a defining feature of freshwater wetlands, shaping ecological dynamics and influencing community structure. In large lake systems, fringing wetlands provide critical habitat for many fish species, yet these communities remain largely understudied, particularly in relation to variability in spring flood regimes. This study examined how spring flood progression (April–June) affects fish community composition in a large wetland complex within the Lake Champlain basin (Vermont, New York, and Quebec). I analyzed community shifts across three months representing different flood phases, evaluated how interannual variation in flood characteristics (e.g., duration, timing, ice-free days) influenced species abundance, and assessed long-term changes in flood dynamics using a century-long water-level record. Multivariate ordinations revealed strong seasonal structuring, with distinct species assemblages in each phase: early spring was dominated by White Sucker and Yellow Perch, while late spring featured generalist foragers such as Lepomis spp. Longer, later floods increased the abundances of key taxa, emphasizing the importance of extended access to flooded habitat for recruitment and resource use. Analyses of long-term hydrologic data showed that spring floods have become longer and end later over time, indicating that the flood characteristics associated with fish abundance are already changing within the system. Together, these findings suggest that continued shifts in flood dynamics may alter the nursery function, productivity, and species composition of wetland fish communities. As climate change and wetland loss continue, understanding these hydrologically driven patterns is critical for conserving ecosystem function and forecasting ecological change in large lake systems.
Albanian coastal lagoons are ecologically important transitional ecosystems that support biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal livelihoods. This scoping review synthesises three decades of scientific literature (1993–2025) on Albania’s seven major coastal lagoons (Narta, Karavasta, Kune-Vain, Butrinti, Patoku, Viluni, and Orikumi). Drawing on 87 sources retrieved from international databases, regional repositories, and grey literature, we map the evidence base across six thematic domains: biodiversity and ecosystem health; land-use change and anthropogenic pressures; water quality and pollution; climate and hydrology; governance and socio-economics; and general or multidisciplinary studies. The review documents two complementary patterns of unevenness. Geographically, research focuses on Narta, Karavasta, Patoku, Kune-Vain, and Butrinti, which together account for 42 of 46 single-site studies (91
Vegetation community structure within peatlands spans a gradient from fully forested, closed canopy to untreed, open canopy environments. Differentiating and quantifying the distribution of vegetation communities along this gradient is essential for understanding biodiversity, habitat quality, and tree encroachment patterns within peatland complexes. The intermediate positions, or transition, along this gradient, may be critical in these assessments as these areas contain a unique combination of both open and forested structural attributes. However, historic peatland delineations have only characterized forested and open habitat, ignoring the transition zone due to time and accessibility constraints or with unclear thresholds for demarking zones using remote sensing. Here, we used structural attributes (canopy cover, stem density, and canopy height) obtained from field-based plots at Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research Station as the basis of differentiating open, transition, and forested peatland zones. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) generated mean canopy heights and canopy cover were used to set zone thresholds, based on ground-truthed plots (height: forested > 2.84 m, open < 1.08 m; canopy cover: forested > 75.64
Wetlands are ecotonal ecosystems that sustain high arthropod diversity, yet spider assemblages in tropical coastal wetlands remain poorly documented. This study evaluated the diversity, functional guild structure, and spatial–seasonal patterns of spiders across four coastal wetlands of Kerala, India, over a three-year period (2019–2022). Surveys conducted during wet and dry seasons in Changaram, Kadamakkudy, Kandakkadavu, and Puthuvype wetlands documented 135 spider species belonging to 78 genera and 22 families. Salticidae was the most dominant family (20.74
The Yellow River Delta (YRD) is the youngest, broadest, and most integrated wetland ecosystem in China. However, it is currently subjected to multiple interacting stressors that have led to widespread habitat degradation and biodiversity loss. As sensitive bioindicators of environmental change, macrobenthic communities provide valuable proxies for assessing the ecological health of coastal ecosystems. In this study, macrobenthic communities were surveyed across the YRD in May, August and November 2017 to characterize their spatio-temporal dynamics and quantify regional ecosystem health status (EHS). The results revealed spatio-temporal variation in species composition and community structure. Taxonomic richness and functional richness (FRic) exhibited significant temporal variation and were positively correlated, whereas other biodiversity and functional diversity indices remained relatively stable across sampling periods. AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) results indicated slight disturbance observed in macrobenthic community across the delta, athough five stations experienced extreme disturbance in August. In contrast, Multivariate-AMBI (M-AMBI) and the feeding evenness index (jFD) assessments revealed that approximately 70
Accurate spatial interpolation of peat thickness and surface elevation are essential for estimating carbon storage and habitat mapping for species at risk. The objectives of this research were to (a) assess three interpolation methods’ (Universal Kriging, Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) and Random Forest (RF) machine learning) ability to predict peat thickness and surface elevation, (b) compare method performance when creating derivative surfaces for habitat mapping and carbon metrics, and (c) make recommendations on spatial interpolation workflows when assessing peatland ecohydrological metrics and habitat mapping. Methods were applied in three peatlands in eastern Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada. Kriging and IDW produced similar spatial patterns for habitat mapping and carbon metrics; although Kriging achieved slightly higher predictive accuracy, all three methods produced ecologically negligible differences. Surfaces generated using RF had comparable accuracy to IDW and Kriging but lower R² values, likely reflecting limitations in predictor variables and the absence of explicit spatial autocorrelation modeling. However, the RF method holds potential for extrapolating peat thickness to unsampled areas at the landscape scale. For small (≤ 1 ha) basin-confined peatlands with representative field data, IDW offers a practical alternative to Kriging; although Kriging remains preferable when computational resources and variogram modelling expertise are available. We suggest that RF methods require further refinement to enable reliable interpolation of ecohydrological variables within small, basin-confined peatlands. Our findings demonstrate that choice of interpolation method can influence habitat estimates but provide similar carbon estimates, highlighting the importance of robust spatial modelling for informing peatland conservation in a changing climate.
This study evaluates the impacts of drainage and intensive groundwater abstraction on the Akgöl Wetland (Central Anatolia, Türkiye) using a numerical groundwater flow model. The wetland, located in a semi-arid basin, has undergone significant hydrological alteration due to anthropogenic interventions, including drainage works and widespread groundwater exploitation for irrigation. A two-stage modeling framework was applied. First, a steady-state model was developed to represent pre-dewatering conditions and calibrated against historical groundwater levels. This model was subsequently converted into a transient model to simulate the period between 1983 and 2014, incorporating drainage and groundwater abstraction stresses. Recharge was estimated using a modified Thornthwaite–Mather water balance approach, while abstraction rates were constrained through calibration against long-term groundwater level observations. Transient model simulations reveal a progressive decline in hydraulic heads within the wetland and its surrounding areas, accompanied by a significant reduction in the extent of areas where the water table remains shallow (≤ 5 m below ground surface). Since the late 1990s, groundwater abstraction has exceeded natural recharge in the wetland basin, resulting in a persistent negative groundwater balance and significant depletion of aquifer storage. The results demonstrate that intensive groundwater abstraction has become the dominant control on regional groundwater dynamics, leading to the near-complete desiccation of the Akgöl wetland. This study highlights the critical importance of integrating hydrogeological modeling into wetland management and emphasizes the need for strict regulation of groundwater use to ensure long-term aquifer and wetland sustainability.
Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly recognized as pervasive environmental pollutants, posing significant risks to ecosystems through both direct and indirect pathways. Sediments are recognised as an important sink for MPs and density separation is the most reported in the literature to study such pollutants. These frequently use sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions to isolate MPs from environmental samples, due to accessibility and its ecofriendly nature. However, there is no standardized method for the extraction of MPs from sediments meaning a lack of consistency in studies. Furthermore, a significant knowledge gap exists regarding the role of saltmarshes in MP trapping. In this study, we evaluated five published density separation methods to determine their efficacy in recovering both low- and high-density MPs from saltmarsh sediments. Our findings identify the method proposed by Zhu et al. (2021) as the most effective, achieving an average recovery efficiency of 70.1
The study investigates microplastic (MP) contamination across three coastal wetland ecosystems: seagrass, saltmarsh, and mangroves. The study aimed to employ a density separation technique to characterise the extent and composition of MP contamination, providing a comprehensive analysis of the trends in distribution and morphology. Despite the growing body of research on MPs, there remains a lack of detailed, localised studies focusing on coastal wetland ecosystems, which may be effective sinks for MP pollution, acting as a Nature-based Solution. Seagrass meadows exhibited a predominant input of MPs from marine sources, with fibres accounting for 60.5
Lakeside wetlands are increasingly exposed to overlapping pressures from eutrophication and land conversion, yet quantitative evidence linking restoration to both carbon (C) storage recovery and water-quality improvement remains limited. Here we use an integrated analytical framework combining high‐resolution remote sensing, process‐based C accounting, and machine‐learning forecasting to assess a 15‐year restoration trajectory of the Shibalianwei Wetland in China’s Chaohu Lake Basin. This approach integrates ecosystem service modeling with machine-learning predictive analytics to capture long-term, non-linear restoration dynamics beyond traditional short-term monitoring. Supervised decision‐tree classification (overall accuracy = 91
Wetland loss and hydrologic modification across the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) have fragmented bottomland hardwood forests (BLHF) and reshaped flood regimes that drive wetland biogeochemistry. To counter these ecosystem losses, the Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Natural Resources Conservation Service has reestablished BLHF and wetlands in the MAV since 1990. However, the extent to which water quality varies across WREs spanning different restoration ages remains unclear. We evaluated seasonal water quality and hydrologic conditions at 28 WREs in Mississippi and Louisiana spanning 3–30 years since establishment from July 2023 through May 2024 (n = 263). We did not detect a uniform pattern across restoration age; however, analyte-specific trajectories were evident. We detected a 57
Species co-occurrence is crucial for understanding species interactions, ecological processes, and predicting community responses, which supports biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health. In this study, we explored co-occurrence patterns of macrobenthos in the intertidal and offshore zones of the Yellow River Delta (YRD) using null model and co-occurrence probabilistic model methods. Results showed that the intertidal zone had lower species diversity, mainly consisting of mollusks, crustaceans, and polychaetes. In contrast, the offshore zone consistently exhibited higher crustacean abundance, particularly shrimps and crabs, and an increased fish species count over multiple months. Null model results indicated that macrobenthic species with low mobility predominantly exhibited a random pattern across the intertidal zone, which remained generally stable over time; on the other hand, these species with high mobility showed a significant segregated pattern within offshore zone. Co-occurrence probabilistic model analysis showed that the species pairs of the macrobenthic communities were mainly randomly associated in different zones. Furthermore, species pairs exhibiting significant aggregation were more numerous than those showing separation. These findings support that macrobenthic species within the intertidal zone lack a distinct structure, likely due to reduced interspecific competition and also increased environmental impact in this unique zone of the YRD. Despite potential effects of sampling methods, the study shows that highly mobile communities tend to have structured co-occurrence patterns, while small, low-mobility communities are more likely to be randomly distributed. This study improves understanding of species co-occurrence across different ecological zones in estuarine wetlands, supporting biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.
This continuous discharge of poorly treated organic and inorganic effluents poses a significant environmental hazard, and there is a need to develop effective, sustainable wastewater treatment systems. Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) have become an attractive nature-based treatment that utilizes the synergistic potential of aquatic plants and their microbial communities to treat industrial effluents. The mechanisms of degradation and removal of a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants, including pesticides, herbicides, toxic metals, synthetic dyes, and other hazardous chemicals, are thoroughly discussed in this review. Although FTWs have significant ecological and economic benefits, obstacles remain due to the complexity of system design, maintenance, and long-term operational sustainability. Recent technological developments, including artificial biofilm carriers, hybrid fuel cell-integrated FTWs, and improvements in nanoformulation, are also discussed in the review to enhance treatment performance. This is the first review, as far as we know, to fully integrate organic- and inorganic-pollutant-specific degradation mechanisms, novel enhancement approaches, and the dual biological functions of plants and microbes in FTWs. The article addresses a significant gap in the literature and offers a holistic model for optimizing FTW systems, thereby advancing environmentally friendly wastewater management practices.
Veredas are wetlands of the Brazilian Cerrado hotspot biome, noted for rich biodiversity and ecosystem services including water provision and carbon storage. Located in gently sloping, low-lying valleys, where the water table emerges and flows slowly, their distribution and abiotic drivers remain poorly understood. We tested whether water availability (precipitation) positively associates with Veredas’ distribution, while heterogeneous topography (slope variance) associates negatively. To capture fine-scale variation in climate, terrain, and soil variables, we used a grid-based approach across the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba region and investigated the effects of these variables on Veredas occurrence. Our results supported the hypothesis regarding water availability, as precipitation of the driest month was positively associated with the probability of Veredas occurrence (R² = 0.03). Furthermore, the hypothesis regarding slope variance was also supported, as it was negatively associated with the probability of occurrence and abundance of Veredas (R² = 0.07 and 0.16, respectively). Microregions with Veredas differed from those without according to 23 variables, indicating that additional predictors contribute to explaining Veredas’ distribution. In contrast with previous descriptive, climate-zone comparisons, this study represents the first hypothesis-driven, landscape-scale evaluation of the determinants of Veredas occurrence, consistent with the interpretation that water availability may recharge the water table and homogeneous terrains may facilitate hydromorphic soil formation and slow water drainage. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for identifying priority areas for conservation and water security, highlighting the need for management strategies that anticipate the vulnerability of Veredas to ongoing climate change.
The diversion of the Yellow River Estuary may alter the physical and chemical properties of the wetland soils on both banks, thereby affecting the distribution and landscape patterns of halophytic vegetation. To investigate these effects, this study examined pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nutrient elements, ions and stoichiometric ratios in soils from three typical wetland plant communities, including Suaeda salsa, Tamarix chinensis, and their T. chinensis-S. salsa mixed area, on both banks of the current Yellow River Estuary. Results revealed that the north bank had a stronger tendency toward carbon limitation during organic matter decomposition, whereas the south bank showed a more pronounced tendency toward phosphorus limitation. The C/N ratio served as a key indicator for distinguishing soil property differences between the two banks, whereas the N/P ratio was the primary factor associated with plant community differentiation. Across plant communities, EC and ionic content decreased sequentially: T. chinensis-S. salsa mixed area > T. chinensis > S. salsa. Notably, T. chinensis communities on the north bank showed higher EC (i.e., salinity), potentially inhibiting total organic carbon (TOC) accumulation. Soil nitrite (NO2−-N) content was significantly higher in S. salsa-dominated areas of the north bank, suggesting suppressed nitrification processes. Potassium ion (K+) was the most crucial factor correlated with S. salsa phenotypes, with the red-violet phenotype thriving in high K+ environments. These findings highlight the divergent soil properties between typical wetland plant communities on both banks of the Yellow River Estuary and their critical role in shaping vegetation distribution.
Wetland restoration has been widely documented to improve vegetation structure and habitat conditions, yet the environmental associations with food-web trophic structure remain insufficiently understood. Here, we compared natural and restored wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain, China, to examine associations between water quality conditions and food-web structure. Compared to natural wetlands, restored wetlands generally showed enriched δ13C signatures in several basal resources and consumers, while δ15N patterns varied among basal resources and fish species. In addition, dietary contributions differed between wetland types, with consumers relying primarily on particulate organic matter (POM) in natural wetlands (34.20
Our study estimated the economic contribution of eight ecosystem services of Wular Wetland in monetary terms. It also examined the tradeoffs and synergies in the perception of three stakeholder groups of fishers, experts, and visitors regarding 22 ecosystem services and their willingness to pay for conserving Wular Lake’s biodiversity. Using a mixed model approach, with qualitative and quantitative data from field and secondary sources, we found that Wular generated approximately 2519 crores in 2023. Provisioning services accounted for 87
Native wetland plantings are a critical part of tidal wetland restoration, serving common goals such as substrate stabilization and carbon storage, but there is insufficient guidance on selecting species based on site conditions (particularly tidal inundation and salinity). We used marsh organ elevation gradient platforms at mesohaline and oligohaline sites in a Chesapeake Bay (Maryland) subestuary to determine biomass and soil organic matter production of native clonal species Peltandra virginica, Panicum virgatum, Spartina cynosuroides, Spartina patens, Distichlis spicata, and, for comparative purposes, the invasive Phragmites australis grown in a sandy substrate. We expected that biomass would decrease with increasing flood frequency due to anaerobic stress on rhizomes and roots. Surprisingly, the aboveground and total biomass of all species increased with greater flood frequency. Belowground biomass varied less with elevation and was generally higher than aboveground biomass. We attribute these unexpected results to the sandy substrate used in the experiment (50
