Journal Molluscan Studies Advance Access originally published online on January 16, 2007
Journal of Molluscan Studies 2007 73(1):53-60; doi:10.1093/mollus/eyl024
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Modern distribution patterns of snails and plants in the Western Carpathian spring fens: is it a result of historical development?
3
1
1 Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlá
ská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic;
2 Department of Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Poí
í 3b, CZ-60300 Brno, Czech Republic; and
3 Administration of the Tatra National Park, Headquarters in Liptovsk Mikulá
, Hod
ova 11, 031 01 Liptovsk Mikulá, Slovakia
Correspondence: M. Horsák; e-mail: horsak{at}sci.muni.cz
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Abstract |
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The aims of the study were: (1) to investigate the modern distribution pattern of snails in the Western Carpathians (Czech Republic and Slovakia) and compare it with the modern distribution pattern of plants, in which a conspicuous species turnover occurs on the scale of only tens of kilometres; and (2) to construct an hypothesis explaining why such a steep geographical gradient exists in such a small area, which is homogenous with respect to water chemistry and climate. Snail assemblages of 111 treeless base-rich spring-fen sites were sampled quantitatively from a homogeneous area of 16 m2 (one sample of 12 l volume) in which a vegetation relevé was also recorded. The result of a partial detrended correspondence analysis of snail data with water pH and conductivity as co-variables confirmed clear differences between snail assemblages of the study area's western and eastern region. The regions differed in their species pool and the frequencies of particular species. In the eastern region, fen specialists and relics occurred and they were fairly frequent and abundant (e.g. Vertigo geyeri and Pupilla alpicola). The western region differed by its higher frequency and abundance of woodland and ubiquitous species. The classification of snail species based on their co-occurrence with plant species reflected the known geographical pattern as well. We found that Western Carpathian fen vegetation as well as the fens' snail assemblages display a clear geographical gradient within a rather small area, independently of any climate or other environmental variation. Previously published palaeoecological data and both species composition and structure of modern assemblages suggest clear differences in the historical development of the two principal regions. Historical development seems to be one of the most important variables constituting qualitative characters of modern fragmented communities. On a small scale it can influence especially organisms with slower migration rates, such as molluscs.
(Received 9 June 2006; accepted 5 October 2006)
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