Spatio-temporal changes of littoral macrophytes along hydrological conditions in Yliki, a Greek lake

Abstract

Human-induced changes in hydrological conditions seem to be among the main factors affecting ecological relationships in lakes (Zhao et al., 2021). Water level fluctuation (WLF), which is often attributed to anthropogenic activities and its amplitude variations can have an impact on aquatic plant communities by altering several key environmental factors (Hill et al., 1998, Zhao et al., 2021). These fluctuations influence water depth, underwater irradiance, water quality, and dissolved oxygen levels, all of which play crucial roles in the growth and survival of macrophytes (Li et al., 2017). The interplay of these factors can significantly change the growing conditions for several macrophyte species over time. To overcome this, macrophytes have evolved to adjust gradually to periodic WLF over time, as part of their long-term evolutionary process (Zhao et al., 2021). The aims of the study are to present the results of WLF over time in Lake Yliki, study its aquatic plant community and explore the effect of WLFs on macrophytes.