BOTANY WITH BASICS OF HYDROBOTANY (AQUATIC PLANTS OF UKRAINE) - B.Ye. Yakubenko - 2011

I. CONDITIONS FOR THE FORMATION AND GROWTH OF AQUATIC PLANTS

Ecotopes and Their Role in Aquatic and Water-Logged Ecosystems

An ecotope is a set of abiotic conditions of the habitat of a specific biotic community or a certain homogeneous area of the Earth's surface. It harbors a greater number of species and ecological niches than any of the adjacent biocoenoses, along with significantly higher diversity.

Ecotopes are characterized by microconditions that define the boundaries between biocoenoses and formations (for example, the shrub and herbaceous layers). As The Structure of a biocoenosis becomes more complex, the diversity within layers and ecologic niches increases.

Of particular importance are ecotopes of secondary origin, which include coastal strips. Their temporal and spatial dynamics play a crucial role in the evolution of organisms. Littoral ecotopes (the zone between Water and land) are distinguished by high dynamism; these conditions have driven two major Evolutionary Processes in organisms: the transition to land and adaptation to terrestrial life, and the secondary transition to aquatic life. This triggers profound adaptive processes leading to the formation and growth of diverse life forms. Evolutionary processes in the ecotopes of lowland, mountain, and wetland geosystems occurred much later.

Ecotopes also differ in their Functions. Researchers distinguish complexes of coastal ecotopes (ocean tides and ebbs, wave action in small seas) and freshwater ecotopes (systems of lotic and lentic water bodies, river delta and estuary complexes, etc.).

To address bioindication issues, considerable attention must be paid to characterizing the coastal strip of both lentic and lotic freshwater bodies (shallow lakes, ponds, riverbanks, and temporarily flooded river valleys), as well as the ecobiology of freshwater plants.

Fluctuations in water level are the primary driving factor behind the developmental changes of macrophytes in both running and standing waters. The known Forms of Water Column fluctuations include non-rhythmic (wind action or the filling and draining of ponds), rhythmic, and pulsational.