Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-ws8qp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-30T04:55:52.262Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

7 - Micro-climatic conditions and water economy of wetlands vegetation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

D. F. Westlake
Affiliation:
Aquatic Plant Consultancy, Dorset
J. Kvet
Affiliation:
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague
A. Szczepanski
Affiliation:
Polish Academy of Sciences
Get access

Summary

Basic features of the micro-climate

Shallow waters

The production processes in all ecosystems are dependent on the physical properties of the environment. Radiation, temperature and water supply are among the basic factors influencing photosynthesis, respiration, growth and other physiological processes in auto trophic plants. Other ecosystem processes, such as the decomposition of dead organic matter, and the activity, food uptake, respiration and reproduction rate of animals, are also influenced by temperature, humidity and radiation.

The macro-climate of a given area is determined by its geographical position and large-scale air circulation. The plant cover, perhaps more than any other active surface, alters the climatic conditions in its surroundings. Studies on the micro-climate within the plant cover and an evaluation of the feedback effects of the plant biomass, both live and dead, on the micro-climate are indispensable for an understanding of ecosystem functioning. The immediate result of the mutual relationship between vegetation and micro-climate is the water economy of the vegetation. For general information on these subjects, the reader is referred to Geiger (1961); Monteith (1973, 1975–76), Slavík (1974) and Kreeb (1974).

Wetlands are more complicated than either purely aquatic or purely terrestrial ecosystems because three phases are present: air, water and soil. Moreover, the relative importance of these varies considerably in both space and time. Despite the frequent large-scale uniformity of wetland plant stands, they show a considerable diversity of micro-environments in space and time, caused in the first place by variations of water level, plant density and management.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Production Ecology of Wetlands
The IBP Synthesis
, pp. 367 - 404
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×