Vegetation ecology of Kalodiki Fen (NW Greece)

Freshwater wetlands around the Mediterranean Sea have decreased considerably in number and quality. Greece has lost two thirds of its wetlands during the last seventy-five years; however, many wetlands with considerable conservation value remain. Kalodiki Fen is an inland, freshwater wetland belonging to the western chain of Greek wetlands. This paper describes the plant communities of Kalodiki Fen and their synecology. To determine the relationship between vegetation and environmental parameters, the vegetation of Kalodiki Fen is described and analysed in terms of parameters determining the observed distribution pattern. Eighteen vegetation types, of which nine are ranked as associations and nine as frame communities, are described and are presented in a synoptic table. They belong to the Phragmition communis, Magnocaricion elatae, Nymphaeion albae, Parvopotamion, Ranunculion aquatilis, Lolio-Potentillion anserinae, Nerion oleandri, and Bidention tripartitae. Through ordination, soil moisture and water depth, and to a lesser extent nitrogen, are identified as underlying environmental factors determining the composition of these plant communities. Community differentiation follows an edaphic-water depth pattern. The floristic and vegetation value of the wetland is discussed as a basis for the application of conservation management measures.