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. 2023 Jul 8;13(7):e10268.
doi: 10.1002/ece3.10268. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Lakeshore vegetation: More resilient towards human recreation than we think?

Nora Meyer  1 , Anna Swiatloch  1 , Sebastian Dittrich  1 , Goddert von Oheimb  1
Affiliations

Lakeshore vegetation: More resilient towards human recreation than we think?

Nora Meyer et al. Ecol Evol. .

Abstract

Lakes and their shoreline vegetation are rich in biodiversity and provide multiple functions and habitats for fauna and flora. Humans are attracted by the scenic beauty of these ecosystems and the possibilities for recreational activities they offer. However, the use of lakes for recreational activities can lead to disturbance of vegetation, threatening the integrity and functionality of shoreline areas. Recent literature reviews revealed that impacts of the seemingly harmless activities bathing and lingering on the shore on lakeshore vegetation are poorly understood. In this study, we analysed the effects of shoreline use connected with bathing on the structure, composition and diversity of lakeshore vegetation. Vegetation relevés were recorded in 10 bathing and 10 adjacent control sites in the nature park 'Dahme-Heideseen' (Brandenburg, Germany). In addition visitor counts were performed. The species composition and the cover of herbaceous and shrub vegetation differed between bathing and control sites, but all sites had a high percentage of plant species not typical for the community. The vegetation parameters did not correlate with visitor counts. The results indicate that the present visitor intensity in the nature park does not impact the vegetation severely.

Keywords: biodiversity; ecological impacts; freshwater; recreation ecology; shoreline vegetation.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Schematic drawing of the study design. Bathing sites are shown on the right side, that for control sites on the left side. Red rectangles symbolize the positioning of the study plots. The colours represent the different vegetation zones.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
PCA of the reed belt zone. Colours refer to lakes, symbols to impacted plots (dot) and control plots (triangle).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
PCA of the carr zone. Colours refer to lakes, symbols to impacted plots (dot) and control plots (triangle).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
PCA of the dry forest zone. Colours refer to lakes, symbols to impacted plots (dot) and control plots (triangle).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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