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Vegetation (Floating River Vegetation) - Office of Public Works

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4.4 Physical, chemical and biological features <strong>of</strong> watercourses with floating river vegetation.<br />

A review <strong>of</strong> Irish and international reports was undertaken to obtain an overview <strong>of</strong> the<br />

physical, chemical and biological characteristics associated with watercourses supporting floating<br />

river vegetation. Measures to create a greater awareness <strong>of</strong> the causes and threats to habitat<br />

destruction along with conservation, management and rehabilitation regimes are documented.<br />

Studies in the United Kingdom based on watercourse characteristics and the floating river<br />

vegetation found has been classified into six potential aquatic vegetation groupings (Hatton-Ellis &<br />

Grieve, 2003). Although the survey included protected and non-protected aquatic vegetation, non-<br />

protected species have been abstracted and a summary <strong>of</strong> the classes and protected floating river<br />

species are listed in Table 19.<br />

Group <strong>River</strong> Characteristics <strong>Floating</strong> river vegetation<br />

1 Large lowland rivers, slow flowing, river bed<br />

<strong>of</strong> silt or clay<br />

2 Small lowland rivers, bedrock is chalk and<br />

oolitic limestone, river bed consists <strong>of</strong> sand,<br />

gravel and stones<br />

3 Large river more than 20m wide <strong>of</strong> variable<br />

flow, bedrock <strong>of</strong> sandstone or hard limestone,<br />

alkaline, fair to nutrient rich<br />

4 <strong>River</strong> or streams usually tributaries <strong>of</strong> large<br />

rivers, variable <strong>of</strong> geological bedrock, alkaline<br />

waters, variable flow and shading<br />

5 Upland rivers, riverbed substrate consists <strong>of</strong><br />

gravel, stones and large stones or boulders,<br />

prone to spate flow, acidic, fairly nutrient rich<br />

6 <strong>River</strong>s <strong>of</strong> a low gradient, acidic, <strong>of</strong>ten associated<br />

with raised bog habitats<br />

Upland fast flowing rivers, bedrock consisting<br />

<strong>of</strong> hard rock, stable riverbed, acidic<br />

R.penicillatus ssp. Pseud<strong>of</strong>luitans, R.fluitans,<br />

P.pectinatus, P.crispus, P.lucens, P.natans,<br />

P.perfoliatus, C.platycarpa, C.stagnalis, M.spicatum,<br />

Z.palustris, F.antipyretica<br />

R.penicillatus ssp. Pseud<strong>of</strong>luitans,<br />

P.crispus, P.natans, C.platycarpa, C.stagnalis,<br />

C.obtusangula, Z. Palustris F.antipyretica<br />

Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseud<strong>of</strong>luitans,<br />

Ranunculus fluitans, P.pectinatus, P.perfoliatus,<br />

P.crispus, Z.palustris, F.antipyretica<br />

R.penicillatus ssp. Pseud<strong>of</strong>luitans<br />

P.crispus, P.natans, C.humalata, C.platycarpa,<br />

C.stagnalis, M.alterniflorum, F.antipyretica<br />

R.penicillatus ssp. Pseud<strong>of</strong>luitans<br />

P.crispus, C.humalata, C.stagnalis, M.alterniflorum,<br />

F.antipyretica<br />

P.polygonifolius, P.natans, C.hamulata, C.stagnalis,<br />

M.alterniflorum, F.antipyretica<br />

P.polygonifolius, C.hamulata, C.stagnalis,<br />

M.alterniflorum, F.antipyretica<br />

Table 19 Categories <strong>of</strong> watercourses in the United Kingdom supporting floating river vegetation<br />

(data abstracted and interpreted from Hatton-Ellis & Grieve, 2003).<br />

Of interest in the above groupings is the presence <strong>of</strong> only two species <strong>of</strong> Water crowfoot<br />

39

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