Distribution of Vascular Plant Communities in Slovenian Watercourses

Rivers and streams are heterogenous ecosystems that host a great number of vascular plant communities. The territory Slovenia is highly diverse regarding geomorphologic, geologic, climatic, edaphic conditions. We presumed environmental variability will also affect the distribution hygrophilous plants in running waters consequently structure communities they form. analyzed macrophyte, spatial, parameters 906 stretches watercourses occurring Dinaric, Pannonian, Po lowland hydro-ecoregions. determined 87 taxa. most abundant were Myriophyllum spicatum, Phalaris arundinacea, Potamogeton nodosus. Submerged macrophytes presented about one third total species abundance, while amphiphytes somewhat less abundant. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed distance from source explained 15.1% growth form type variability, current velocity latitude 4.1% each. With assessed parameters, we 31.6% variability. When CCA was run with taxa, only 20.9% their statistically significant parameters. distinguished 25 different associations belonging to five classes nine alliances. majority defined distributed Only seven had narrower range, three them on karst poljes. Among them, new association Mentho aquaticae-Oenanthetum fistulosae river Mali Obrh Loško polje described this contribution.