Natural Resources and Conservation Vol. 3(2), pp. 31 - 44
DOI: 10.13189/nrc.2015.030202
Reprint (PDF) (3505Kb)

Charophyte Communities in the Ein Afeq Natural Reserve, Israel

Sophia Barinova ^1,*, Roman Romanov ^2
1 Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Israel
² Central Siberian Botanical Garden of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia

ABSTRACT

First study of new locality in the Ein Afeq Natural Reserve with charophytes in the Akko Plain of Northern Israel has been implemented for revealing of algal diversity and ecological assessment of the water object environment by bio-indication methods. Altogether seventy one species of algae including two of them macro-algae Chara vulgaris Linnaeus and C. connivens P. Salzmann ex A. Braun were revealed. Chara was found in massive growth in two newest pools. Bio-indication and chemical variables characterize the pools environment as eutrophic, low- to middle organic polluted, Class II-III of water quality. Water was fresh, temperate, low alkaline, and well saturated by oxygen. Succession of algal community and higher aquatic plants shows increasing of organic pollution from 2005 to 2015 as a result of recreation impact. We can recommend the Ein Afeq pools for monitoring of natural aquatic object in the Akko Plane as reference site, and Chara vulgaris and C. connivens as climatic and successional indicators.

KEYWORDS
Charophytes, Ecology, Bio-indication, Ein Afeq Natural Reserve, Israel

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Sophia Barinova , Roman Romanov , "Charophyte Communities in the Ein Afeq Natural Reserve, Israel," Natural Resources and Conservation, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 31 - 44, 2015. DOI: 10.13189/nrc.2015.030202.

(b). APA Format:
Sophia Barinova , Roman Romanov (2015). Charophyte Communities in the Ein Afeq Natural Reserve, Israel. Natural Resources and Conservation, 3(2), 31 - 44. DOI: 10.13189/nrc.2015.030202.