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Abstract
Western Carpathian spring fens (groundwater-fed wetlands characterised by specific vegetation) represent a rare and unique biotope whose aquatic insects have not been studied until now. Therefore, the aims of this study were to describe the taxocoenosis of stoneflies and to determine the main environmental factors controlling species composition. The study was carried out in 2006 at 15 sites in the borderland of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The species richness was surprisingly high. 12 out of all 33 recorded species developed in fens, the others inhabited small springbrooks in the vicinity of fens. The structure of stonefly taxocoenosis was influenced by season and substrate characteristics of the studied fens. The main gradient in species data represented change of species composition from species dwelling in fens with coarse substrate and without vegetation over species reaching high numbers in fine sediment fens to a species found exclusively in fens overgrown by sedges.
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Markéta Omelková and Vendula Křoupalová for their help during the field research and to Michal Horsák and Nicole Cernohorsky for useful comments on the manuscript. We thank the Czech Grant Agency (Project Nos. 524/05/H536, 526/09/H025 and 206/06/1133) and the Czech Ministry of Education (Project No. MSM 0021622416) for supporting the field research and preparation of the manuscript.