Freshwater ecosystems represent a small proportion of the terrestrial surface but host a very high proportion of biodiversity (). Nonetheless, these are facing a high rate of decline, both in biodiversity and in area (). Biodiversity increases the temporal stability of communities and characteristics of the ecosystems through multiple mechanisms (). Aquatic plants are fundamental for aquatic ecosystems () and often govern the diversity and functionality of rivers, lakes, and wetlands (Figure 1). The mentioned issues can be found in the papers gathered in this Research Topic. Their findings deepen our understanding of freshwater ecosystem responses to environmental factors at different scales and gather important knowledge about management and climate change effects on the aquatic plant communities, their diversity and stability, protection and biological control of alien species.
Figure 1
Yang et al. showed temporal niche partition and traits tradeoff theory as primary strategies. The majority of the species pairs were niche partitioned and occurred either in spring or autumn. An approach using functional diversity provides quantitative information to explain macrophyte ecology more effectively than traditional methods based on taxonomy (), since it is more resistant to environmental variations (). The importance of functional diversity of aquatic plant communities in freshwater monitoring and conservation plans was highlighted by Stefanidis et al., quantifying this for Greek rivers while examining relationships with ecological factors. Growth forms and light preference were important traits that explained a large share of the total variance of functional composition. Functional richness was significantly higher at fine substrate systems and deep waters with low flow habitats.
Analogously, He et al. investigated the composition and diversity relationships between bacteria, fungi, and plant communities along a successional gradient behind receding glaciers. Taxonomic groups predicted the community composition more accurately than environmental factors, unlike taxa diversity, suggesting that the composition of one taxonomic group is not a strong driver of the diversity of another group. Additionally, Toth investigated the effect of epiphyton on foliar traits of a submerged rooted macrophyte Potamogeton perfoliatus, in a shallow lake, showing that epiphytic algal biomass influenced photophysiological traits of submerged macrophyte leaves. The complex interactions between epiphytes and submerged rooted macrophytes play an important role in habitat variability and overall ecosystem stability in littoral zones and should be considered in lake management. also showed the important role of the epiphytic diatoms in the prevention of adverse effects of short-wave radiation on submersed leaves of Potamogeton perfoliatus.
Furthermore, the spatiotemporal variability of the communities’ dynamics also influences coexistence, providing a biodiversity increase in variable conditions (). Xing et al. monitored the spatiotemporal changes in average wetland Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) during the annual growing season in the Amur River basin for four decades, analysing wetland vegetation responses to climatic change. Under climate warming scenarios, the NDVI of a wetland will continue to increase, often resulting in lower diversity of plant communities. This is of great applicability as NDVI has been widely utilized for monitoring wetland vegetation vitality and distribution ().
Various factors shape the structure and diversity of aquatic plant communities, including several anthropogenic pressures, and should be considered in restoration planning. For instance, Svitok et al. explored the diversity of aquatic plants in rivers, streams, ponds and ditches in Central Europe and observed that ponds and ditches support higher macrophyte diversity than running waters. This highlights the conservation value of such artificial habitats and underscores the need to prioritize small waterbodies in conservation strategies. Another example is the effect of light conditions in the distribution of macrophytes (), or water depth, determined by Yu et al. as the best predictor of nutrient threshold of submerged macrophytes collapse and recovery in lakes, further interacting with turbidity. Canopy-forming submerged macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum had a higher resistance to high nutrients and turbidity, whereas submerged macrophyte species richness had a significantly negative response to water depth. These results might provide quantitative guidance for lake restoration of diverse water depths.
Finally, environmental conditions changes influence the coexistence of plants, as Edwards et al. observed with the two common European wetland species Carex acuta and Glyceria maxima. Specifically, C. acuta was more affected by hydrologic changes, growing better in dry and saturated conditions, while G. maxima had a more positive response to fertilization. This confirms that it is crucial to maintain stable and diverse wetland plant communities to sustain ecosystem services like carbon sequestration and water purification. Furthermore, Toth recorded gradual changes within a season in the common reed Phragmites australis photosynthetic traits, comparing degraded and stable stands, suggesting a universal response to changing environmental conditions. Reed plants exposed to different levels of degradation showed comparable physiological plasticity, without a difference in trait variability between stands. This is likely to contribute to the resilience of reed plants by providing a wider range of adaptive traits under different conditions. The common reed is a very adaptable perennial grass growing in different wetlands, developing dense stands that enable soil stabilization and habitat provision (). Its dieback is a worldwide phenomenon occurring mainly due to water regulation and inadequate reed management practices.
Sediment accretion and nutrient addition also influence the growth of wetland plants and vegetative propagation, as Guo et al. observed, studying Phalaris arundinacea within a Carex thunbergii stand in the Yangtze River. An increased sedimentation rate facilitated the invasion of P. arundinacea into Carex stands, further enhanced by nutrient enrichment. Accordingly, management measures should consider sediment loads and nutrient inputs to prevent species invasion and maintain the ecological function of floodplain wetlands.
In conclusion, this Research Topic underpins the key role of aquatic plants in ecosystem stability and support of diversity in other biotic communities (). Maintaining the diversity and stability of aquatic plant communities is paramount for the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems, and river restoration actions should not disregard this.
Statements
Author contributions
IZ: Conceptualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. RR: Writing – review & editing. MG: Conceptualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.
Funding
The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This contribution was funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency, within the core research funding Nr. P1-0212, ‘Biology of Plants’.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Generative AI statement
The author(s) declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript.
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Summary
Keywords
aquatic plants, macrophytes, wetland plants, rivers, lakes, wetlands, ponds, diversity
Citation
Zelnik I, Rivaes RP and Germ M (2025) Editorial: Diversity and stability in aquatic plant communities. Front. Plant Sci. 16:1639349. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1639349
Received
01 June 2025
Accepted
06 June 2025
Published
19 June 2025
Volume
16 - 2025
Edited and reviewed by
Sebastian Leuzinger, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Updates
Copyright
© 2025 Zelnik, Rivaes and Germ.
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*Correspondence: Igor Zelnik, igor.zelnik@bf.uni-lj.si
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.