Ecotones, ecoclines and eco-perturbations: the aquatic flora and fauna of the S’Albufera Natural Park, Majorca, a contribution and review
Abstract
The S’Albufera Park in Majorca is protected nationally as a Natural Park, as an EU Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) and as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.  This park is the most extensive area of marshlands in the Balearics at the brackish interface between seawater and freshwater inflow from the hinterland of Majorca. It is suggested that the whole marsh aquatic system is a saline freshwater gradient or ecocline containing a series of ecotones or sharp interfaces between different aquatic and terrestrial habitats changing with time and resulting in a dynamic niches for plants and animals leading to the rich biodiversity of the site. Here, we review some of the existing literature related to the site, particularly concerning the aquatic flora of the brackish water ecocline to which new data are added and the significance of these changing habitat interfaces i.e. ecotones in the present ecology and conservation of the Park.References
Livingston BE. Distribution of upland societies in Kent County, Michigan. Botanical Gazette. 1903; 35; 36-55.
Clements FE. Research Methods in Ecology. University publishing Company, Lincoln, NE. 1905.
Weaver JE, Albertson FW. Grasslands of the Great Plains. Johnsen Publishing Co., Lincoln, Nebraska. 1956.
Whittaker RH. Communities and ecosystems. Macmillan, New York .1970
Attrill MJ, Rundle SD. Ecotone or ecocline: ecological boundaries in estuaries. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 2002; 55; 929-936
Mayol J, Llabrés A, Aguiló JA., Perelló G, Muntaner J. S’Albufera. A guide for visitors. Conselleria d’Agricultura I Pesca, Palma de Mallorca; 1st edn. 1991. 77p .(2nd edn. 2006)
Riddiford NJ Veraart JA Férriz I Owens NW Royo L Honey MR. The Albufera Initiative for Biodiversity: a cost effective model for integration science and volunteer participation in coastal protected area management. Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone Management. 2014. 14(2); 267-288.
Martinez-Taberner A. Notes floristiques: Fanerófits aquatics de l’Albufera de Mallorca.Boll.Soc.Hist.Nat.Balears.1986; 30; 155-64.
Martinez-Taberner A. Pericàs J. Notes Floristiques: Les Characeae de l’Albufera de Mallorca. Boll.Soc.Hist.Nat.Balears.1988; 32;145-150.
Martinez-Taberner A. Moyà . G. Submerged vascular plants and water chemistry in the coastal marsh Albufera de Mallorca (Balearic Islands). Hydrobiologia, 1993; 27(1);129-139.
Verhoeven JTA. The ecology of Ruppia-dominated communities in Western Europe.I. Distribution of Ruppia representatives in relation to their autecology. Aquat.Bot.1979; 6; 197-268.
Sáez L. Torres N. Gil L. Aymerich P. Fraga P. Contributions to the knowledge of the flora of the Bqalearic Islands: Notes on the genus Potamogeton and Stuckenia (Potamogetonaceae). Orsis.2014; 28; 81-96.
Margalef R. Materiales para la hidrobiologÃa de la isla de Mallorca. Publ.Inst.Biol.Apl.1953; 15; 5-111.
Baron A. Calahorra P. Custodio E. Gonzalez C. Sin Sa Pobla area and S’Albufera Natural Park, NE Mallorca Island, Spain. Poceddings XII Salt Water Intrusions Meeting, Barcelona. 1994. pp 243-257.
Essex S. Kent M. Newnham R. Tourism development in Mallorca: is water supply a constraint? J. Sustainable Tourism. 2004; 12; 4-28.
Candela L. Wolf van Igek F. Jiménez-MartÃnez E. Jiménez-MartÃnez J. Impact assessment of combined climate and management scenarios on groundwater resources. The Inca-Sa Pobla hydrological unit (Mallorca, Spain). Chapter 11 in Holger T Martin-Bordes JL Gurdak JJ (eds) Climate change effects on groundwater resources: a global synthesis of findings and recommendations. 2011. CRC Press, London.
Martinez-Taberner A. Moyà . G. Ramón G. Forteza V. Seasonal physico-chemical changes of running waters in the Albufera of Majorca
(Balearic Islands). Vehr. int. Ver. Limnol. 1991; 24; 2007-2009.
Puigserver M. Ramon G. Moyà G. Spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton in a Mediterranean estuarine canal system. Journal of Coastal Research. 2002; 18(1); 39-51.
Martinez-Taberner A. Moyà . G. Ramón G. Forteza V. Soberats V. Ponsell C. S’Estany des Cibollar: un ejemplo de contaminación acuática en la Albufers de Alcúdia (Mallorca). Jornades sobre Contaminació. 1986; 2; 208-213.
Adrover M. Farrús E. Moyà G. Vadell J. Chemical properties and biological activity on soils of Mallorca following twenty years of treated wastewater irrigation. J. Environ. Manage. 2012; 95(Suppl); 188-192.
RodrÃguez-Navas C. Björklund E. Bak SA. Hansen M. Krogh KA. Maya F. Forteza R. Cerdà V. Pollution pathways of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment on the island of Mallorca, Spain. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 2013 Jul; 65(1); 55-66.
Bergueiro JR., Moreno S., Guijarro S., Serra F., Perez-Navarro A., Kantin, R., Diez E. Response to a fuel oil spill in the Albufera de Alcudia natural park on Mallorca Island. Proceedings 25th Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP) Technical Seminar Calgary, Canada 1; 267 . 2002.
Veraart JA de Groot RS Perelló G Riddiford NJ Roijackers R. Selection of (bio) indicators to ass effects of freshwater use in wetlands: a case study on s’Albufera de Mallorca, Spain. Reg Environ Change. 2004. 4:107-117
Slater FM. Procambarus clarkii in Majorca. IAA Newsletter.1992; 14 (4): 2.
Correia AM. Seasonal and interspecific evaluation of predation by mammals and birds on the introduced red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Crustacea, Cambaridae) in a freshwater marsh (Portugal). J.Zool., Lond. 2001; 255: 533 – 541.
Salazar RD, Riddiford NJ, Vicens P. A comparative dietary study of cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) and little egrets (Egretta garzetta) in s’Albufera Natural Park, Mallorca. Boll. Soc. Hist. Nat. Balears. 2005; 48: 153-162.
Fritz U Pieh A Lenk P Mayol J SäB Wink M. Is Emys orbicularis introduced on Majorca? 1998. Mertensiella 10: 123-133.
Hemmer H, Kadel B, Kadel K . The Balearic toad (Bufo viridis balearicus (Boettger, 1881)), human bronze age culture and Mediterranean biogeography. 1981. Amphibia-Reptilia, Wiesenbad, 2: 217-230.
Pinya S Cuadrado E Trenado S. Presencia de Mauremys leprosa (Schweger, 1812) en el Parque Natuaral de s’Albufera de Mallorca. Bol.Asoc. Herpetol. Esp. 2008.19: 83-84.
Ayres C. Alvarez A. Ayllon E. Bertolero A. Buenetxea X. Cordero-Rivera A et al. Conservation projects for Emys orbicularis in Spain. Herpetology Notes.2013; 6; 157-164.
Barceló ï‚ï€®ï€ Mayol J. (eds) Estudio Ecologico de la Albufera de Mallorca. Univ. Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca; 406pp. 1980.
The Albufera International Biodiversity Group (TAIB) Biodiversity, Ecology& Monitoring Research Projects. https://www.taib.info/en/projects/research (accessed 1 Feb 2016).
