The National Parks have become the epicenter to follow the effects of global change on the country’s natural ecosystems. In this context, mountain ponds are sentinel ecosystems that have allowed us to verify some of the trends in our mountain ranges (e.g., Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada, Picos de Europa, Central System).
Until now, most studies have focused their attention on biogeochemical or microorganism aspects using the few long-term sampling series or the sedimentary record. This project aims to expand the spectrum towards submerged vegetation, whose response may perhaps be slower, but indicative of significant structural changes.
In 1987, a synoptic study of the ponds of the Pyrenees was carried out that included 35 localities of the PNASM. This reference offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the changes that have occurred since then in submerged plant communities and analyze their causes. We propose carrying out new vegetation inventories in the same lakes accompanied by diagnostic elements that allow us to determine the possible factors of change. This will include both water and sediment characteristics, as well as the presence and identity of introduced fish (salmonids and redhead). These are emblematic lakes in terms of the diversity and development of the macrophyte population. In each lake, the same transects will be repeated by immersion, with a detailed semi-quantitative inventory and sample collection for the study of biomass and eutrophication indicators (e.g., epiphyte load, nitrogen and phosphorus content).
