The importance of dispersal in maintaining biodiversity of aquatic plants in landscapes

Fragmentation of aquatic ecosystems within agricultural landscapes has disrupted the dispersal pathways of aquatic plants. Dispersal plays a critical role in maintaining species richness and genetic diversity of aquatic plants, but is poorly understood. The project will: (1) establish the relative importance of dispersal by wind, water and waterbirds, (2) determine how each of these pathways contributes to plant communities across the landscape and (3) identify optimal environmental flows for plant dispersal and establishment. This information will result in the development of appropriate landscape-scape management and environmental water allocations to preserve plant diversity in Australia s aquatic habitats.'',